A HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN LOVE IN INDIA
By S.P. Attri (USA)

1. Christianity calls itself the religion of Peace And Brotherhood. However, given its strong predilections of Exclusivity and Proselytism, it is not cut out to play either role, either as a religion of peace or as a religion of brotherhood and miserably fails all tests of peace or brotherhood. To qualify as a religion of peace/brotherhood, it becomes mandatory for all Christians to tolerate and respect all non-Christian religons, however strong and reasonable their reasons might be for disagreeing with them and for not liking them. But because of in-built edicts and system limitations, Christianity cannot treat other (non-Christian religions) religions equal to Christianity and because of these system limitations, it stubbornly refuses to co-exist with them. Christians boast that their religion is a religion of brotherhood, mercy, and piety. Yes, Christianity is but this Christian mercy and piety extends only to those who profess their religion of Christianity. It does not extend to those who are not members of their Christian fraternity. What kind of mercy and piety is that which extends only to one's only family (own fraternity)? Even thieves extend this kind of courtesy to members of their own family. We can choose to ignore these issues or shut our eyes to them but these differences and issues will not disappear by shutting our eyes.

2. The leader of Christianity, Jesus Christ, erroneously referred to as the Prince Of Peace by the Christian Clergy, had the following words to say about peace:

I came to set the earth on fire...Do you suppose that I came to bring peace to the world? No, not peace but division. From now on a family of five willbe divided, three against two and two against three. Fathers will be against their sons and sons against their Fathers; Mothers will be against their Daughters and Daughters against their Mothers; Mothers-in-law will be against their Daughters-in-law and Daughters-in-law against their Mothers-in-law (New Testament, Luke 12, 49-52).

The Prince Of Peace further advises his followers:

Sell your coat and buy a sword (New Testament, Luke 22.36)

3. After reading the above and other edicts of the Bible, it becomes easier for men of moral sense and objective reason to understand why Christianity is the way it is. It becomes transparent why it is completely logical for Christians to hate everyone who does not believe in the revelations of Jehova, as per the Bible, and completely natural for them to create wars in the world and to blockade the freedom of thought and belief, in order to advance their Biblical Agenda, which they are strongly urged to obey and carry out according to the edicts of the Bible. Christianity can neither tolerate nor extend respect to other religions of the world because Christianity (like Islam) did not come to extend respect to other religions but to decimate them and degrade and destroy all their examplars. Christianity regards these non-Christian religions as the works of the Devil and their followers headed for Hell and considers it obligatory upon Christians to convert them to Christianity or eliminate them, to save them from going to Hell. This has been the standard fare of Christianity in all continents for centuries of Christian Crusade. If Christianity accepted other religions and extended respect to them, then there is no reasons for the existence of Christianity in the world. Christianity then would simply close shop and disappear from the world. Therefore, for Christianity to survive, it must continue to preach and propagate its doctrine of exclusivity and monopoly of truth. Because the Christians regard the Bible as the word of God, no Christian has the authority to remove or modify these edicts of Christian Barbarism., which are the concepts of Exclusivity and the Monopoly On Truth.

4. Historically, the Christians have ruled and oppressed the non-Christians in every continent and spread their Christian faith with Bible in one hand and sword in the other, abducted non-Christian women, destroyed their temples, and polluted their sacred places. Why should they have been any different in India? The record of their exploits in Goa and other places of India is a living testimony to the remarkable similarity of Christianity's operations elsewhere in the world and absolutely establishes that the commands of the holy Book of the Christians, the Bible, to convert the Heathen Hindus or to slay them were followed with professional Christian thoroughness in India as well. Because of the edicts of Christianity, Christians have a vicious hatred of and a prejudice against everything that is not Christian. It needs to be understood clearly that this prejudice is not fabricated by Christians, but comes galloping straight out of Christianity and its Exclusivity Edicts. The underlying reason for this savage consequence is the nature of Christianity itself which like Islam, is a gospel of hate in the disguise of a Religion Of Peace And Brotherhood. Period!

