Religious conversions being carried out by Christian Missionaries through force or allurement have reached alarming proportions. Things have come to such a pass that many Tribals continue to live in perpetual fear. The fear that Christian Missionaries will forcibly convert them in Jharkhand.
Latest to raise the alarm is Prem Kumar, a Gram Pradhan (Village community head). In a letter to the Sahibganj Deputy Commissioner, Prem Kumar alleged that local resident Sushila Manto along with some Christians have reached his village for the religious conversion of villagers.
“I, Gram Pradhan, want to save my fellow villagers from the religious conversion. Please assist me,” he pleaded in his letter to the DC. Later in a video, he said, “I want to stay Hindu and in Sanatan religion, and will continue to live like this. I want to continue to profess the religion my father had. I cannot tolerate anyone changing our religion. Christians come to our village and allure people to convert. They tell them you do not need to do pooja path and all.”
Missionaries on rampage
It is one of many instances where tribals have allegedly fallen prey to the missionaries. In their own country, they are running from pillar to post for help. This also raises another question as why does the mainstream media ignore such shocking incidents.
Last week it was Karnataka. The local police booked a church pastor along with his wife and minor son. They were allegedly carrying out forced religious conversions of poor Dalits in Koppal district of Karnataka. The crime did not seem to get the due reportage in the mainstream media.
In fact, tribals do not understand the meaning and purpose of religious conversion. They just fall prey to allurements because of their poverty. As per the complaint of one Shankar, who along with his wife and children was converted to Christianity, he was shocked when asked by the pastor to throw away photos of Hindu deities as worshipping them was a sin. He further alleged that the pastor issued threats to converted families to stop them from practicing Hindu rituals.
