This Happens after they’re Converted
Tuesday, 12. May 2009 - 4:14 PM
A familiar but now-stale din in the Secular Hall of Shame Fame concerns how Christianity is an equalizing force. This din masks a tacit approval in favour of conversions. Needless, this din also masks a similar tacit approval in favour of any and all methods used to convert. However, with their penchant for spitting and running, not one eminence in the Hall of Shame Fame ever cared to investigate the fate of the downtrodden, illiiterate, oppressed, and poor ex-Hindus after they were “liberated” from the evil clutches of the dreadful caste system.
The emergence of that bewildering oxymoron, Dalit Christian, is just one “post-liberation” speck. What it simply means is that conversion didn’t quite liberate these poor souls. They remain just as downtrodden, illiiterate, oppressed, and poor. Sadly, Dalit Christians do not even have a voice in the media.
The promise of equal social treatment, education, and better economic prospects just vanish the moment they convert. Here’s what R.L. Francis, National President of the Dalit Christians or Poor Christian Liberation Movement’ (PCLM) says:
….if Catholic Church spends more money for the development and enlistment rather than on preaching then the condition of Dalit Christians, who are wounded sheep of this fold, will improve their condition and they will have better opportunity in their lives.
A fact well-known but not widely reported is how Dalit Christians are not allowed to pray in the same Church that the more privileged ones attend. I can’t recall now but there was some violence against Dalit Christians when they tried to forcibly enter the “privileged” Churches. Equality? Casteless? Non-discrimination? Francis then details some exact conditions that Dalit Christians face;
Next to government, the churches are the biggest land owners in India. In spite of having enough facilities with the church yet Dalit Christians’ condition is deteriorating. There are fifteen per cent (15%) Dalit Christians in the cities and forty per cent (40%) Dalit Christians in the rural areas are illiterate in spite of having best convent schools in the church. Thousand of Tribal girls are forced to do the work as Aaya in the rich families. These girls are coming from Tribal areas where there are no job opportunities. These girls (Aayas) are physically molested and mentally tortured.
What the missionaries don’t tell them on the anvil of conversion is that the Vatican was merely recruiting a band of the Faithful that would obey its call for the oncoming battle with Islam. As an aside, the Church also encourages Dalit Christians to retain their Hindu names in government registers to ensure an uninterrupted supply of reservation freebies. Guess who benefits from these freebies?
However, there’s only so long you can take people for a ride. With their lot remaining the same even after conversion, Dalit Christians have found perfect timing in the election season to voice their angst. Here’s the same Mr. Francis listing his “demands” some of which are pretty interesting.
In view of lot of controversy on conversion the PCLM urges the political parties to commit to bring an all India level Freedom of Religion Bill to check fraudulent and allurement conversion. All political parties must make their stand clear on this point before the elections.
A very sensible demand for a very simple reason: they have been through it and have the bitter firsthand experience of the vilest form of cheating.
The Church is demanding reservation from the Government for the Dalit Christians. The PCLM demands that the Church must reserve 60 per cent of jobs for the poor Christians in the Christian institutions.
Yet another revealing facet of the said cheating. Here are Christians seeking reservations within their own institutions after they were promised these very things as the benefits of converting to Christianity. But then, Christianity was never an equalizing religion. It is also quite interesting that most Indians have little or no knowledge about Christianity’s true colours. In Indian popular culture, it is associated with the Fathers shown in Amar Akbar Anthony complete with long, white robes, perpetual smiles and kindness dripping from behind those respect-inducing spectacles. Like its other Abrahamic counterpart, it is an imperial cult now rendered impotent in the areas it once ruthlessly reigned.
Thanks to unbridled conversions, this whole Dalit Christian business has only added another layer of discontent and unrest to an already chaotic society in India. I guess Dalit Christians need to wait a little longer for a Christian equivalent of Mayawati to emerge.
Oh and this post is one of the indications that I’m still alive. 