There is not even one verse or one line of sentence any where in the Bible which says that all religions are good or that all gods are the same or that it is immaterial which god one worships or that all faiths lead to God or that Christianity is not the one and the only true faith. The concept of Exclusivity is, therefore, engraved in concrete inside the doctrine and dogma of Christianity.The sad part of this tale is that neither the intellectuals nor the social commentators have the guts to publish these distinctive attributes of Christianity (as well as of Islam) and to spell out the truth that Christianity preaches hatred of everything that is not Christian and that this hatred is inherent in Christianity.

5. The objective of conversion and numerical Christian strength has always been the top priority of the Christian Crusaders and Christian Missions everywhere, India included. The Santhome Cathedral of Madras (Cathedral of St.Thomas) sits on the site of a former Hindu temple known as the Kapaleeshwara Temple. The temple was destroyed by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century. The Christians dragged out the Hindu priests from this temple and murdered them openly in public as a lesson to the Heathen Hindus of the area. They did not accept the notion that everyone has a right to believe and practice whatever and however one wishes. They regarded Hinduism as the work of the Devil, tainted with Devilish beliefs, erroneous tendencies, and foolish rituals that need liberation from all these through the message of Risen Christ. Therefore, all examplars of Hinduism need to be erased and decimated from the Indian land under Christian control.

The Portuguese employed a large number of Missionaries, who prostituted their talents to repeatedly mouth their mindless slogans to Heathen Hindus of Goa, telling them to:

a. Admit that you are a sinner

b. Ask for forgiveness for your sins

c. Acknowledge that God sent Jesus Christ from Heaven to save sinners (Hindus like you people)

d. Accept Jesus Christ as you savior; this includes accepting that he died on the cross to save us and that He rose from the dead three days later

6. There is a Jesuit Maxim which reads " The Great Commision (Matt. 28:10) commands you that all people of the world be discipled i.e. enrolled in Christ's Army or incorporated into his body ( which is the Church)." Because these commands are absolute and uncompromising, the Church takes upon itself to interpret that ends justify the means that Church may employ to satisfy these Great Commands. Accordingly, the Portuguese Church, that was bitten by these commands, had no desire, whatsoever at all, to live at peace with their Hindu Breathren and Sisters in Goa but wanted to conquer them, and went to town, relentlessly pursuing their Christianisation Crusade, to completely destroy the Hindu Faith in Goa.

Soon after the Portuguese soldiers conquered Goa, came the priests. First the Franciscans came, then the Jesuits, then the Dominicans, and lastly the Augustinians. It made the blood of these Priestly Groups boil to see the Heathen Hindus practising their idolatrous, polytheistic rituals. Because of these Heathen Hindu practices, the Christian Clergy with fire in their eyes, set about clearing this "Jungle Of Unbelief" with all the ardor of a Christian Crusader. Just like the Mullahs of Islam, this Catholic Clergy from Portugal, was prepared to go to any length to spread their faith. They force-fed Goan converts beef and pork and declared that the converts could never return to Hinduism. They also forced converts to change their lifestyles.They pestered the Portuguese King for specials powers and then approached the Pope to pester the Portuguese King on their behalf. As a result of these persistent pesterings, special powers were granted to them in 1540 and the Portuguese Viceroy in Goa was empowered to "destroy all Hindu Temples, leaving not a single one of them in any of the islands of Goa, and to confiscate the estates of all these temples for the maintenance of the churches which are to be erected in place of these hateful temples."

7. After five years of enforcement of Special Rules, during which timethousands of Hindu temples had been demolished, Father Nicolau Lancilotto reported about one island named Teeswadi, that not a single temple was to be seen now on this island. The islands of Bardez and Salcete were conquered next by the Portuguese and the Frenciscans and Jesuits staked out their separate claims on these territories, the Franciscans set to clear the "jungle of unbelief" from Bardez and Jesuits set to work on Salcete. The great profusion of churches standing in these two islands is evidence of the professional thoroughness with which the Christian Crusaders did their job. Thousands of Hindu families fled from these islands, across the river, in fear and settled in nearby territories ruled by Moghul Functionaries. To these frightened Hindus, the harsh treatment of the Moslem Mullahs was far preferable to the maniacal fanaticism of the Papal Priests, who were foaming at their mouths. An expression in Konkani (the Goan language) still says, to this day, "I am leaving for the other bank." Its subtle/implied meaning to this day is " I am rejecting Christianity."

