Taken from http://kcq8.wordpress.com
In 1978 a MP called O P Tyagi proposed the Anti-conversion Bill in parliament. The Christian community irrespective of denominations /groups fought back and fought back successfully. Many still remember the long walk they did from various churches in Mangalore to the Nehru Maidan and the fiery speeches that some of the Christian leaders had made. The O P Tyagi bill never saw the daylight. Then the embers of faith were still burning and the Christian leadership had the vision.
The church has always maintained that conversions have to be the work of God and man cannot convert others. But the church also has fought for the freedom of belief and the freedom of practicing that faith. Which means the right to tell others about the good news of Jesus. That was 1978. Have things changed for many in the Catholic church in these 30 years?
Let’s See :
- Then the fight was to protect the right of sharing our faith with others without fear.
- Today no one speaks about ‘sharing the faith’. It is “let’s keep our beliefs to ourselves!”.
- Then we demonstrated as one body.
- Today, the Bishop of Mangalore publicly stated that ‘It’s they (New Life) who did it …We have nothing to do with them’. Yes. The Bajrangdal did succeed in creating a division, and it can only harm us further.
- And what was it that ‘New Life’ did? Preach the gospel. Some Catholics in some websites are finding that offensive. Have we given up our responsibility to share the gospel after all? Some may find the methods of New life not to their liking. That’s fair. But to oppose the work they are doing at the peril of their lives, the very work which every Christian is supposed to do, what does it speak about our own faith? Have we taken out Mathew chapter 28 and Mark chapter 16 from our bibles?
- Last week hundreds of Christian young men, women and nuns braved the attacks of hooligans and the caning of the police to show that we do value our faith.
- But today a couple of our leaders met with the leaders of Hindu organizations, shook hands with them, called it a ‘Peace meeting’ without even inviting the representatives of other churches and especially the ‘New Life’ whose views should also have been heard, who have categorically stated that they have not distributed any booklet attacking Hinduism. Not only that these so-called leaders who were not on the forefront last week when women and nuns were taking the beatings, today AGREED FOR AN AMICABLE SETTLEMENT! And what is that settlement? The catholic priest Fr. Serrao’s statement said it all “We did not at any point of time took up religious conversions nor approved of such actions by any church belonging to other sects”. Really? Why do you have ‘Missions Week’ every year if you do not approve ‘evangelization’ ??
The right which we fought to maintain 30 years and fought last week albeit peacefully taking those lashes, stone hits and stabbings, was sold today without even getting the mandatory 30 pieces of silver. O P Tyagi would have smiled …
