From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Feb 1: Anti-corruption activist and President of Indian Christian United Forum (ICUF) Abraham T Joseph, better known as TJ Abraham, has welcomed the "Ghar Wapsi" campaign of RSS and other SanghParivar outfits as the objective of such a campaign can never win over "true Christians" and at best take away the "unwanted elements or parthenium weeds" among Christians.
"True Christians would be ready to give their lives for faith as was and is being demonstrated in Iraq and other countries, where fundamentalist forces are targeting Christians," he said addressing a press conference in Bengaluru on Saturday.
ICUF General Secretary Aida D’Cunha, Vice President SilvianNorohna, Fr Robin Victor D’Souza, Fr George Solomon, Rev Dr Manohar Chandra Prasad and Sr Amala and Sr Irudaya were among the other Christian leaders who were present at the press conference.
Abraham asserted that "Christians are not disturbed, perturbed or threatened by the so-called Ghar Wapsi or reconversions by meaningless and insignificant elements, who have no other contribution to society other than nuisance value."
The RSS vehemently speaks of and confuses the Indian population about conversion by force or allurement. Forcible conversion is something which is opposed by every civilized and well-meaning society and religion. True Christianity and Christians too oppose the same, Abraham said.
"We welcome the weeding away of such useless and unnecessary elements out of our faith. What Ghar Wapsi is achieving is actually what the true Christians were wanting but unable to do for long. So we would actually be happy if some more of these non-believers are removed or weeded out from our faith," he said adding: "Our challenge to the SanghParivaar is please take but you cannot take us, true Christians. If anyone makes an attempt to convert a true Christian, he would get converted and surely become one of us Christians."
The RSS vehemently speaks of and confuses the Indian population about conversion by force or allurement. Forcible conversion is something which is opposed by every civilized and well-meaning society and religion. True Christianity and Christians too oppose the same.
"The communal genes and the anti-secular attitude of the SanghPariwar and BJP exposed in letter and Spirit," he said.
In the wake of the formation of the Modi Government, doubts have arisen if Secularism is going to be alive in our society. Though the victory of Modi government is showcased as a victory for development, a belief has risen in the majority of the population in the country that the secular fabric of the country would be demolished in India, he said.
"A shameful proof and demonstration of the public belief that the BJP does not believe or tolerate secularism is evidenced from the Republic Day advertisement issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which showed the Preamble page of the Constitution without the words “socialist” and “secular,” proving that the government was not “committed to secularism” and there was a sinister move to remove it from the Preamble of the Constitution.
"The Republic Day advertisement exposes in Letter (black & white) and the attacks on churches in Delhi, forcing the installation of the images of Goddess Saraswati in Christian schools and the GharWapsi in Spirit, the anti-secular lineage of the SanghPariwar and BJP," he said.
The ICUF strongly condemned the series of attacks against Churches in India and Delhi after the BJP government was formed at the Centre and predicted the downfall of the BJP leading to the restoration of secular ethos in the country.