The Hindus who did not leave the islands were not exactly shouting to get converted. Their temples had been razed, but this did not stop them from practising their Hindu religion in secret. More extreme legislation was, therefore, sought and was granted to bring the Heathen Hindus into the arms of the loving embrace of the Christian Church. Hindu festivals were forbidden, Hindu Priests were prevented from entering Goa, makers of Hindu idols were severely punished and public jobs were given only to the Christians. When these Draconian measures did not stop the Goan Hindus from practising their Hindu religion in secret, more extreme legislation was sought and was granted. It now became a crime for Hindus to practise their religion at all, even in secret, in the privacy of their homes. The penalty for violation of this rule was the confiscation of all their property. Those who informed on the Hindus, who violated these rules, were awarded half the confiscated property. According to another rule, Hindus dying without a male heir, could pass their estates only to a relative who had embraced Christianity. The Papal Priests had a special hatred for the Brahmins. In 1560, all the Brahmins who were left in the islands were simply kicked out of there.

8. The Papal Clergy, who were trying to straighten out (civilize) the Heathen Hindus and clear the "Jungle Of Unbelief," had no concept of the flexibility and resourcefulness of the Hindu. It was the same Hindu who had earlier facedthe sword of Islam and was now prepared to face the sword of Cross. Althoughall the temples had been razed from the islands, Hindus had saved the idols and hauled them to the dense jungles of Bicholim and Potida, beyond the borders of Goa, and were installed in new temples over there. Quickly, the Portuguese issued orders forbidding all Goan Hindus from visiting these temples. Hindus, however, continued to visit these temples secretly, beyond the eyes of the Portuguese border Police and continued to slip through to these forest temples to perform their sacred wedding ceremonies and their sacred thread rites.

Angered by the Hindu by-passing of these strict Portuguese laws, another law was passed which made it a "serious offense to fashion or privately retain any Hindu religious object." Hindu houses were frequently searched, without warning, to check compliance of these laws. However, this did not reduce Hindu resistance, creativity, and resourceful. Hindus started making paper cutouts of their gods and these were speedily destroyed when the need for it arose during a surprise house search by the Portuguese Police. Even to this day, one group of the Hindus in Panjim employ paper cutouts of the elephant god Ganesh during the great Ganesh festival.

9. Hindu's death in Goa was no easier than his life. Hindu could not even die in peace in Goa. The Portuguese passed a law which out-lawed the cremation of the dead Hindus. Once again, the Hindus started keeping the event of death secret, smothered the wailing of the grief-stricken women, with Hindu families going about their business as usual, as if nothing had happened and no death had occurred. No suspicions could be aroused and known informers were paid off. In the dead of night, a boat was loaded with firewood on the river bank and the dead body was placed on it, with more wood heaped on top to completely cover the body. The pyre was then set alight and the boat pushed with the river's current and the funeral party then quickly ran back and disappeared into the shadows.

The Portuguese did not fail to notice this cremation, their watch-tower guards noticed as the fire, whipped up by the sea winds, developed into a blazing inferno, which was fast enough to sink the boat before the guards could get to it and stop it. The guards were only able to record one more illegal cremation in their books.

The Portuguese had no idea of the depth of love and devotion that Hindus had for their Hindu religion and its ancient customs. Even those Hindus who converted to Christianity continued to practise the rituals of their Hindu religion. Many chapels that are found in Goan Christian homes today are direct derivations of earlier Hindu shrines in Hindu homes. Goan Christians continued to practise their old caste system. Christians who had converted from high-caste Hindu families, rarely socialize with those who converted from low-caste Hindus and the High-caste Christians never intermarry with Low-caste Christians to this day. Many High-caste Christians continue to give annual donations to Hindu temples established beyond the Portuguese territory by the Hindus who fled from Goa.

