Rs 10,500 cr remitted by Christian missionaries: Why is opposition mum?

Feature

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Now that the opposition has decided to bring up the issue of re-conversions, it would also do well if it debated at length the inflow of money amounting to Rs 10,500 crore that is pumped in every year to Christian missionaries to convert people.

As has been noted by Phillip Goldberg, the author of American Veda it is not conversion but coercion that is taking this clearly driving the point that people are forced for the numbers and not for the faith.

NGO money

In the year 2011 it was found by various agencies that an illicit in flow of money had come into India with an intent of ‎funding conversions. All this money landed into the coffers of various NGOs. There was a considerable amount of money which had no accounting and when the records were checked it was marked under the miscellaneous column.

None of the NGOs had a suitable answer to this and barring a few protests by them they have still not been able to satisfy the agencies that this money was not used for conversions/stage managed protests or money laundering.

A probe by Bangalore Initiative for Religious Dialogue

The Bangalore Initiative for Religious Dialogue (BIRD) had conducted a survey pertaining to religious conversions. It had found that there was an aggressive marketing strategy involved in conversions undertaken by evangelists.

They had noted that there was very aggressive marketing by some missionaries and they were using unethical means to convert. They dole out incentives and force conversions not for the sake of religion but for their own benefits. [Mayawati stands up against mass conversion in Uttar Pradesh in the name of BPL cards]

‎Tactics galore

‎Several reports relating to conversions suggest that the gullible are targeted. As Goldberg would say they are a new breed of zealots financed by the American fundamentalists. He also notes that some people are given jobs and told to convert.

If they refuse then they are threatened with job loss. In other instances it was found that some of them dressed up as Swamis and approached gullible people and said their Hindu Gods were the corrupt version of Christ.

Biggest donors are the missionaries

As per a report with the government the major donors to some of the NGOs in India are the Christian missionaries. ‎ An amount of Rs 10,500 crore has been remitted into the accounts of four NGOs notorious for conversions and in turn distributed to various conversion centres across the country the report states.

The inflow of money was from the USA, Germany, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Spain and Italy, the report also noted.

Too much money and clout

While speaking to one officer with the Intelligence Bureau he says that successive governments in the past have turned a blind eye. These missionaries have the money to shut the politician up.

Moreover they make it look like a suo motu conversion thus dodging the law which clearly states that only forced conversions are punishable. Moreover the lure of money is so high that not too many come forward and complain.

The IB officer also notes that for every 1,000 conversions there is one complaint. This is largely to do with the fact there is too much money at play and also these missionaries take advantage of extreme poverty conditions of people and play with their faith.