Tags: Commentary, Dalit Christians, Dalit Christians Oxymoron, Dalits, Hinduism, Imperial Cult, India, Indian Christians, Indian Politics, Politics, Pseudosecularism Hall of Shame, Society & Culture, Vatican
12. May 2009 - 7:50 PM
It’s long known that their primary goal is conversion and not service. During the tsunamis, they got a lot of money to help the needy, but all they did is built schools and churches i.e. permanent structures to publicize their “charity”. What I do not understand is that when the NDA was in power, why didn’t they levy some 50% tax on all foreign donations? That ought to solve a lot of problems.
12. May 2009 - 8:41 PM
Sandeep – I think this is the first well articulated reaction from Dalit converts to Christianity about their plight. I wonder what the Church’s reaction was. Probably called him a Hindutva implant
I however have two observations;
“What the missionaries don’t tell them on the anvil of conversion is that the Vatican was merely recruiting a band of the Faithful that would obey its call for the oncoming battle with Islam.”
- I find it hard to reconcile this with anything I have come across. In India, the Church is on the side of Muslims in most if not all controversies and debate. Abroad we have constantly heard from the Church, about their need to “listen more to Islam”. Even this current Pope, who started out promisingly against Islam, has had to mellow down considerably. I don’t see any “call” to war as yet.
“it is an imperial cult now rendered impotent in the areas it once ruthlessly reigned.”
- I don’t think we can rejoice (if that’s what you are doing) at Christianity’s impotence in the West (if that’s the geography you had in mind). If impotence hits the West, as it has hit it surely, they become fodder for Islam. Hinduism cannot fill that space…nor also can they (former Christians) revert with strength to their old pagan religions. We have already seen that any reliance on secularism increases their impotence multiple fold toward Islam and all sorts of other decay.
In my view, Christianity can be dealt with at an intellectual level. Their leaders are much more amenable to reason than are Islamic ones. Hindu leadership can leverage this obvious advantage and get into a dialogue in order to sort out our threat perceptions with respect to conversions etc. This way we are not throwing the baby out with the bath-water. We need Christianity and Christians not to crumble. Because they will crumble to Islam.
That’s what I think.
Bhavananda’s idea to tax is good.
12. May 2009 - 9:26 PM
Ever heard of something called Multi-Level Marketing (MLMs), for example, Quixtar and Amway?
This is exactly what is a ‘secular’ version of conversions. The ones at the top make money mostly by recuiting new bakras, not by expanding their business and caring about the people in their business already.
13. May 2009 - 11:40 PM
My husband experienced first hand “discriminations” by the Catholic Church when he went to an Aids hospice–all the tribal poor girls were taking care of the patients directly–my husband noticed that they were all tribal women doing this as they had not choice and were poor…not many nuns nearby…
20. May 2009 - 11:13 AM
The site below has the bloody history of Christianity, and how it absorbed European Pagan traditions into its own in order to have a substantial following, after which it turned Europe into pure hell. Genocides followed this blood cult wherever it went – North America, South America, Africa, China, Japan, India. Request people to download matter and translate.
http://freetruth.50webs.org/
21. May 2009 - 8:13 PM
Hindus-
Why are Hindu temples under Govt control while Churches and Mosques are not? Govt loots Hindu temple money and uses the funds to dole out Muslim Haj subsidies and build Christian churches. Protest this nonsense! Hindu temple money should be used for the welfare of less fortunate Hindus and for the promotion of Hindu culture, not for the promotion of Islam and Christianity!
1. June 2009 - 10:00 PM
Sandeep – what do you think of this idea to promote Hindu dharma?
Well to do Hindus should donate a VCR/projector to their local temple along with some popular religious serials like Krishna, Mahabharat, Ramayan, Shiv Puran, Devi Puran etc. The temple officials should then invite the downtrodden Hindus in the area at least twice a week to see a free dharmic ‘movie’(with meals offered). This will attract a lot of people. They will start to come on a regular basis & then they can be given printed verses from the gita & vedas after they have viewed the MahaBharata, Ramayan etc. This will strengthen their knowledge about our dharma and they won’t get cheated by christian and moslem tactics.
P.S: (rich Hindus could take turns every week to sponsor the movie and meals – just post a sign at the temple for sponsoring the event on a weekly basis – I’m sure the response will be overwhelmingly positive)