08-22-2006, 12:15 AM
Pioneer Op-Ed, 22 Aug. 2006
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Saving Tirumala </b>
The Pioneer Edit Desk
<b>Anti-evangelism law a right step</b>
The Andhra Pradesh Government's decision to bring in a law to prohibit the preaching of any religion other than Hinduism on the seven sacred hills of Tirumala, famous for the temple of Lord Venkateswara, is a welcome move to nip evangelical mischief in the bud, provided, of course, the Congress's central leadership does not instruct Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy to desist from protecting the sanctity of a shrine revered by millions of Hindus lest it be construed as "communal". <b>For many months now Hindus have been agitated over the audacity of evangelists who chose the seven hills of Tirumala, traditionally regarded as the sacred body of Sri Vishnu, to preach Christianity and seek converts.</b> Such was the affront caused by missionaries that the police had to arrest the preachers; the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam subsequently appealed to the Chief Minister to enact a law prohibiting propaganda by non-Hindu faiths on the seven hills. <b>A politician with his ears close to the ground, Mr Reddy was quick to realise that the mounting sense of outrage unleashed by evangelists for violating the sanctity of a Hindu shrine by speaking against Hinduism from its extended premises could neither be brushed under the carpet nor ignored. In all fairness, it must be noted that he visited the shrine on Saturday to discuss the issue with the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam officials. Soon thereafter, Endowments Minister JC Diwakar Reddy announced that a Bill to prohibit preaching by non-Hindus in the seven hills of Tirumala would be introduced in the State Assembly during the current session. Violators of the proposed law will face both punitive fine and rigorous imprisonment.</b>
While such a law should help restrain evangelists from trespassing into the domain - literally and metaphorically - of another faith, the larger issue of missionary activities of a dubious nature remains to be addressed. <b>Had evangelists, flush with Western funds, been more mindful about the sensitivities of those who subscribe to a non-Christian faith then disputes like the one in Tirumala would not have arisen. Freedom of religion, guaranteed by the Constitution, cannot be interpreted to mean the right to offend others or behave in an obnoxious manner. The missionaries who wilfully violated the sanctity of the Tirumala hills also violated both the letter and the spirit of the Constitution. This is unacceptable, irrespective of the religious identity of the violators. Nor can we ignore it as an isolated incident of callous disregard for Hindu sensitivities: Similar reports have been coming out of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh where evangelists have been accused of converting tribals through fraud, deceit and inducements, leaving the State Governments with no other option but to adopt laws to put a check on questionable missionary activities.</b> The Church, as a whole, cannot be held guilty for these violations; responsible sections of the clergy and the laity have time and again voiced their objection to abrasive evangelism that promotes religious and social discord. Obviously, this has not had a deterrent effect on those who knowingly transgress the definition of freedom of religion and, when hauled up, take refuge in secular mumbo-jumbo and pretend victimhood. Perhaps leaders of the Church in India would do well to step in and put a leash on undesirable evangelism of the sort witnessed in Tirumala and elsewhere.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Saving Tirumala </b>
The Pioneer Edit Desk
<b>Anti-evangelism law a right step</b>
The Andhra Pradesh Government's decision to bring in a law to prohibit the preaching of any religion other than Hinduism on the seven sacred hills of Tirumala, famous for the temple of Lord Venkateswara, is a welcome move to nip evangelical mischief in the bud, provided, of course, the Congress's central leadership does not instruct Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy to desist from protecting the sanctity of a shrine revered by millions of Hindus lest it be construed as "communal". <b>For many months now Hindus have been agitated over the audacity of evangelists who chose the seven hills of Tirumala, traditionally regarded as the sacred body of Sri Vishnu, to preach Christianity and seek converts.</b> Such was the affront caused by missionaries that the police had to arrest the preachers; the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam subsequently appealed to the Chief Minister to enact a law prohibiting propaganda by non-Hindu faiths on the seven hills. <b>A politician with his ears close to the ground, Mr Reddy was quick to realise that the mounting sense of outrage unleashed by evangelists for violating the sanctity of a Hindu shrine by speaking against Hinduism from its extended premises could neither be brushed under the carpet nor ignored. In all fairness, it must be noted that he visited the shrine on Saturday to discuss the issue with the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam officials. Soon thereafter, Endowments Minister JC Diwakar Reddy announced that a Bill to prohibit preaching by non-Hindus in the seven hills of Tirumala would be introduced in the State Assembly during the current session. Violators of the proposed law will face both punitive fine and rigorous imprisonment.</b>
While such a law should help restrain evangelists from trespassing into the domain - literally and metaphorically - of another faith, the larger issue of missionary activities of a dubious nature remains to be addressed. <b>Had evangelists, flush with Western funds, been more mindful about the sensitivities of those who subscribe to a non-Christian faith then disputes like the one in Tirumala would not have arisen. Freedom of religion, guaranteed by the Constitution, cannot be interpreted to mean the right to offend others or behave in an obnoxious manner. The missionaries who wilfully violated the sanctity of the Tirumala hills also violated both the letter and the spirit of the Constitution. This is unacceptable, irrespective of the religious identity of the violators. Nor can we ignore it as an isolated incident of callous disregard for Hindu sensitivities: Similar reports have been coming out of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh where evangelists have been accused of converting tribals through fraud, deceit and inducements, leaving the State Governments with no other option but to adopt laws to put a check on questionable missionary activities.</b> The Church, as a whole, cannot be held guilty for these violations; responsible sections of the clergy and the laity have time and again voiced their objection to abrasive evangelism that promotes religious and social discord. Obviously, this has not had a deterrent effect on those who knowingly transgress the definition of freedom of religion and, when hauled up, take refuge in secular mumbo-jumbo and pretend victimhood. Perhaps leaders of the Church in India would do well to step in and put a leash on undesirable evangelism of the sort witnessed in Tirumala and elsewhere.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->