At 9:21 PM -0400 9/5/03, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: >In a message dated 9/4/03 9:32:39 PM Central Daylight Time, >[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > > > ><<How does one convert someone by force?>> > > The National Council of Churches in India themselves admit that there are >"cases of forced conversion!"
*** I am merely curious about HOW a 'FORCED CONVERSION' could stick? It is an intellectually untenable proposition. >Moreover, Mother Teresa once said, "there is always the danger that we may >>become only social workers and just do the work for the sake of the work." *** SO? > In 1997, 50,000 Reang tribals fled Mizoram in fear of the Catholic's >spree of >looting, burning, raping and killing. *** And so did the Muslims after the Gujarati Hindus' carnage over Muslims last year in the aftermath of Godhra. What does that have anything to do with FORCED conversion? >In Jan 1999, a delegation of Dimasa tribals from Assam met the Home >Minister to >demand a separate state to protect their identity. Their main >>concern....efforts at conversion to Christianity. *** If the Dimasa Hindus ( or whatever their religion is) are unable to keep their flock together it has a problem WITHIN. It is none of the GROUP's business what religion individuals among them wish to subscribe to. What gives the group rights over the individuals' choice of faith? Do the Assamese community of Houston have the say so over KJD as to WHAT religion KJD can subscribe to? Does KJD's family have a right to tell KJD what religion he can embrace ? Can KJD's brother dictate to him what his religious preferances must be limited to? >Idukki Kerala, of the 200,000 plantation workers, 75% have converted to >>Christianity. Estate owners threatened them with loss of job unless they >>convert. *** Estate Owners can intimidate anyone over anything? What is so new about that? Zamindars enslaved untold number of Indians, some still do. It is a criminal offense and the laws of the land ought to come to the defense of the oppressed and the intimidated. But how does CONVERSION under such duress hold? Is it like an indelible branding, like cattle in a cattle ranch? Something that could never again be erased or renounced? *** There is only one explanation in my mind. And that is the belief in certain Hindu quarters that onced you bowed to a none-Hindu God, you can never return to the fold--you lose your 'jaat'. So, if you are forced, even under the sword, to have undergone baptism--you can never become a Hindu again. YOu are forever lost. Under such circumstances, it would be understandable why the Hindus are so obsessed about PREVENTING 'forced' conversions. But is that an intellectually acceptable stance ? Moreover, Mother Teresa once said, "there is always the danger that we may become only social workers and just do the work for the sake of the work." > > In 1997, 50,000 Reang tribals fled Mizoram in fear of the Catholic's >spree of looting, burning, raping and killing. In Jan 1999, a delegation >of Dimasa tribals from Assam met the Home Minister to demand a separate >state to protect their identity. Their main concern....efforts at >conversion to Christianity. In Idukki Kerala, of the 200,000 plantation >workers, 75% have converted to Christianity. Estate owners threatened them >with loss of job unless they convert. Much of the real estate in south and >central Kerala is owned by Christians. > > KJD. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ Assam mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/listinfo/assam
