1. “If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you…… If they persecuted me, they will persecute you……..They will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know HIM who sent me”. (John 15:18 – 21) You are welcome to this presentation on “The cost of Christian Discipleship in India

2. Churches & Christian Institutions in Kandhamal, Orissa, December 2007 Disfigured statue of Our Lady Carmal Convent St. Paul ChurchCarmel Convent

3. The Week of Nightmares (December 2007) Death – 6 Houses burnt & looted – 500 Shops, commercial properties – 126 Destruction: –Parish churches – 5 –Village Churches – 48 –Convents – 5 –Hostels – 7 –Leprosy centre -1 –Vocational Training Centre – 1 Vehicles – not surveyed Animals killed – not surveyed

4. Still Counting…. (violence 2008) Death confirmed: 45 priests/ pastors/ nuns seriously.injured: 10 Priests kidnapped : 2 Houses demolished in 160 villages : 4300 Institutions/ schools destroyed : 7 Churches/Chapels : 101 Convents and hostels: 14 Residences of priests : 5 Dispensaries : 2 Vocational Training Centres : 3 Shops : 126 Vehicles burnt / destroyed: 43

5. Forest was the only refuge….. Shops & Houses Owned by Christians About 50,000 people fled to the forests

6. What is happening today? 12,000 persons in the refugees camps Little medical care No rehabilitation taking place 40,000 people still hiding in forests On return, people are forced to forsake faith No Christian Leader is allowed to visit Christian Organizations are not allowed to do relief works………. WHEREAS……In the Super Cyclone & other natural calamities Christian NGOs and church groups were first to set up relief and rehabilitation works in Orissa

7. Orissa is not alone…. Hate Crimes against Christians in several states Prominent are Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka Fr. Ignatius Bara, Jharkand M.C. Sister, Kerala On Sep. 14 th 2008 in Karnataka, 14 churches attacked, Blessed Sacrament desecrated, statues broken, even cloistered nuns were not spared

8. Leaping out of Memories Dr. Graham Stains and children burnt to death in Manoharpur Tomb of Sr. Rani Maria In MP Grace Nayak & family beaten up in MP

9. Increasing Hate Campaign, Attack On Christians

10. The Allegation For Hate Missionaries convert the masses to Christianity Christians receive foreign funds for conversion

11. Here are the facts …….. As per Justice Wadhwa Commission Report, Between 1991 to 1998 the Hindu Population rose by 2.52% whereas the Christian population rose by 0.008%

12. More facts……. In India, every year, over 15 million students go through the portals of Christian Institutions. Can any one prove that even one out a million of these students is converted as the result of missionary activities? Footnote: Most leaders of the organizations who spread hatred against Christians send their children and grand children to church-run schools

13. Still More Facts ……... The constitution of India provides ample safeguards against fraudulent conversions Several states have passed laws aiming at “preventing conversion through force, fraud and inducement” STILL IN THE PAST SIX DECADES OF INDEPENDENT INDIA’S HISTORY NOT A SINGLE CASE OF FORCED OR FRAUDULENT CONVERSION WAS PROVED/PROSECUTED

14. Is spreading faith a crime? History Says NO! From India, the Hinduism spread to Malay Peninsula, Cambodia, Annam, Sumatra, Java, Bali and Borneo besides the Indian Sub-continent From India, the Buddhism spread to China, Korea, Japan, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam From Israel Christianity spread to Europe and America From Arabia, the Islam spread to Asia and Africa

15. What do the religions teach? “Go and proclaim the good news to all creations”. - Jesus Christ “Go into all lands and preach this gospel. Tell them that the poor and the lowly, the rich and the high are one”. - The Buddha “For this purpose was I born, and to spread this religion God appointed me”. - Guru Govind Singh “You must go out to preach your religion, preach it to every nation under the sun”. - Swami Vivekananda “May the active be Glorifying God, arianising all” (Rig Veda 9.63.5) “May I speak these blissful words to my own people and the foreigner” (Yajur Veda 26.1-2)

16. Missionaries from India “Up India, rise and conquer the world with Your spirituality” There are thousands of Hindu monks running ashrams and temples in Europe & America

17. Who receives the foreign funds? The funds received by the Christian organizations are reported to the Home Ministry under FCRA Not a single case of misuse of foreign funds is found till date The funds received by the Christians are visible in 25 % of the social sector in India. The largest recipient of foreign funds in India are RSS affiliated organizations Where is that money going? Christians demand a white paper by the home ministry on the receipts of foreign funds in India.

18. Christian Contribution to the Nation Building Over 24% of the social services in the country are run by the Christian groups Christians run more than 40,000 educational institutions Christians proved to be the most peaceful and law abiding community even under tremendous provocations Schools Colleges Hospitals Orphanages Destitute homes Leprosy rehabilitation Counseling centres HIV/AIDS rehabilitation Nursing Schools Vocational Services

19. Christian Response to Persecution – “Father, Forgive them” “My husband and our children have sacrificed their lives for the nation of India. India is my home” - Gladis Stains “I praise God that my father and my brothers are found worthy to die for Christ” - Esther Stains

20. Christians Demand Justice too Christians demands protection of their fundamental rights Christians seek support from all right- thinking citizens of this country irrespective of caste and religion

21. The Truth Will Prevail… After every death There is Resurrection… The persecuted church in India awaits the day of Resurrection!!!

22. This is our prayer Oh God, our Father, let your Spirit enlighten us to understand that all human beings, irrespective of race, caste and creed, are your children. As Jesus taught us, let ‘truth make us free’ from all prejudices, hatred and violence, transforming our society into a family of love, joy and peace. We make this prayer through your beloved son and our Lord, Jesus Christ, AMEN.

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