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Posted on 05/19/2006 6:12:50 PM PDT by nickcarraway
India has responded with diplomatic equanimity to Pope Benedict XVI's seemingly provocative remarks condemning attempts to ban religious conversion in certain states.
The pope had told India’s new ambassador to the Vatican, Amitava Tripathi, on Thursday that the country should "firmly reject" attempts "to legislate clearly discriminatory restrictions on the fundamental right to religious freedom". He had also taken note of the "disturbing signs of religious intolerance which had troubled some regions of the nation".
New Delhi responded on Friday with a statement, reiterating the constitutional "freedom of conscience" and the right to freely profess, practise and propagate religion. "It is acknowledged universally that India is a secular and democratic country where adherents of all faiths enjoy equal rights," said a foreign ministry spokesperson.
It was the pope's second declaration this week in defence of religious freedom in countries where Christians are a minority. In India, the statement comes in the backdrop of Rajasthan planning to become the sixth state to enact the anti-conversion law the pope was referring to. Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Orissa already have laws that bar conversions but allow re-conversions to Hinduism. Jharkhand has declared its intention to enact a similar law.
The BJP-ruled Rajasthan, however, has not been able to convince Governor Pratibha Patil to give her assent to the Religious Conversion Bill. She returned the bill making a point similar to the one made by the pope -- that its provisions would affect the right to freedom of religion.
The BJP has often attributed attacks on Christian missionaries, including the murder of Graham Staines in Orissa, as reactions to their proselytising. During his recent Bharat Suraksha Yatra, BJP president Rajnath Singh had described proselytising "dangerous" and asked all BJP-ruled states to enact a similar law.
Anti-conversion laws do not disallow a person to change his or her religion.
They are a misnomer, in that they disallow active proselytisation, on the grounds of prevention of cross-communal violence as seen in the gruesome staines murder.
The pope's inteference in our internal matter was definitely uncalled for ,he seems to have forgotten the fact that india is a soverign democracy.It is the people and their problems that matter here and not the relgious heads.As for me i support the anti conversion bill this will surely curb the forced conversions in our country and give a full stop to those fanatical evanglists who degrade christianity.
However i sincerely hope those real missionaries who holds up the name of christianity through their deeds wont become the victims
Religoius freedom does not mean space for forced conversions and reaping of faith for ransom.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goa_Inquisition
The Goa Inquisition was the office of the Inquisition acting in the Indian city of Goa and the rest of the Portuguese empire in Asia. Established in 1560, it was aimed primarily at Hindus and wayward new converts and by the time it was suppressed in 1774, the inquisition had had thousands of people executed and tortured. Christian missionary St. Francis Xavier, in a 1545 letter to John III, requested for an Inquisition to be installed in Goa. St. Francis Xavier made it a point not only to convert the people but also destroy the idols and ancient places of worship
http://www.apol.net/dightonrock/inquisition_goa.htm
The Inquisition in Goa, on account of its rigors, was reputed to be the worst of the existing inquisitions in the catholic orb of the five parts of the world, as felt unanimously by national and foreign writers. The inquisition, this tribunal of fire, thrown on the surface of the globe for the scourge of humanity, this horrible institution, which will eternally cover with shame its authors, fixed its brutal domicile in the fertile plains of the Hindustan. On seeing the monster everyone fled and disappeared, Moguls, Arabs, Persians, Armenians, and Jews. The Indians even, more tolerant and pacific, were astounded to see the God of Christianism more cruel than that of Mohammed, deserted the territory of the Portuguese and went to the lands of the Muslims, with whom time had made peaceful living possible, in spite of the fact that they (Indians) had received from them enormous and incalculable evils. In this fashion the fields and cities became deserted as are today Diu and Goa
The inquisition did not punish only the Christians accused of having trespassed, but also Muslims, Hindus, and other foreigners of different religions: they were accused of practicing their religion in Portuguese lands, subject to the Portuguese crown, where Catholicism was the Law. Many were condemned to whipping and work in the galleys, and this fear of being condemned to the stake, often made these gentiles and Muslims embrace christianism as a mode of escape.
I'm not holding my breath. The unstated assumption seems to be that Hindus are idol worshiping heathens in need of saving by Europeans. It's sad that the self-styled saviors often seem to possess zero knowledge or respect for man's oldest spiritual tradition.
http://dailypioneer.com/indexn12.asp?main_variable=NATION&file_name=nt1%2Etxt&counter_img=1
The Vatican's omnibus criticism of India's secular credential for not allowing unbridled religious conversion by the Christian missionaries, has been sharply criticised by the BJP and the RSS even while the so-called secular parties have remained tight-lipped on the politically sensitive issue.
The silence of the Indian political class is especially intriguing because Pope Benedict XVI's had virtually reprimanded India's new ambassador to the Vatican, Amitava Tripathi when he called on him on Thursday.
Criticising the status of religious freedom in India, the pontiff told Tripathi that "efforts in some States to outlaw conversions were unconstitutional and should be rejected."
