‘...a country of justice, equality and liberty, where people have the freedom to worship and the right to pursue any religious belief.’
This is what the founding Fathers of the Indian Constitution believed in when it was written in the twentieth century. Yet this freedom of exercising and pursuing one’s own faith is being challenged by the Hindu fundamentalists.
In the world’s largest democracy, where the main religion is Hinduism, Christians are being persecuted for practising their faith. The Hindu fundamentalists have become obsessed with the idea of making the country a ‘Hindu Raj’ (land of Hindus), and in the pursuit to do this Churches have been destroyed, Missionaries and Evangelists physically harmed and some even killed. Printed Scriptures and other materials are being burnt in public.
Miss Leela Manasseh of the Bible Society of India has described to us just one recent incident in the State of Orissa where a pastor had to watch while his wife and child were murdered because the family would not deny their Christian beliefs.
This kind of incident has become an everyday occurrence for Christians in India. There is a continuous threat on people, and many are fleeing into the rural and forested areas of the country to escape the torture of the Hindu fundamentalists. Christians in India and around the world are wondering when the Indian authorities will finally step in and stop what seem to be never-ending attacks on believers in India.
The people of India, primarily the Hindus, appear very confused in their religious beliefs as they worship nearly 30,000 gods and goddesses. It is therefore the task of committed Christians to witness for Christ, explain His power to transform lives, and convince these people of other faiths to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
BSNI has pledged to help these people who risk their lives for the distribution of God’s Word by supporting their ministry with the supply of Scriptures. It is planned to make available 10,000 Bibles, 10,000 New Testaments, 30,000 Portions and one million Selections for distribution during the year 2009. This task, and that of the distribution agencies, is very challenging and dangerous. But it provides a wonderful opportunity to share God's Living Word, as well as His power to transform lives