Saint Francis Xavier, who enforced these harsh measures, considered Hindus as Heathens/Pagans, who were lucky enough to have received Christ's Mercy. Goan Christians need to reflect on the persecution that Francis Xavier performed on their ancestors in Goa, while they continue to host his remains.

10. As if enough punishment had not been inflicted on the Goan Hindus, the authorities in Lisbon as they got going on the Inquisition, had a special treat/treatment for the Goans. Francis Xavier was the most important person to request Inquisition in Goa but he was not the only one. The Holy Terror of Inquistion was directed not against the stubborn Hindus who resisted Christianity but against those who had accepted Christianity but were suspected of not observing the Christian rites with appropriate enthusiasm and rigorous thoroughness and were suspected of covertly practising their old Hindu faith. The Dominicans were the most keener enforcers of Inquisition than the other orders and they tracked down "The Backsliders" or those who woshipped their cutout idols and conducted their secret cremations. These Backsliders were burned alive. The lofty title of Auto-da-fe was given to this inhuman practice and the Portuguese Viceroy personally attended these Auto-da-fe ceremonies with his entire retinue, and with great pomp and show.

11. How was the Holy Terror (Inquisition) conducted? The inquisition was set as a tribunal, headed by a judge, sent to Goa from Portugal and was assisted by two judicial henchmen. The judge was answerable to no one except to Lisbon and handed down punishments as he saw fit. The Inquisition Laws filled 230 pages and the palace where the Inquisition was conducted was known as the Big House and the Inquisition proceedings were always conducted behind closed shutters and closed doors. The screams of agony of the culprits ( men, women, and children) could be heard in the streets, in the stillness of the night, as they were brutally interrogated, flogged, and slowly dismembered in front of their relatives. Eyelids were sliced off and extremities were amputated carefully, a person could remain conscious even though the only thing that remained was his torso and a head. Male genitals was removed and burned and wives were forced to watch this. Breasts were hacked off and vaginas penetrated by swords and husbands were forced to watch this subhuman punishment. The Big House became a symbol of absolute fear and terror. So harsh and notorious was the Inquisition in Goa, that word of its brutality and horrors reached Lisbon but nothing was done to stop this notoriety and escalating barbarity and it continued for two hundred more years. No body knows the exact number of Goans subjected to these diabolical tortures, but perhaps runs into hundreds of thousands, may be even more. The abominations of Inquistions continued until a brief respite was given in 1774 but four years later, the Inquisition was introduced again and it continued un-interruptly until 1812. At that point in time, in the year of 1812, the British put pressure on the Portuguese to put an end to the terror of Inquisition and the presence of British troops in Goa enforced the British desire. Also the Portuguese power at this time was declining and they could not fight the British. The palace of the Grand Inquisitor, the Big House, was demolished and no trace of it remains today, which might remind someone of Inquistions and the horrors inside this Big House that their great saint Francis Xavier had commenced.

The great glee of the Christian Butcher, known as Saint Francis Xavier, resulting from the conduct of Inquistion, can be seen from the following statement that he made: "When all Goans are baptized, and when I see that all the temples of their false gods( Hindu gods) have been destroyed and idols have been broken into pieces, then I can give you no idea of the joy that I feel seeing this done." Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552).

12. What about the British approach towards Christianizing India? Though not as head-strong as the Portuguese, the British did help their Christian Missionaries as much as their diplomacy allowed. Lord Palmerston, the Prime Minister, stated in the British Parliament, that "it is in our own interest to promote the diffusion of Christianity as far as possible throughout the length and breadth of India. Every additional Indian Christian is an additional bond of union and a source of strength to the British Empire. They are worth far more to the British Empire than all those civil servants, soldiers, judges, and governors of India."