"The Pope's remark on religious freedom is not relevant to India. There is much more freedom here than in other countries. Freedom of religion does not mean conversions by coercion and allurements," BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said. "The pontiff's remarks were "irrelevant and exposed ignorance about Indian traditions and laws," he added.
Asserting that State Assemblies had the power to enact such legislation, he said, "such laws are not against conversion by conviction but if people convert en masse, motives have to be there". In a hard-hitting response to the Pope's remarks, RSS National Executive Member Ram Madhav said, "The Pope is ignorant of Indian traditions and laws. Religious freedom does not include freedom to convert people of other religions using force, fraud or allurements. Missionaries have converted religion into a commodity and are indulging in its shameless marketing."
Slamming the Pope's reported remarks as " interference in the domestic affairs of India", he said, "Before preaching to the Indian Government, let the Pope allow religious freedom in Vatican City." Reacting to the Pope's comments, the Government said it was "acknowledged universally" that India is secular and all religious faiths enjoy equal rights.
Absolutely. This is clearly an interference in our internal affairs. The Pope has clearly overstepped his limits. He should have known India is a secular country and is under no obligation to enact or repeal laws, to it make it easier for the promotion or propogation of any one religion.
He should be more concerned about the lack of religious freedom and increasing numbers of religious hate crimes in many Christian countries. Maybe the Pope can set an example but allowing a Hindu temple in Vatican before pontificating about "religious freedom" to a secular country.
Ping!
<< unfortunately this pope is not as well respected as his predecessor >>
Not so.
Fortunately he is -- in trumps!
A courageous and resolute and intact Man of God and a wonderful Shepherd of Men. A Good Priest.
<< Religious freedom? Good idea!
Hey (Holy Father) ...... how about a Hindu temple in Vatican huh? >>
OK.
Immediately after you get one up in Islamabad, another in Mecca and one in Amritsar, on the site of the Golden Temple.
What are you all so darned afraid of, huh?
"BTW I am fully in favour of the anti-conversion law"
Same here. Too bad the half the "Hindus" on this board are the pissy Nehruvian types.
I dont know about Italy. US, UK, Canada and the netherlands seem to atleast recognize it as a faith.
I will ping you the article when I find it but from my knowledge I know Italy does not recognize Hinduism as a religion. Its a subtle way to prevent conversions to Hinduism. If Hinduism itself is not recognized then all conversions to Hinduism can invalidated. So much for religious freedom rhetoric.
Russia along with the entire Islamic world has refused to recognize Hinduism as a religion.
The Russian government have actually razed temples in Moscow for "want of land" and haven't reconstructed them elsewhere as promised. Moreover the Hindus there are also regularly subjected to racial assaults.
First, "conversions" don't have legal standing, one way or the other, in Western countries.
If they don't then I wonder why the Pope demands a legal/constitutional right to convert.
?? Theres no need for a Hindu temple on the site of the golden temple... Hindus are permitted to worship there anyway.... as Hindus. As far as I know, theres nothing to stop christians or anyone else for entering either.
Of course its a silly idea to build a temple in the Vatican city.
However, the church does send out a message of intolerance, and proselytisation much in the same manner that the mosque does.
Nevertheless. Ideas of justice, democracy, and equality have allowed church and state to be seperated in many chrisitan nations. Thus, temples, synagogues, and whatnot are built in these countries.
In islamic nations, such ideas have not yet taken root.
<< .... the church does send out a message of intolerance, and proselytisation much in the same manner that the mosque does. >>
Bullshit.
"Immediately after you get one up in Islamabad, another in Mecca and one in Amritsar, on the site of the Golden Temple.
What are you all so darned afraid of, huh?"
I dont remember Muslim Imams from Pakistan or Saudi Arabia complaining about the lack of religious freedom in India or demanding the legal right to convert Hindus.
As for the Golden Temple.......its already a Temple where Hindus pray anyway.
So how soon can we see a Temple in Vatican?
Religious freedom? Good idea! Hey Pope......how about a Hindu temple in Vatican huh?
Catholics in the Vatican are free to convert to any religion they like, except that they will no longer be regarded as Catholics.
Besides, there isn't any room. The Vatican City empire occupies .3 square miles.
Why should anyone care? Give us a compelling argument in favor of the law.
Come, come.. is that any manner of response?
If you dont agree with me, you could at the very least present an argument, rather than throw out a blanket insult.
Perhaps im ignorant, but it does seem to me (from what I have seen of churches in the few (catholic) christian dominated areas in India), that the (catholic) church does very much behave in a radical and communal fashion!
For instance, Ive read news reports of churches ostracisising even their own congregants for sending their children outside the village for education, in south India. This was because they didnt attend the churches school. Ill provide a link as soon as I find it..
Now, of course, you could reply to me, by posting reports of so called 'hindu' atrocities and such, which the leftist media abounds with, and lives off of... but it would be far more educational for me if you explained why my statement earlier was wrong.
In my opinion, in matters of proselytisation and basic attitudes to other religions church and mosque are not so different.
(If you discount that so far in the present century there are not so many holy commandments to kill infidels from the church, while there are a few from the mosque).
I understand that it might be annoying and troublesome for you to type out a response. But id appreciate it if you were able to find a moment to.
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