Religious conversion, missionaries and their ‘holy’ mission

Country is witnessing a great hue and cry over the ghar-bapsi [homecoming] through so-called allurements of those who had once gone out of the fold of Hindu-dharma. Those indulged in this work in all passion are the very same section of the people who have not only observed silence in the face of ever occurring incidents of conversion of poor, innocent and illiterate Hindus but also gone to the extent of holding those communal who made protest against these incidents.

However, this issue at least once again led us to the necessity of taking a look at religious conversion and more particularly at the role missionaries, which take it for holy-mission, played in executing it. To begin with; last year the scholars from University of Montreal and Ottawa [Canada] did a research work on the life of mother Teresa and presented a report, which debunked the myth so far held regarding her personality. The report was flashed in mass media. According to the report the ways of Mother Teresa of helping the destitute and distressed were dubious; she was glorified through media campaign. Seeing the churches getting empty, Vatican intended to glorify her, so that the people could be attracted back to the religion. It also says that it was the miracle of medicine, and not that of mother Teresa, that cured the diseases.

One thing missionary has never parted with in its preaching is deception no matter it is concerned with present, or past; with any part of the world, or with India itself. With the advent of British rule in India, they entered India through education they spread all over the places; and through so-called service among poor and backwards in particular. When need be how could the co-religionists in the power be used, giving the example of this they hobnobbed with the then British govt. and had entire tribal belt of north-east India to be declared prohibited for everybody outsider other than themselves, only so that evangelization of local Hindu vanvasis could freely be carried out with no hint to anybody. It is because of this we see the region overwhelmingly populated with Christians today.

In rest of India the same they did through spreading the network of schools and colleges. These institutions emerged as hub of anti-Hindu preaching in favor of Christianity. So optimistic Macaulay, founder of English education in India, grew from the performance of them that he could not resist himself from saying that —“With the little western education Bengal will no longer have idol-worshippers.” The foundation of English education was laid around 1813 AD with the colleges like Bishop College and Dough College of Calcutta, and Wilson College and S.P.G. college of Trichinapalli. But how extent things had transformed within next 70-80 years could be seen from the statement Vivekananda made “When child is sent to school, the first thing he learns that his father is fool; second, his grandfather crazy; third, his all religious masters fraud, and fourth that all of his scriptures are false and useless.”

Initiated with the arrival of British the mission has now assumed too wide a dimension with ever new denomination. Taking conversion for a war, they started the ‘Project Joshua’ in 2002, with the purpose of carving out such regions inside the country where the writ of Church prevails. Which caste resides in which part of the country; what its weaknesses are; and, most of all, how the weaknesses could be exploited in the interest of Christianity deep study on all this is the vital part of Project. Its head quarter lies in White house; and from whose inspiration this is initiated that is none other than Jim Towey, once legal advisor of mother Teresa.

Church-planting movement’, ‘Mission India’ and so many such other organizations are there which are at same work under pseudo names; people know not of them that’s a different matter. Operated from America, ‘Mission India’ collects the donations and sends it for ‘holy’ mission in India. But, how holy is the mission could be understood just by looking into what is written in its booklet-“More than one billion people in India are in misery….they need help…and they are attracting in great numbers towards Christ. This nation of sub-nationalities provides an opportunity to bring good news to these millions of people remained inaccessible so far.”

Unethical acts such as these of missionaries could not escape from the eyes of Gandhiji. And, despite secularism and freedom of preaching being his creed, he had to say “The way the Christian missionaries are indulged in their activities of religious conversion these days, they will be given no chance of doing so in free India. They are inflicting harm to entire India. This is a tragedy for the mankind to have the thing like missionary preaching. So long as you missionary people consider non-Christians and Indians as the people lost in the darkness of ignorance, there will be no place for you in free India.” [Mahatma Gandhi-Christian Missions, There Place in India, page 151 and 220].

By- Er.Rajesh Pathak