Regarding what Joe Lobo wrote below, I have glossed over nothing in relation to the subject matter of this thread. Had this thread been about RSS, Modi, BJP, etc., and I was asked to comment, I would have told you that these organizations and the personalities associated with them are Hindu extremists who should never be allowed to come to power. RSS has been from the outset a martial Hindu chauvinist organization that has espoused religious fervor and violence as means to achieve political power. Religious activists belonging to this organization were responsible for the murder of Mahatma Gandhi, even though Gandhi himself was somewhat of a Hindu nationalist. Indeed, it is a credit to the vision of our founding fathers that despite these types of elements and sentiments that have always existed in India, India is a thriving free secular pluralist democracy.
Regarding what Josebab wrote below, I wish some independent person would find out the actual facts relevant to the questions raised by him below. From my knowledge of this issue, I can provide straight answers to some of the rhetorical questions, but not all. > > 1: what, Basilio, would make any 'murder of any Catholic priest or nun ( or a > non religious Catholic person) an act of >Religious Persecution? (Basilio > probably did not read my question the first time around) > If priests or nuns were murdered in a premeditated manner by a group of individuals or the state solely because of their religious beliefs or affiliation. > > 2: have such events occurred in India ? > Offhand, I cannot think of any events involving "Catholic" priests or nuns. I can think of one "evangelical Christian" priest and his two sons in 2003. This is a task for an independent and impartial fact-finder (IIFF). > > 3: are Catholics in certain parts of India being threatened / assaulted > because of their faith? > I don't know this regarding "Catholics". But I suspect some new evangelical converts are threatened by Hindu extremists to reconvert in the tribal areas and some poverty-stricken communities. Another task for an IIFF. > > 4: are Catholics in certain parts of India being forcibly re-converted? > I think the answer is no with regard to "Catholics". But it is most likely yes with regard to newly converted "evangelical Christians". The reason should be clear from Basilio's post. It is because no Catholic priest has actively tried to convert anyone for the last 60 years in India. Another task for an IIFF. It would also be nice to know some hard facts as to what tactics the "fly-by-night" evangelical priests that Basilio mentioned were adopting in their conversion campaigns. There was a millionaire Keralite pastor in Houston who was caught in some kind of scam some years ago. He used to charter a large airplane to fly back and forth for his proselytization missions in South India, and solicit charitable donations to pay for the cost of the aviation fuel for his trip from a rich Houstonian. > > 5: is ONE solitary case or Ten or a Hundred cases too few to get worked up > about ? > I would think that in order to tar an entire nation as a place where religious persecution is prevalent there needs to be at least a few cases each month in different parts of the country. > > 6: are we saying that the Law in some states preventing voluntary conversion > from Hinduism, constitutional or even moral? > Morality is not an issue in laws banning conversions, as long as the law applies equally to people of all faiths i.e. people are not allowed to convert to any faith or lack of faith from any other faith or lack of faith. Indeed, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, etc. are, I believe, advocating such a practice, especially, with regard to minors. But all such laws would be unconstitutional in India, U.S. or any truly secular pluralist country. Some IIFF needs to examine the laws that have been passed in India in this regard. I hear that they have weasel words that keep them free of constitutional challenge. Cheers, Santosh Joe Lobo wrote: > >Santosh Helekar seems to gloss over the fact that a Hindu organisation >, ie the RSS ( Rashtriya >Sevak Sangh ) set up in India`s >pre-independence days has morphed to a covert attacker of non->Hindu >activities. While the Goa BJP government has not shown any communal >tendencies............... we >have to dread a federal BJP government in >Delhi under PM Narendra Modi with its " hindutva " >philosophy that will >allow the RSS free rein to preach their message of hatred towards >all non-Hindu Indians be they goans or tribals or dalits who refuse >to bow to the high caste >Hindu strict ideology. > On Sat, Feb 15, 2014 at 2:18 PM, Jose Colaco <[email protected]> wrote: > Basilio: a few Catholic priests and nuns get killed, and that is painfully > sad; the murder of a priest or a nun in the hands of a non-catholic is not > NECESSARILY an act of persecution. > > Santoshbab: Basilio has presented a reasonable case on the issue of religious > persecution in India. It should throw some light on why the claims of some > Indian and foreign religious organizations/activists about WIDESPREAD > religious persecution in India ...... > > QUESTIONS: > > Granting that there might be activist generated hyperbole, > > 1: what, Basilio, would make any 'murder of any Catholic priest or nun ( or a > non religious Catholic person) an act of Religious Persecution? (Basilio > probably did not read my question the first time around) >
