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The sun may be setting on religious freedom in India, despite it being enshrined in the country’s constitution
HOTBED OF HINDUTVA
understand the forgiving love of Christ.
This case is not isolated. On our recent visit to India we met several pastors who have been physically attacked, or arrested, or both; simply for worshipping God, whether in homes, in small churches or on the street. The motivation is always the same and is one that is growing ever stronger in India: the concept of Hindutva which essentially means that to be Hindu is to be Indian and
to be Indian is to be Hindu – and therefore those Indians who follow other religions are increasingly treated as second-class citizens. Particular hatred is directed at those who attempt to share their non-Hindu
he was badly beaten by a Hindu mob while handing out Bibles to people on the street, requiring hospital treatment for five days, (also paid for by our partner in country). He still has pain in his ears and leg today. The police released his attackers without further charge after only five days.
to gather his believers together as equals, but this is becoming much harder in a place where the state increasingly colludes with Hindu mobs who will not accept new churches in their communities.
Members of the militant RSS organisation have opposed Christian activity
faith with others, namely Muslims and Christians; they have recently been branded as ‘threats to the state’ by prominent Hindu leaders.
challenge. Hindus fear Christianity because it disrupts the caste system which keeps the elite at the top and the masses at the bottom. When people learn about Jesus’s love for everyone and that they are all made equally in the image of God, they start breaking free from this mentality. However, Joshua told us it still presents challenges for house-church fellowships when new believers gather in the homes of people who were from different castes to them. Ideally, he would like a separate church building, completely neutral of any caste association, in which
Of course, India is a vast country,
and there are many and significant differences between its northern
and southern states and the people who live in them. While the hotbed of Hindutva has always been the ‘cow- belt’ northern and central states, its reach is now extending into every corner of the country. Another pastor we spoke to, ‘Joshua’*, is from the southern state of Tamil Nadu, and
Like Rajendra, Joshua still sees his attackers as he ministers in the same community. He smiles at them, but they don’t respond. In his community the issue of caste also remains a real
Pastor ‘Manraj’*, who comes from northwest India, knows this only too well. He recently started constructing a church building for his growing congregation and the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh), a militant Hindu organisation, mobilised a mob
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