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Working through a professional Christian news network, Gospel for Asia has learned that the threat against 60 believers in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh has been thwarted.

A reporter from Compass Direct news service said that members of a Believers Church there met peacefully Sunday, November 20, despite death and arson threats from Hindu extremists.

"We were able to meet without incident," said Ramish Masih, the son of Pastor Feroz Masih.
The church meets in Masih’s house in the town of Baijnath.

On November 4, members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP or World Hindu Council) and its youth wing, Bajrang Dal, assaulted the elder Masih. After beating him, they told Masih that if he and his 60 church members failed to take part in a "re-conversion" ceremony on November 20, they would burn them to death.

However, a senior VHP member said the VHP would not "re-convert" the Christians against their will. The planned re-conversion ceremony was apparently dropped due to police intervention.

Police had warned VHP members that they would be held responsible for any harm done to Masih or his church members, senior police official Ravinder Singh Jamwal said.

Jamwal also said all citizens had a constitutional right to practice and preach their respective religions, and Masih had the right to preach and distribute Christian tracts.

Police Inspector Sureshta Thakur of the Baijnath police station said she had warned the VHP and its supporters against taking the law into their own hands.

"There are many illiterate people in Baijnath who can easily be misled to believe that Christians are forcibly converting Hindus," she said. "These misconceptions are the root of the problem."

When the church asked Thakur for police protection for the worship service on November 20, however, she refused, saying, "Only the district collector has the authority to sanction police protection."

Thakur sent two police constables to visit Masih’s house on November 19. She also tried to arrange a meeting between Masih and the six attackers named in this police complaint. All six of the attackers, however, had gone into hiding and could not be contacted.

Masih’s son said he did not want the attackers punished, but that he hoped local officials would protect the Christian minority.

He also rejected the claims of "forced" or fraudulent" conversion made against his father, saying such false accusations are a mere pretext for attacking and harassing Christians.

"Recently, I arranged a press conference in which many of our church members said they had accepted Christianity out of their own free will, because they had been healed of their diseases," he added.

A recent police inquiry found that Masih had not converted anyone by force or by fraudulent means.

 
 
 

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Comments on: "Threat to Burn Indian Believers Thwarted" (14)

  1. Woohoo! PTL!!The Lord he is God! The Lord he is God!

  2. Gerry, and all who believe,My heart overflows with Thanksgiving on behalf of this good news. So much for the naysayers who don\’t believe that we have not only an Almighty Fatherwho controls all earthly events within space and time, but an everlasting covenant in the atoning blood of His Son, which surpasses both space and time! What a blessing we have in Him. Remember when a man of God prayed that it would be revealed what a host of protectors (angels)encompassed the people of God who believed in the Old Testament? We have seen it again. If only we could see with our spiritual eyes just how much we need His protection again today. I say this because at this particular point in time, there is a more sinister weapon than religious extremists coming at many of the chosen, and they are being duped into believing that the all-powerful free will of man and the subsequent abuse of grace will cover over their behavior, and allow them to stand in the presence of the Holy and Righteous One who has redeemed them by His blood. I pray that He may have grace abundant for them, but not at the expense of the price of Jesus\’ suffering. Because this would seem to negate the value of the cross, make one wonder about the reality of the empty tomb, and cause many to have doubts regarding the decisive return in victory of the One in Whom we alone can have hope! If I appear to point the finger outward, I am, of course, pointing three of them back at myself. As is a popular saying here in GA, been there, done that. Praise God for His work in India, and praise Him also for what He will accomplish in us who believe as well. And I thank Him for you, and all believers everywhere, as well.Philo

  3. I loved you space It was godly and right down to the book. Thank you sooo much for putting this together.Josiah

  4. wow thank God- he is good! xxx

  5. PS happy thanks giving xxx

  6. Annie Maree said:

    God bless you Gerry, it was a pleasure to visit your space.I am a single mum with two kids as well. And am a worshipper, leading worship and song writting. It is always good to take a peek at lives of others who love the Lord and serve Him. thanks for showing me your world.Netty.

  7. Annie Maree said:

    hey Gerry, thanks for your kind words 😉 bless you, Netty.

