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Christians want state laws to govern assets of churches
Church funds equal Indian Navy’s annual budget
Panaji:
Christians are a mere 2.5 per cent of the country’s population. But, the Church in India suffers from a case of plenty, says Remy Denis, All India Catholic Union President.
Church authorities control funds equivalent to the Indian Navy’s annual budget. The Church is also the second largest employer after the government, he said.
Eduardo Faleiro, a former Union minister and Goa NRI Commissioner, is among the growing number of Catholics like Prof Denis, who support a law to govern Church properties and a far greater degree of transparency in the way the Church manages its earthly assets.
“The Church is not a symbol of power but service, and democratic laws must apply to it equally. All religions must be kept on the same footing,” Faleiro said at a conference called to debate the matter of bringing Church properties under state laws.
The laws that govern Church properties in Goa were enacted during the Portuguese regime. The same laws have long since been repealed in Portugal, Faleiro said.
Almost all other religions in India have laws enacted to administer their properties, K T Thomas, former Supreme Court judge, said. Hindu temples are governed by laws specifically enacted for each trust and their accounts are subject to judicial review. The Sikhs, one of the smallest religious groups in the country, have the Sikh Gurudwara Act. Muslim trust properties comes under the Wakf Act.
“I feel the opposition from the Christians is on account of a fear that a provision for judicial scrutiny is likely to expose the expenses and magnitude of wealth of the denomination,” Thomas said. The head of the Believers Church had recently acquired a huge plantation in Kerala for Rs 123 crore. This was apart from the vast assets already held by the denomination, he said. The Church in Kerala also runs its own media network.
Thomas said there was a misplaced apprehension that the Parliament, through legislation, would grab the properties of the churches. No such law could be passed by Parliament or State legislatures, he said. All religious denominations have the right to own and acquire properties, establish and maintain religious institutions. “But, in matters of administration of your properties you have to abide by the law,” he said.
Unfortunately, Indians pictured British as Britishers not as Christians. it were these Indian christians who helped the Christians from Portugal, England etc. to loot and enslave the other Indians.
The Christian looters from Britain & Protugal gifted the wealth to these Indian Christian as a reward and to be their agents for ever.
Forced conversions a boiling issue next to terrorism
STOP CONVERSION Alarming 5 fold increase in Kandhamal Christian population from six per cent in 1971 to 27 per cent in 2001 ,It began with the arrival of Christian missionaries in the area who found the remote region very conducive to conduct prosetylization amongst the poor tribals. The conversions continued unhindered until the arrival of Swami Laxmanananda who put strenuous efforts to stop conversions and help reconversion to Hindouism as well. If not for his effort Kandhamal would have been another Nagaland in the making where the separatist movement has wrecked havoc in the state.
The aggressive Christian proselytization in Orissa today pitched previously peaceful tribals into warring camps of Christians and non-Christian. This has has vitiated the peace that has existed with various communities for millenia.
Why Orissa
Orissa has been specially targeted because of a huge tribal population. This allows the missionaries to work from the scrutiny of the media and carry our their nefarious activities.
In Kandhamal district, for instance, the Christian population has increased from six per cent in 1971 to 27 per cent in 2001, despite a law enacted by the Orissa Legislature in 1967 to prevent conversion by allurement, coercion, bribery and cheating.
Tricking the poor to convert and committing rape are two sides of the same coin, hence constitution must deal both offences equally. If our constitution gives chance to glorify offenders (such as Bishops, thousands of Pastors, Nuns and associated missionaries involved in immoral conversions in the name of Jesus), it automatically loses its moral authority. Christians cleverly used word denomination in their system (where as cast is used in Hindu system) In Kerala there are 100 such denominations where one is not allowed in other churches. Dalit converts remained as Dalit Christian, gets separate church and hence they always look for government handout. Christians do not even marry between the denominations due to centuries of inbuilt hatred and do not consider other denominations in equal status. Dont you know Adventists proclaim Pope as Beast in their TV shows? Our secular govt remaining a mute spectator and encouraging such conversions.
If what KMR says is true then it is also a big issue and government needs to seriously do something about it.
Besides, the law should be same for all religions. Are Hindus really enjoying that law - Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Act of 1951 ? Do the Churches now want to have this same law applied to churches OR some other law?!!
