Missionaries, Believers Face Increasing Opposition in Orissa

(The Christian Post) – A “re-conversion” campaign in the Indian state of Orissa has given rise to active opposition of the gospel, a Virginia-based missions agency reported Thursday. Launched by certain extremist Hindus, the campaign is aimed at forcing tribal Christians to renounce their faith and return to Hinduism. Christian Aid, reported Thursday that some district authorities have begun using the controversial Orissa Freedom of Religion Act—which prohibits “the use of force or inducement or fraudulent means” to convert someone from one religion to another—to attempt to inhibit Christian ministry. Native missionaries informed Christian Aid that while Christians bear the brunt of the law’s enforcement, most Hindu groups, including those trying to coerce tribal people to return to Hinduism, are free to do as they please in certain districts. Some believers also face persecution from their own families and communities. Christian Aid reported that in one Orissa village, at least seven Christians who had converted from Hinduism were forced from their homes. “They were allowed to return to the village after six months, yet they are still denied basic necessities such as water from the well or employment,” the agency reported.