  8. Wow!!! This really shows how God is always at work, even when we think there might be no hope, there is always God…Cath :)P.S. Thanks Gerry, for your comment on my space, it\’s always nice to know that others pray for you…

  9. The [d2g] Blog List service is now ready for use!Login to your MSN Space, add [d2g] in your Space Heading or Tagline and then go tohttp://d2g.notashamed.com.au and click "Add Your Blog" then fill in the field to add you\’re DEDICATED 2 GOD blog to the list of others!Give out the website to all your friends and why not add a link (using a List Module is the easiest) at the top of your MSN Space to go to the [d2g] Blog List!Let\’s get The Word (semi-pun intended) out!!Thanks!The [d2g] InformantMore info and Original post athttp://spaces.msn.com/members/forallyouvedone/Blog/cns!1ppK4f43kTK-xxiLU58kjLzg!919.entry

  10. Sunday January 16, 5:13 PMVillagers furious with Christian Missionaries Samanthapettai, Jan 16 (ANI): Rage and fury has gripped this tsunami-hit tiny Hindu village in India\’s southern Tamil Nadu after a group of Christian missionaries allegedly refused them aid for not agreeing to follow their religion…http://in.news.yahoo.com/050116/139/2j1rp.htmlNonetheless, the actions and statements of those handing out food with a religious price tag have negatively impacted other faith-based organizations solely involved in humanitarian aid.http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/sep202005/state1911242005919.aspVHP alleges child traffic by Christian missionaries DH News Service Mysore: Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Monday demanded that the State government order an inquiry into the functioning of children’s homes and orphanages run by Christian missionaries, who are allegedly indulging in “child trafficking”. Addressing mediapersons in Mysore, VHP All India Secretary Mohan Joshi alleged that Christian missionaries were misusing orphan children and indulging in child trafficking in the name of running orphanages and children’s homes. While Karnataka’s neighbour Andhra Pradesh had taken steps to control these activities, Karnataka had not done anything in this regard so far, he added. Could this be one reason they hate us? I certainly am not saying that all Christian missionaries act this way. Yet, it\’s a far cry to say that all folllowers of Islam, Gerry, are inspired by the devil. Evil finds it\’s roots in anyone, as does virtue. Ghandi was not a Christian, but I dare say that the devil spoke through him. The current Dhalai Lama espouses a decision is moral if it\’s made with another\’s well being in mind. If that\’s the devil speaking, he sure is tricky. And Gerry, I believe in your view of forgiveness. Perhaps "fire and coal" refer to God\’s punsihment for sinners, not ours. I\’m all about turning the other cheek. It\’s almost literally soul cleansing.

  11. hahaha and we dont celebrate it at all! whats that all about !!! God bless xxx

  12. Hydrovitae If you\’ll notice the last line in the first story where it says: "The incident is an exception to concerted charity in a catastrophe that has left no one untouched." If these are real Christians, which I doubt, they will have to answer to God. There are many who call themselves believers that are not. Some really believe they truly doing God\’s work. Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23: "Not everyone who says to me, \’Lord, Lord,\’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, \’Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?\’ Then I will tell them plainly, \’I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!\’For a Christian to try to force someone to convert is wrong and is not in line with the bible. God gave every single human being a right to choose. He will never force Himself on anybody. He wants people to come to Him willingly. With many of the religions of the world it is not the same. I talk to a Christian couple that are currently living in Italy. The wife is Canadian and the husband is Egyptian. They are in Italy on temporary visas and have to leave soon. The problem is that Canada won\’t grant her husband a visa and if He goes back to Egypt his life would be in danger. Simply because he made a choice to make Jesus hos Lord and Saviour. In Saudi Arabia you can go to jail just for possesing a bible. In most muslum countries Christians are beaten and imprisoned. Many are threatened with death if they don\’t convert back to Islam. Even so, under the treat of death, the underground church is growing. Not because they are forced, but because they are finding the answers that Isalm couldn\’t give them. Many know that if they are caught they will be punished, but so great is what they have found in Christ that they believe it\’s worth it. The biggest difference between a relationship with Christ and this world\’s religions is that Christ did it all for us. The way to salavation is open and it is a free gift to anyone who believes. For religion, salvation is found through works and being the best you can be. According to the bible, no matter how good you are it won\’t just cut it. The bible says that our righteousness is like filthy rags to God. Nothing we can do will save us. Does that mean that once a person accepts Christ as his Lord, that he or she can just sit back and do nothing? Not at all, because out of salvation and a love for Christ flow good works. They are no longer an act to attain salvation but an act of love that flows from their relationship with Jesus.Ghandi and the Dali Lama may have espoused peace and love but the fact is that they like everyone of us are sinners. They needed salvation just like the rest of us.Take care

  13. "The current Dhalai Lama espouses a decision is moral if it\’s made with another\’s well being in mind. If that\’s the devil speaking, he sure is tricky. "You have no idea how true a statement this is. He\’s not going to appear to us with a forked tail, spewing poisionous flames and a pitchfork. He will appear as an angel of light.He\’s the most subtle creature in all of God\’s creations.Jason

  14. Thanks Gerry for posting the info. Great news! Praise God! Have a wonderful weekend.

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