Hundreds of Hindus who were fiercely antagonistic toward Christianity have been turning to Christ.
According to Breaking Christian News,
the 2008 murder of Hindu leader Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati sparked
intense violence in the predominantly Hindu Kandhamal District in
eastern India.
Radical Hindus spread the rumor that Christians were responsible for
Saraswati’s murder, though non-Christian Maoists claimed to have killed
him.
The Hindu radicals went on a rampage, destroying 300 churches and 6,000
homes, and displacing at least 50,000 people for months. Angry mobs
also shot, burned, dismembered, beat, and raped Christians, in addition
to making them undergo “reconversion” ceremonies, involving things like
drinking water mixed with cow feces.
Many Christian were also persecuted for being part of lower castes in society.
Because of the severe persecution, many fled to the jungles, where more died from poisonous snakes or disease.
Recently, however, there are reports that those very jungles where many
Christians died are becoming places where many Hindus are encountering
the Lord.
"By God's grace we are holding evangelistic jungle camps everywhere the
violence took place," said an indigenous religious leader. "It is God's
doing. The violence took place almost everywhere in Kandhamal District.
We held a jungle camp at one village church, and in 2008 that church
building had been attacked, broken and set on fire, and the Believers
had fled to the jungle for safety."
“They are happy to accept Jesus as their God and Savior and to live for
Him in the midst of persecution. Thousands are gathering in the jungle
camps in Kandhamal District to hear the living Word of God. People were
happy and encouraged to live for Jesus and His kingdom,” he continued.
One woman, whose name is withheld for security reasons, was strongly
opposed to Christianity and its people, but after she became
disillusioned with Hinduism and other religions, she turned to Jesus
because He miraculously healed her of an evil spirit.
"I was searching for this kind of life, and Jesus gave it to me. He is the only true and loving God,” she testified.
Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com
No comments:
Post a Comment