PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS ESCALATING IN INDIA

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Viral video of Christian women paraded naked, raped searing Indian conscience

When the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP, or “Indian People’s Party“) Vice President of the neighboring State of Mizoram resigned, he stated that in his opinion the BJP has become an anti-Christian party. This has brought clearer awareness throughout India, and throughout the world, that the rapes and murders of numerous women, and the burning of homes and churches, clearly represent targeted attacks against Kuki Christians. At this point, it is obvious to state that Kuki Christians are under full-scale attack by radicalized Hindu groups and that the police are ignoring this injustice. This is not to say that Meitei Christians haven’t suffered from ethnic violence as well. But there is no denying the destruction of hundreds of churches, the massive number of displaced Kuki Christians, and the brutal rape of their women. 

In the wake of the outrage, Prime Minister Modi has broken his 80-day silence on the Manipur violence and the breakdown of law and order. He condemned the violence against these innocent Kuki women. Yet his statement veered into politics by also mentioning violence against women in Rajasthan and Chattisgarh, which is ruled by the opposition party. 

The EU parliament in Strasbourg reported on the Indian government’s handling of the security crisis in Manipur. The language is scathing, and the criticisms are profound. Details of attacks on Christians sent to Premier Christian Radio in past days have put the number of burnings of church buildings, schools, seminaries, and the homes of ministers at 564, since 3 May.

These amount to 263 churches belonging to the Kuki-Zo tribe, 93 Kuki Christian buildings, and 238 churches belonging to Meitei Christians, which witnesses say were destroyed by Hindu nationalists.

In a statement to Premier, Bishop Joseph D’Souza of the Good Shepherd Church of India said: “A heart and conscience rending video of two Kuki Christian women forcibly taken from a police station, paraded naked, groped and manhandled, gang raped and then killed.  The India we knew is fast disappearing. Lord help us. This violent assault and murder of women in Manipur points to the possible India of the future if we fail to awaken the Indian conscience across religious and caste lines.”

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:9-13

Christians should not be surprised as God has warned us in His Word of the events that would precede His second coming to Earth. Tribulation, even great tribulation are among the signs we can expect. Another major one is apostasy, a great falling away in the church from the truth of God’s Word. This is happening at an ever-increasing rate with institutional churches accepting gay marriage and homosexual pastors and leaders.

Fortunately, Jesus also told us:

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14

We need to get on with the great commission knowing Jesus is in control of all events on planet Earth.

 

END TIMES PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS INTENSIFIES

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Christians in India fear that persecution of their communities will intensify after the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party won elections in four states, which will be seen as an overwhelming endorsement of the party’s anti-minority stance.

For India’s Christians, 2021 was the “most violent year” in the country’s history, according to the report by the UCF, which recorded at least 486 violent incidents of Christian persecution in the year. Uttar Pradesh state alone witnessed at least 102 incidents of violence against Christians in 2021.

Days before the announcement of the results, Hindu nationalists had warned some Christians that the community in the state might face “extermination,” The Telegraph reported.

“A Hindu leader has already threatened us that they are waiting for the election results and after that, they will exterminate Christians from Uttar Pradesh,” a local Christian, Emmanuel Singh, from the state’s Jodhikapur village, was quoted as saying. The intensity of these threats is hard to comprehend apart from them being demonically inspired.

Ten states in India, including Uttar Pradesh, have passed “anti-conversion” laws, which presume that Christians “force” or give financial benefits to Hindus to convert them to Christianity.

While some of these laws have been in place for decades in some states, no Christian has been convicted of “forcibly” converting anyone to Christianity. These laws, however, allow Hindu nationalist groups to make false charges against Christians and launch attacks on them under the pretext of the alleged forced conversion.

Open Doors USA, which monitors Christian persecution in over 60 countries, has also reported that persecution against Christians and other religious minorities has increased since the BJP took power at the federal level in 2014.

Hindu extremists have demolished and burned churches in India, disrupted worship gatherings, vandalized crosses in graveyards, and confiscated Bibles and other Christian literature. In addition, they have beaten and jailed many pastors, some of whom are martyred each year.

The UCF attributed the high incidence of Christian persecution to “impunity,” due to which “such mobs criminally threaten, physically assault people in prayer, before handing them over to the police on allegations of forcible conversions.”

“Often communal sloganeering is witnessed outside police stations, where the police stand as mute spectators,” the UCF report states.

“Hindu extremists believe that all Indians should be Hindus and that the country should be rid of Christianity and Islam,” an Open Doors fact sheet explains. “They use extensive violence to achieve this goal, particularly targeting Christians from a Hindu background. Christians are accused of following a ‘foreign faith’ and blamed for bad luck in their communities.”