Thu, 02/10/2008 - 11:44am Am I not better than a cow?

Dear Friends,

I am a dalit christian (Catholic). When I was small my grandfather used to tell me that we dalit's and we are not allowed to go into the temples of Hindu's. My grandfather told us, but some years later one European priest came to our village and constructed a small church and one crusy fix was installed in the church and my grandfather was standing outside the church and was thinking it was the same like Hindu temple that he must enter the church. But, the priest keeping his hand on my grandfather's shoulder and said "come inside - he is your GOD" who has come to relieve you from all evils. HE loves the poor and you are not an untouchable. Come and pray to HIM. Like this all our families became Christians. Now in Jesus we have peace and happiness.

My dear Hindu brothern, why do you thrown out when we are dalit's? Still the dalit's don't have enterance into the Hindu temples!!! Only one GOD, but I believe and i have faith in only Jesus Christ, who has relieved us from all dangers. When we are sick, the christian hospital's only gave us treatment, when we are without clothes, the Priests only clothed us and when we are hungry, they gave us food and what else we want? As our Lord (Jesus Christ) said we will still pray for you all. Angelo

Sat, 27/09/2008 - 11:55am Cast Hindus Immigration and Dalit Conversion

CASTE HINDUS IMMIGRATION TO THE CHRISTIAN WEST
AND HINDU DALITS CONVERSION TO CHRISTIANITY
IS THE SAME

Dear Editor:
This is in response to the ongoing brutality and killing of the innocent and helpless Christians of Orissa by the World Hindu Council (VHP) and other fanatical Hindu outfits.
Caste Hindus adore the west for the better lifestyle and often immigrate to predominantly Christian countries such as: the UK, Canada, and the USA. I don't blame them for dumping India for the “Christian” west, where the sky is the limit.
The poor Hindus have no means to get out of caste India and turn to religious conversion for a better life. In fact caste Hindu migration to the west and Dalit conversion to Christianity is the same.
The caste Hindus and Dalits are Indians—they must coexist as human beings. There is no Hindu India, Muslim India, or Christian India, only mother India. Christianity never advocates violence or hate against their neighbors; it is a religion of love and peace. How many Hindus are willing to abandon the lives they enjoy in the west for India to save Hinduism and the holy cow? The day will come when caste Hindus in India will look to Christians for support.
India is the second largest Muslim nation in the world; where the majority of Muslims were once Hindus. Hindus who converted to Islam are now able to enjoy a new life with dignity and hope because of their forefathers' courage to reject the caste system and embrace Islam. Dalit hope was rekindled when they left Hinduism behind and ended when they were forced to reconvert to Hinduism. India's divine caste system is deadlier than the dead apartheid. Hinduism has nothing to offer to poor Dalits other than religiously justified inferiority and subhuman treatment.
"Jesus the Dalit." Will any Hindus say "Krishna the Dalit?" There is no high and low in the west; all are humans.
The Sangh Parivar is nothing but agents of Hitler and hate mongers who can only create a situation worse than that of Rwanda or Darfur. Their love for the holy cow is flawed. They are the number one enemies of secular India.
The Sangh Parivar profit from selling beef sandwiches in the west. Why is it that a cow is holy in India and not in the west? The Sangh Parivar is nothing but the reincarnation of the Taliban, which is suffering from constipation of the Aryan nation. India must be cautious of these evil forces. Indians must unite and stand up for a secular India—a India in which freedom of religion has value. A secular India can become a world superpower; the Hindu fundamentalist vision of India can only lead to violence and disintegration. Freedom of religion is our birthright; it is the right of Dalits to decide their religious faith and destiny. The divisive forces who are preaching hatred and religious intolerance need to be stopped for the sake of unity and prosperity of mother India.
The Dalit people prefer to live and die as human beings rather than going back to the Stone Age and living under the cloak of untouchability.
The Christian west must welcome the poor Hindus with wide open arms. The evangelical Christians must stop sending professional missionaries to India under tourist visas. This is nothing but a breach of faith. Professional missionaries are only adding more fuel to the flames of the ongoing violence. Please remember Jesus never camouflaged himself or lied to preach the gospel. The need of the hour is freedom of religion not western charity.
The United States must uphold the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 and condemn nations with unchecked religious violence and discrimination.
I call upon the minorities of India, the Sikhs, Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, and Dalits—we must unite and stand up, to promote liberty, justice and equality for all Indians not just high caste Hindus. We must fight the evil caste system and fundamentalist groups promoting intolerance.
May the good Lord save India.
Truly but sadly,

Raju Charles
President
India Forum for Liberty & Justice, Inc.
Washington, D.C., USA
e-mail: RajuCharles@aol.com

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—
and there was no one left to speak out for me.
- Martin Niemöller,
German pastor, anti-Nazi theologian

http://iflj.org/