India (MNN) -- The Hindu Nationalist Party
of India is trying to enact an anti-conversion
bill in the northern state of Uttarakhand. That
brings to eight the number of states in the
country who either have such a law on the books
or have a proposal circulating in the legislative
assembly. On February 8, the United News of
India reported that the BJP promised an anti-conversion
law in its manifesto for the Assembly polls
in the state. Gospel For Asia's KP Yohannan
says they do have a severe effect, but "in
spite of these laws being passed, people are
giving their lives to Christ. Jesus said, [speaking
to His apostles] '(Upon this rock) I will build
my church,' and they paid the price with their
lives. And the church continues to grow."
How will this new law affect them? Yohannan
says that if the law in Himachal Pradesh is
any example, their missionaries are in for a
rough time. "Ever since they passed that
law, we have had more difficulties and more
persecution. We are praying that no matter what,
the Gospel will go forth, and we must continue
to share the love of Christ with these people,
no matter where they are." However, as
has been previously reported by MNN, it appears
that the motivation behind proposing anti-conversion
bills is to prevent the Hindus from losing power,
while at the same time making it easier for
the extremists to thwart Christian work, be
it evangelistic or humanitarian. So what kind
of field will keep missionaries in place, despite
the growing intensity of threats against them?
A field like this one: eighty percent of Uttarakhand's
six million people are Hindus. Muslims, Sikhs,
and Jains make up the minority.
Most of the state remains untouched by the Gospel
of Jesus Christ, and there are only several
thousand Christians. Unlike some other states,
evangelism in Uttarakhand is not restricted.
