The double speak on conversions

The issue of Religious Conversions is now trending the Indian political scenario.

It is not as if Conversions were never an issue or were not happening in an open society of any country like India- but became all on a sudden an issue for the simple reason that this time around, it was about reports of Conversion to Hinduism than the centuries old norm of Hinduism losing its faithful to other religions.

For the Abrahamic religions, conversions are central to its practice and in fact one of its fundamental tenet.

This was not the case regards Hinduism which is not based on any Central Truth Claim or an exclusive God idea that divides humanity into rival camps of the true believer and the infidel, heathen, pagan souls whose burden to be brought to Salvation rests with either the sword of the Jihadi and the pressure of dishonorable Dhimmitude or the organized persuasion of the Missionary.

Hinduism is a very easy going faith that doesn’t insist on subscription to any particular deity or path- Church or Millaat and leaves the individual free to explore and pursue any of its numerous spiritual paths and methods.

Strangely this least rigid or insistent faith lately become the one phenomenally successful in attracting the more advanced sections of world, particularly the West.
This trend of white westerners flocking Indian gurus and their ashrams has been exponentially growing since the turn of this century.

Simultaneous to these new inroads of Hinduism there has been a near collapse of organized religion in the Developed world and this Post Christian void has compelled the Churches to switch their base to East and less developed world.

This refocus and relocation resulted in an unprecedented missionary drive that lead to friction and social tension with steady rapid corrosion of weaker segments of Hindu society by evangelists.

The Hindu political mobilization attempted to fight this fire mid their house by legislations to ban Organized Conversions.
The anti-Hindu political forces and media were vociferously standing up for religious Conversion drives to remain and proliferate reducing Hindu numbers on solidarity with both Islamists and Evangelists.   

APOSTASY FROM ISLAM AND POST CHRISTIAN VOID IN THE WEST

With economic prosperity and higher education catching up in developing world and India the homeland of Hinduism being one of faster growing nations, this strategic relocation of Christianity’s active base is facing a crisis- which is the very same crisis of Christianity in the Developed West.

Just like the affluent liberal westerners found Christianity too morbid, dogmatic, dated and lacking personalization of spiritual experience- the Indian Christendom too is waking up to this spiritual deficiency of this dogmatic system and getting to feel the attractive pull of Hinduism quite irresistible.
In other words, the Post Christian Void is getting started here in India.

Hinduism is suddenly seen gaining adherents like it was doing effortlessly at West among these Christians.    
With Islam too there is a crisis that is happening going by its luminaries, but this is seen in few Arab countries, Iran and mostly Africa. In general the apostates were either turning to atheism, Christianity or their Pre-Islamic roots. In Kyrgyzstan Turkic ethnic people are returning to Tengri-ism and in Iran to Zoroastrianism.        
 
This apostasy from Islam is not actually due any effort by revivalists but the incessant violence that seems to escalate with each passing day by Islamist movements and sensitive Muslims are getting disgusted.  

It is these global currents of apostasy that is happening in both Christendom and Islamic world which is the real reason for Hinduism suddenly gaining Converts from both at India.

However, this has caused enough alarm to attribute it solely to some sinister drive by Hindu Revivalists secondary to the gain of political power at Delhi in 2014 elections.

The fact is that Africa was Muslim majority but evangelists have made it Christian majority in just over few decades.

Most west European Scandinavian countries less than 10% remain as Christians. Neo-Paganism is gaining ground there.
With Islam apostasy invites Capital punishment and death threats, and the steady exit is happening inconspicuously.
To blame the Hindu Organizations for this is not going to save that situation for both faiths- where its adherents are disenchanted with it and leaving elsewhere for spiritual life.

Leaving behind Christianity and Islam is a global phenomenon and will happen even if Hindus made no effort to recall them back to Hindu fold.     

THE ‘SECULAR’ DOUBLESPEAK ON CONVERSIONS

As soon as Hinduism appeared to gain adherents and display the same capacity as Christian missionaries and Wahabi Dawas, the sky began falling on the secular heads.

While Missionaries were gleefully conducting massive road shows of Crusades for Christ with the likes of Pat Robertson and Paul Dinakarans, the Hindu baiting crowd kept demanding this flush funded and organized Conversion activity go on undisturbed as a matter of their Fundamental Freedom of faith.

Saudi funds flowed like flood waters for the Dawas by Wahabis and Islamist preachers, and the Hindus were told how that must keep happening as a proof of religious choice and liberty.

Suddenly the whole anti-Hinduism bandwagon came to a screeching halt- and was faced with Hinduism organizing such conversions.
It was a catch 22 situation !

The whole chorus abruptly turned to ‘Stop Conversions!”

All this while when Missionaries and Tawhids were year on year receiving millions of dollars none so much as imagined a problem with such foreign funded frenzy of religious conversions-as long as it was clear Hinduism was the loser.

Now it became vital to do accounting for the funds, when some small outfits were pulling a crowd towards Hinduism. The Media comics became Auditors and did maths on TV screens- how much was RSS spending for obtaining each convert?

It is clear that the Indian media and anti-hindu politics are convinced that Hindus make for easy fools. Otherwise they wouldn’t dare tell this to any other faith group.

