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>. Let us know how you feel about a Theocratic leader - the Pope -
trying to teach India about secularism
I think in this case, we are giving
him the scope to teach, and that is why he is trying to teach. Why we
need to give that scope.
Religious conversion should be a
freedom for anybody - aspirin or not- period.
India is violating this fundamental
human right.
Tell me this.
Why we allow political conversion -
by bribing, cheating and false promises, and not religious
freedom?.
If religion is a way of social
life, political parties are also ways of our political life.
Why we allow free political
conversion and not religious conversion?
What exactly is the difference
between religion and politics.
Don't tell me that religion involve
with God.
Is Hinduism is not fraud when we
tell people that God created four castes?
Is that true?
What God has to do it?
And in my opinion telling people
that there is God is the biggest fraud of religion.
>Do you think India or any country for that matter should send its
ambassadors to a nation (Vatican) whose sole purpose is to promote their faith -
and stop other >faiths from flourishing?
This is another fraud India is
doing. Why in the hell India is sending an ambassador to Vatican at all? Who is
telling India to send an ambassador at all?
India should have the guts not to
send any ambassador to Vatican. Why India not sending an ambassador to Dalai
Lama's monastaery?
But that does not take the
responsibility away from India to give freedom for free religious
conversion like political conversion. If we allow fraud in politics, we
better allow fraud in religion.
RB
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, May 24, 2006 12:35
PM
Subject: Re: [Assam] India protests over
Pope comments -BBC
Rajen-da,
You always try to make politically correct statements. Let us know how
you feel about a Theocratic leader - the Pope - trying to teach India about
secularism.
Don't give us that we should take advice from anyone and everyone -as
long it is good.Do you think India or any country for that matter should send
its ambassadors to a nation (Vatican) whose sole purpose is to promote their
faith - and stop other faiths from flourishing?
>The BJP says that it supports legislation to ban "forced religious
conversions", because many Christian >missionaries recruit converts among
the majority Hindu population using financial and educational enticements.
I fail to understand what is called a
"forced religious conversion" specially by the Christians. People can be
persuaded, people can be bribed, but people can be forced to convert? What
is wrong in Christians giving financial and educational enticements? Why the
Hindus cannot counter with better educational enticement? We discussed this
before. I think this ban on "forced conversion" by the Hindus is actually a
ban on any "conversion". The Christians never forced anybody for
conversion. That we have only 2% Christians in India even though
Christianity was here since 1 AD goes to prove that. Every religion
should have the freedom to convert others to his/her religion.
RB
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, May 23, 2006 4:32
PM
Subject: [Assam] India protests over
Pope comments -BBC
Quite unsure why India is surprised. The Vatican has over the
centuries used force and enticements to convert people of other
faiths to Catholicism. That is how the religion has been able to sustain
itself.
The Vatican's lecture to India is both unwarranted and 'holier
than thou' - which it ain't
--Ram
"India is a secular and democratic country, in which adherents of all
religious faiths enjoy equal rights," said Junior Foreign Minister Anand
Sharma.
India has summoned the Vatican envoy in Delhi in
protest over comments by the Pope in which he condemned attempts to ban
religious conversions.
India's junior Foreign Minister, Anand Sharma, told parliament on
Tuesday that the envoy was told in "no uncertain terms" of India's
disapproval.
The Pope criticised India last week for what he called "disturbing
signs of religious intolerance".
India's main opposition party, the BJP, has already protested to the
Vatican.
'Religious intolerance'
Pope Benedict XVI made the comments last week while talking to
India's new Ambassador to the Vatican, Amitava Tripathi.
![Head shaving as part of religious conversion in Tamil Nadu in 2003]()
Religious conversions are a controversial
issue |
The pontiff criticised India for "disturbing signs of religious
intolerance which have troubled some regions of India".
He specifically cited attempts by some Indian states to introduce
legislation to ban what right-wing Hindus call "forced conversions".
India's foreign ministry has now reacted strongly to Monday's papal
comments.
"India is a secular and democratic country, in which adherents of all
religious faiths enjoy equal rights," said Junior Foreign Minister Anand
Sharma.
Interference
Correspondents say that Mr Sharma made the comments in response to
opposition criticism that India had not protested against the "grossly
unwarranted" statement from Rome.
Rajnath Singh, the President of India's main opposition Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) wrote to the Pope on 20 May.
"My interference in your religious domain within the Vatican will be
unwelcome, uncalled for and will be treated as interference in your
religious management and administration," the letter said.
Earlier this month, the state governor of India's western state of
Rajasthan refused to sign a contentious religious freedom bill, which
would have banned people from being converted to religions "against their
will".
Human rights agencies and minority groups also opposed the bill,
saying it was introduced to appease radical Hindu groups.
But the BJP-led Rajasthan government, led by the BJP, said that the
bill had been introduced to stop religious conversion by means of
allurement, greed or pressure.
The BJP says that it supports legislation to ban "forced religious
conversions", because many Christian missionaries recruit converts among
the majority Hindu population using financial and educational enticements.
Christians make up just over two percent of India's 1.1 billion
mainly Hindu population.
_______________________________________________ assam
mailing
list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org _______________________________________________
assam
mailing
list
assam@assamnet.org
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Umesh
Sharma
5121 Lackawanna ST
College Park, MD 20740
1-202-215-4328
[Cell Phone]
Ed.M. - International Education Policy
Harvard Graduate
School of Education,
Harvard University,
Class of 2005
weblog:
http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/
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