The initiative that the Forum of Religious for Justice and Peace (FORUM) took to organize a webinar on ‘Religious conversion’ on February 5 was laudable.
Two legal experts Kalpana Kannabiran and Robin Christopher enlightened the participants on the constitutional and political dimensions of the issue and suggested ways to prevent and manage the crisis the Christian community faces from the Hindutva forces these days.
It was encouraging to notice that about 500 participants joined the webinar. However as usual, the majority of the participants were women religious. Not a single bishop was present. There were only a handful of priests. Why didn’t the leaders of dioceses and congregations make it a priority to join the discussions on such an important and urgent issue affecting the whole Church?
The input sessions were informative. There were suggestions to engage all political parties to get their support for this issue. Another suggestion was to make a mass movement against the violation of fundamental rights. It was also suggested to approach the courts to get justice. In all our discussions we fail to take note of a few vital points:
1. Failure of the church to introspect on the past when aggressive ways of evangelization with atrocities committed against Hindus and their culture, destruction of their temples and constructing churches on those temple foundations took place.
2. Welfare activities done to uplift the poor tribals and dalits were done with the intention of propagating Christianity and making them Christians. Even today this practice continues wherever there is no opposition from Hindutva groups and governments.
3. The colonial practices of reading the Bible and making all students say Christian prayers continue in hostels and many schools despite opposition and harassment from Hindutva groups. Majority of the students and teachers of most of the schools belong to other faiths. Such attitudes and practices provoke the Hindutva groups.
4. The Church in India should be humble after the model of Christ to admit the mistakes of the past and declare that it will not convert any one, as it had done in the past. Interfaith prayers with readings from different scriptures should be introduced in schools and hostels.
5. Even the poor people who were converted to Christianity were not given equality, and justice to live a life of dignity. A vast majority of them still experience discrimination.
6. During the discussion there was a suggestion of organizing mass movement against violation of freedom of religion and repeated atrocities against minorities. Who will stand with us? Irony is that thousands of students who passed out of our educational institutions are speaking against us.
7. Mass movement could have been possible, if the millions of students and teachers who studied in our educational institutions for many years were motivated and accompanied with focus and vision.
8. Even now those who are running the educational institutions are not focusing their attention to mentor the thousands of students under their care. They don’t visualize the powerful force they could prepare to restore the soul of India by safeguarding the universal values enshrined in the constitution.
9. The leaders of the church, priests and the Religious are not aware of the urgency and threat they face due to the ignorance of the fast changing socio-political context. Many are preoccupied with internal conflicts on petty matters.
10. Many who speak of going to court to get justice and to restore freedom are not aware of the polarization that has taken place in the judiciary, bureaucracy and common people. Hindu Rashtra is here with all its might.
11. What is left with us is the youth force which is available in our thousands of educational institutions. If we make them our first focus area and mentor them, there is hope.

Varghese Alengaden
Matters India