Posted on 11/12/2005 3:21:12 PM PST by MSCASEY
JMM Urgent Prayer] November 12, 2005 Dear Friend in Christ,
I am asking you today to pray for an extremely critical situation. More than 60 new believers in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh are being threatened with death if they do not convert back to Hinduism! It is not enough that they escaped the spiritual bondage that has oppressed their people for centuries, but now radical Hindus have threatened to burn alive any Christians who do not return to their former slavery.
Here is what happened: On November 4, a pastor was attacked and severely beaten by a group of militants who threatened his life. Now the same group says they will conduct a puja (ritual) on November 20 to forcefully convert the Christians in his church to Hinduism--and burn alive any who do not renounce their new faith.
The pastor has filed a complaint with local police, but the area is dominated by a large temple to the Hindu god Shiva. Thousands of pilgrims come to the temple, so Hinduism is important to the local economy. It is not clear if the police will take any action to protect the Christians.
What is most important now is that we pray for this situation. I urge you to pray for the protection of the men, women and children in that place who have committed their lives to Christ. Pray that God will surround them with His angels and turn back any violence. Please also pray for their attackers, that their hearts will be softened and that God will work a miracle in their lives.
Imagine what a powerful force for good they could become if they surrendered their lives to the Living God instead of gods that do not hear them!
Please share this request with your church and your friends. This is a spiritual battle, and only through prayer and fasting will the enemy be defeated in this stronghold.
I thank you for being a part of what God is doing in Asia. Thank you, most of all, for standing with us and with our brothers and sisters in Himachal Pradesh during this challenging time.
Yours for the lost of Asia,
Pastor.Johnson Mathews
/john
I had the wrong idea about dowry before I went to India.
I thought it was to help the newly weds start out.
The dowry instead goes to the parents of the groom.
Thank you! Voice of the Martyrs says that letters and making it known that we know about things like this helps!
Ms. Casey's Daughter
I did not know that. I am not certain which god my pastor sent me a picture of from India about a year ago. It was a big statue and they were going to have some type of worship in a river in the town. My computer crashed and I do not have those pictures any longer. I wish I did. Ms. Casey's Daughter
And if the Dowry is not good enough what kind of husbands do these girls get?
It is a bizzare custom!
Ms. Casey's Daughter
Indians that convert to Christianity can expect trouble from Hindus and Muslims:
http://www.persecution.org/newsite/countryinfodetail.php?countrycode=3
Ping! thanks so much again! Could you please ping others that you know who would interested in this!
Ms. Casey's Daughter
Thank you! If you could send an e-mail and tell others maybe we could help prevent this tradgety!
Ms. Casey's Daughter
Have prayed, will continue to pray, sent this to many of my praying friends, will write to the embassy link you posted. Keep us informed. James 5:16 "....the effectual, fervent prayer of a rightous person avails much."
I guess the "World's Largest Democracy" moniker is a wee bit overstated.
Prayer bump indeed.
Not clear on the concept.
That is just the very best idea I have heard in a long time.
Thank you so very much! I have also sent this link to my pastor in India and told him to tell the other pastor that there are people in America that care.
Ms. Casey's Daughter
Thank you for the prayer bump! All help is welcome!
Ms. Casey's Daughter
Yeah, that's usually the sticking point for just about everyone that doesn't fully acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior and Messiah.
What concept are you speaking of? Ms. Casey's Daughter
They must believe somewhere in their hearts that something about accepting Jesus is true or else they would not care what some silly Christian says. They would not hate them with the passion that they do.
Ms. Casey's Daughter
Power structures EVERYWHERE become violent when faced with existential threats
The caste system guarantees that those of the upper classes stay in the upper classes, and are not threatened by smart people in the lower classes who want to rise above where their caste had put them.
Eliminate the caste system, and everybody needs to actually use ENERGY and INGENUITY to achieve and retain status. This can be very threatening to the mediocre
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.