Pastor arrested in India after being accused of ‘illegal conversion’

[Michie]

MUMBAI, India – Police in India arrested two people – including a clergyman – on Sunday under charges of “religious conversion attempt” on over 100 people.

According to PTI news service, a pastor and his associate were arrested at Easter in Kanpur, a large industrial city in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Police claimed to have caught the church pastor and his associate while ferrying over 100 people in buses to the neighbouring Unnao district for unlawful religious conversion.

Christians make up less than half-a-percent of the population of the city, which is 78 percent Hindu.

Police identified the arrested Christians as Pastor Simon William and his associate, Deepak Morris, both residents of Kanpur and members of the Pentecostal Church.

A 45-year-old man named Sanjay told police he was being taken to a Church in Unnao along with over 100 others for forceful conversion into Christianity, and was promised money and medical help if he accepted changing religions.

Continued below.

Pastor arrested in India after being accused of ‘illegal conversion’

Police in India arrested two people – including a clergyman – on Sunday under charges of “religious conversion attempt” on over 100 people.

cruxnow.com

 

[Gnarwhal]

I'm not sure if I never knew or just forgot that conversion was illegal in India, I know it's forbidden in Islam but didn't realize Hinduism had a problem with it. I was always told the only/biggest challenge with converting Hindus is their polytheistic framework is so ingrained in their thinking that they just believe the Triune Christian God is another god among all the others. But this conversion being illegal is an entirely different and more severe challenge.

 

[Michie]

I'm not sure if I never knew or just forgot that conversion was illegal in India, I know it's forbidden in Islam but didn't realize Hinduism had a problem with it. I was always told the only/biggest challenge with converting Hindus is their polytheistic framework is so ingrained in their thinking that they just believe the Triune Christian God is another god among all the others. But this conversion being illegal is an entirely different and more severe challenge.

Yes there are some very radical Hindus there and they seem to be successful in pushing their ideology in India. There is a lot of Christian persecution in that country.

 

[Gnarwhal]

Yes there are some very radical Hindus there and they seem to be successful in pushing their ideology in India. There is a lot of Christian persecution in that country.

I guess I thought the radicals were more on the fringes and not influencing policy as much as they apparently are.

 

[Michie]

I guess I thought the radicals were more on the fringes and not influencing policy as much as they apparently are.

Oh yes. The radicals are more mainstream and hold influence there which does not seem difficult to do in that culture.

 

[RileyG]

Lord have mercy!

 

[Gnarwhal]

Oh yes. The radicals are more mainstream and hold influence there which does not seem difficult to do in that culture.

It's sad because it's not like Christianity has the same relationship to the Hinduism as Islam, with all the animosity between India and Pakistan you'd they'd set their sights on Islam instead. Christianity's been there for 2,000 years in relative peace, or so I thought.

 

[Michie]

It's sad because it's not like Christianity has the same relationship to the Hinduism as Islam, with all the animosity between India and Pakistan you'd they'd set their sights on Islam instead. Christianity's been there for 2,000 years in relative peace, or so I thought.

That’s what most people think but there has been a lot of persecution of Christians there. Hardly nobody will take issue with Islam. Too scary a proposition.