Sir Richard Temple, the Finance Minister and Governor of Bengal and Bombay Presidencies, told the Baptist Missionary Society in London in 1883 that, there is a large population of aborgines in India, they are a people who are outside caste, who do not belong to any old established religion, who are not under the influence of bigoted and hereditary superstitions. These aborgines offer a surface like a clean paper upon which the Christian Missionaries can make a mark. As they attach to Christianity, they will form a nucleus around which the British power can gather in India.

Was the "tribal religion" really separate from Hinduism? Not at all. It was the mischief of the British rulers and missionaries to label these Hindu "Vanavasis" as animists and detach them from the Hindu Society. The 1901 census noted in its report that "the dividing line between Hinduism and Animism is uncertain". The 1921 census noted that it is never possible to say where Animism begins and Hinduism ends. The 1931 census abandoned the term "Animism" and replaced it by a new category, "tribal religions".

V.J. Middleton in his thesis for the Fuller Theological Seminary makes a statement that Hinduism pervades practically every tribal religion of India. Rev. Chhangte Lal Hminga himself admits that the Mizos knew the story of Rama and Sita. At the foot of the Lushai (Mizo) hills, rudely carved idols of a God sitting cross-legged and a goddess standing as well as pagoda-like buildings have been found toward the close of the 19th century. The Mizos believed in life after death.

Inspite of these inhuman punishments, the resistance to Christianity continued and the Goan Christians continued to practise the ancient rituals and taboos of their old Hindu faith. Frustrated by their inability to shove Christianity down the throats of Goan Hindus, the Portuguese started to destroy the Konkani (the Goan Language) language as it was suspected to contain the percepts and doctrines of idolatry and started burning everything written in Konkani. Concurrently, the Portuguese started teaching Portuguese and Latin to Goans in schools. But very few Goans attained any proficiency in these two languages to grasp even the basics of Christianity and in fact found them perplexing and bizarre. Fed up with the Hindu intransigence, the Christian Clergy decided to go back to Inquisition and really start the reign of terror to frighten the savage Hindus into submission.

13.& nbsp; How are the Christian Missionaries operating presently in India? A typical Christian Missionary goes to the tribals of India and tells them they are animalists. These people have lived for thousands of years in India and have followed their tribalist rituals undisturbed for milleniums. Hinduism never called them animalist. But the moment the Christian Missionary sees them, he labels them as & quot; Animalist & quot; and starts working for the demolition of their culture and religion.

Every single day, the Christian Missionaries are touting sermons like the following & nbsp; all over India: & quot;These Hindu Heathens have their idols and their superstitions, their idol-bearing temples and shrines, where they conduct their noisy and foolish rituals and ceremonies. They generate a lot of evil. They are totally ignorant that Jesus Christ came to overcome death. There is a great need to propagate the Christian Gospel amongst them. & quot;

If Hindus get angry at these open insults, then the Christians and their Christian press labels the Hindus as Communalists. They never reported the murder of thousands of non-Christians by the Christians in the states of Nagaland and Mizoram in India (remember the Christians do not regard these non-Christian people anything like the best people and consider that they don't even have the right to exist). Hence the murder of these non-Christian people did not even merit to make the news in the Western Press.

What the Christian Crusaders are doing in North-East India is a perfect example of Cultural Genocide of the Tribal People of India at the hands of the Christian Missionaries. The Christian Missionaries are abolishing the music and dance of the Hindu Tribalists and are replacing these with Western Music and Dance. All the tribal rituals and deities have been destroyed in the states of Nagaland and Mizoram (the tribalists there have been told these are the works of the Devil) and replaced with Christian Examplars. These tribalists are also people of dark skin and the Christian Missionaries are determined to uproot their culture (which they regard as the culture of the Devil) all the way through. Many many more details can be cited of Christianity's Rough and Tumble Tactics of Christian Barbarity but it is time to sum up everything.

14. To sum up, Christianity today is just as Exclusivist as it was in the Middle Ages. It is a traffic in barbarism, in the pursuit of delivering souls to their Exclusive Prophet. Its barbaric empire continues to enroll members, exactly the same way it has been doing from Day One on of its existence. When people tell me that Christianity will change, I tell them: Yes, it will change, IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE.

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