Orphans And Christians Theatened In India

Here's something I haven't seen in the MSM.

Local police and governmental officials – politicized by Hindu extremists – have taken devastating actions against the orphanage: They have illegally frozen Hopegivers Kota bank accounts and arrested two administrators of the mission and orphanage...holding them without charges. Surrounded and without key assets, Emmanuel Hope Home only has enough food for another week or so. And the radicals have moved to shut off their electricity and water. These Hindu extremists are attempting to starve out the Hopegivers, to rip away the protection, the education and medical services provided these orphans. And for what crime?

Comments

[Muirnin/Firinne]

Very sad and pathetic.....but given the location.....not surprising.

Although a malicious thought, sometimes I wish a huge meteor would land on that section of the world and end ALL of this crap forever....

[*flo*]

Muirnin, it would be easier if we all got along, its unfortunate their are cultures other then civilized who would not know any different besides being an extremist.
This incident happen days after President Bush's visit to New Delhi, which resulted in protest among Muslims. It would be ridiculous for any western to protest and stating Christianity rules, just won't happen here in the U.S. or many other parts in the world, i.e. Europe.
A new survey of attitudes toward the United States in the Indian newsmagazine Outlook found that 46 percent of Indians "love the country," 14 percent hate it and 55 percent believe that "India can trust the United States in times of need." On the other hand, 72 percent answered yes to the question "Is America a bully?"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/01/AR2006030100345_2.html

[Phoenix]

This has nothing to do with politics or America. The caste system in India is centuries old and it is not likely to change. I wish I could remember the book, but I recently read a book about a man who joined a rebel group in India to throttle the establishment and try to put a stop to the caste system. In the reading of it, the reader gets a true sense if its intrinsic hold in the culture and the hopelessness of any magic fix for it. Even within the rebel groups the caste system played a huge role.

8,900 orphans. America had nothing to do with that.

[Loy Mershimer]

Phoenix is exactly right. This is about the caste system and keeping people down.

As I mentioned in some personal comments to Dan, the issue centers on the effect that Christian care is having on the caste system, and the subsequent threat to the "old money" social controllers. Most of these orphans [or abandoned] children are from lepers and lower caste families -- many from Dalits, or "non-person" persons. These "non-person" persons ahve been told all their lives that they are worthless and lower than slaves -- destined that way b/c of former sins in a past life, etc. Now, imagine what happens when these poor, devastated people hear that they are loved and have worth...and then, to have it backed up by love and care! why, the difference it makes to them is utterly life-changing.

But the truth of who they are in God begins to threaten the racist caste system based on falsehood...

Now, imagine a successful network of orphanges taking in thousands of these unwanted children, educating them through their growing years and then graduating them to serve their society -- with a message of Christ's love that reaches EVERYONE! Imagine yearly, 5 or 6,000 of bright, young, promising graduates from what was considered gutter trash...and you'll get an idea of the extreme hatred that Christians now get in these areas. Quite simply, love and faith is turning their world upside down and the old money racists [i.e. Hindu traditionalists or fundamentalists] hate it. Quite literally they'd rather have these "non-person" orphans back in the street, begging and becoming illiterate, social flotsam and jetsam serving the cosmic wheel.

This is why the vehement attack is occuring against the caregivers, with trumped up charges from "forcing conversions" to "published banned literature." And some of them are held without charges, trying to invent charges.

It's not that these Hindu authorities care for the orphans! Laugh. They just care that their political order is being changed by all this "Christian love." And they hate it. Imagine a person going to the slave-holding South and educating slaves and giving them a place to stay -- and telling them that they have true worth, and spreading the word. Well, this is several shades worse than that. And is rooted in practices thousands of years old. The problem is going to get worse before it gets better.

Yet each level of awareness that we can bring is an act on the side of truth and justice -- and may make a difference, like light causing cockroaches to run for the corners...

If we all began to speak about this, to tell our friends and neighbors...and congresspersons...any way we can, it would make a big difference [at least in the lives of those being threatened right now].

For all those who care, I say, "Thank you!"

And may God bless you.

And God bless Dan for spreading the word on his blog...kudos to you, Dan.

Loy Mershimer

[*flo*]

8,900 orphans. America had nothing to do with that.

Posted by: Phoenix | Monday, March 20, 2006 at 12:16 AM

True, yet their Gov't turns a blind eye with such ignorance continuing, there may not be a religous factor involved, only the beliefs of anal Hindu racials :D

[Phoenix]

V.S. Naipul. That's the author. I think it was "A Bend in the River".

Culture and religion go hand in hand in so many countries. I don't know, Flo, if their government turns a blind eye to this problem. They don't ignore it out of ignorance because it is such a part of their culture. But I think continued education of the populace is going to eventually force the government to 'attempt' to fix it. The trouble is, as with most centuries-long value systems, the psyche of the people has to change first. Sad stuff. And for sure, many in their government are 'fine' with the caste system. THAT is the ignorance you speak of.

We should get on our knees and bow to the value system that built our country.