Will they dare say what they are saying to Hindus, that doing conversions is a matter of fundamental Freedoms to the Saudis or Iranian Muslims or to Pakistanis?

But that is exactly what India had always granted for both Christianity and Islam all along- while such conversions attract death penalties under the Sharia.

Somehow Hinduism alone looks criminal while attempting Conversions.

Ridiculously again, Hinduism alone must also put up with Conversions.

Now this is the catch- should Conversions be allowed or put an end to?

Caught in a bind- the reaction of anti-Hinduism so far is amusing.

It takes gall to speak like that to any faith group, and sitting on high horses.
That was precisely what the British ambassador to Nepal did even writing open letters to Nepalese media and leaders as this report shows-   

British Ambassador to Nepal has asked the lawmakers to draft a constitution that would ensure the right of the citizens to conversion, drawing flak from the country’s pro-Hindu party who called his remarks a blatant violation of diplomatic norms.

Andy Sparkes, UK’s ambassador to Nepal, in an open letter to lawmakers published in a national daily recently had, among other things, asked them “to ensure that the right to change religion is protected” in the new statute.

That this British diplomat had the cheek to tell Hindu Nepal this but wouldn’t dream of telling Saudis, Qataris or Pakistanis is one thing, but the slap got returned promptly.     

The report adds further-

‘The government has decided to seek clarifications from Sparkes and caution him against making such ‘unwarranted suggestions’.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Mahendra Bahadur Pandey said the government will first seek clarifications from Sparkes to learn in detail about his controversial remarks.

“We are clear about what should be the provision about religion in our statute. Any suggestion to us on this issue at this juncture of the constitution writing process is unwarranted,” Pandey was quoted as saying by My Republica.

President of Nepal’s pro-Hindu Rastriya Prajatantra Party Kamal Thapa and lawmakers met Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and raised serious objection to Sparkes’s remarks.

“The UK ambassador should be alerted for speaking such an irresponsible thing, which is an interference in our internal matters,” Thapa told Koirala.

Thapa said that 80 per cent Nepalese are followers of Hinduism and making such remarks is a blatant violation of diplomatic norms’.

For all this bluster of Freedoms and rights, they dare not blurt this to Islamic countries.

CONVERT A HINDU- ITS “FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOM”, CONVERT A NON-HINDU TO HINDUISM-IT’S “FRAUD AND FORCEFUL”

Let us return to India and the Home Coming or Gharwapsi Re conversions to Hinduism- and we hear the Opposite shout.

To justify what till other day they demanded as Fundamental Right-
It gets asserted as ‘Forceful’ and Fraudulent through inducements.

If Missionaries and Islamists did conversions- it is ‘a Free choice and fundamental right’- ‘make sure’ like this British diplomat cockily demand it is there.

If Hinduism did the very same methodical Conversions, make sure such ‘Forceful conversions’ never happen- let us put an end to it.

To make Conversions by Hinduism appear illegitimate- it necessarily must be made out as ‘Forceful’ and by lure isn’t it ?
If Hindus threatened missionaries to stop conversions of Hindus- it is fanaticism, fascism and intolerance.

But if Hindus convert non-Hindus-the Media and Politicos will issue out the Threats to them- ‘look you are creating social tensions’, provoking violence.

INSTIGATION TO VIOLENCE – THEIR ONLY OPTION     

But one can only have or eat the cake.
For anti-Hindu forces this Conversions as an issue still remains a catch 22.

Going by British ambassador’s wishes, it looks like Church isn’t sure if it can forego conversion activities-since it is still a net loss of Hinduism, with more Hindus converted by evangelists than Hindu organizations can ever dream presently.
So a ban on All Conversions is something they cannot accept- which is why that is hardly the debate is about.

Somehow Hindu organizations alone must be shackled and curbed-and that is exactly the mullah yadhav State government had done- booking the organizers and filing charges against the Converts-which is clearly a blatant Intimidation and violation of fundamental rights.

The Churches also know that Post Christian void would also arrive among Indian Christians.

If a Ban on All conversions is obtained, they would at least prevent an en masse conversion back to Hinduism undoing age long toil of Churches.

But missionaries are so invested heavily in Conversion as an industry that they despair of no other gainful employment.
So the ‘debate’ gets created but hangs on- this Church and Islamist dilemma.

The minute it gets decided by them, the chorus will reset to that different tune.
If Hinduism keeps losing- “India must remain secular and Right to Convert is fundamental.

If Churches and Wahaabis feel they were losing to Hinduism- “Ban All Conversions immediately”.

This is why Hindus must refuse to ban Conversions on such blatantly outspoken logic of anti-Hinduism.

Still, its a Win Win situation- to ban conversions now as Conversions are more away from Hinduism. But this may reverse in future and may not be wise for Hindus to stop what has tilted in favor of Hinduism. 

If Hindus agree to ban All Conversions now- they would shut the Exit doors out of hostile dogmas for future generations and the faster birth rate will demographically destabilize India and take Hindus back to dhimmitude and loss of homeland.
With Hinduism it is actually Re-Conversions of descendants of forcefully and lure fully converted Hindus by invaders and colonialists.  

Till the Master’s Voice is clear- the anti-Hindu media and forces will ask the mobs to get ready, work up a rage with them and put an end to the ‘Forceful conversions’.

They make such nice fools of Hindus.

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