Re: [Assam] India protests over Pope comments -BBC

Wed, 24 May 2006 10:36:21 -0700

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?
 
Umesh

Barua25 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>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.
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Umesh Sharma
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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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