Violence at Christmas Night
Christmas night !! Joy and peace !! But in Orissa (India) it was a horrible night!!! Christians could not celebrate birth day of their Lord. It was a violence day. As the violence against Christians by the Hindutva extremists in Orissa has seen over 30 churches and institutions destroyed, some people shot and injured in gunfire, nuns and pastors forced to flee their homes, reportedly by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council) activists. The violence, which has claimed five lives, began on Christmas Eve and has caused damage costing about $700,000, said church officials at a press conference Dec. 31 at the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India centre in New Delhi. The violence began after about 500 Hindu radicals attacked a tent displaying the Nativity scene that Christians of various denominations put up in Bamunigam, a small town in the Kandhamal district.
Our sisters are missionaries in Orissa. They also experienced a lot of threat in these days. We are facing great challenge. It is the time of practising religious tolerance. But I would like to see this event in another point of view. Every human person has an inviolable dignity and inalienable rights as a child of God made in his image. No other person or outside power has the authority to violate those rights. I think, we should sincerely respect every element of truth and beauty embodied in other religious communities. We should also seek to build mutual respect with other religions.
Why we afraid to preach Jesus Christ? The Church has the duty to preach Jesus Christ . But she can’t coerce anyone to believe the truth without violating the rights of the individual and betraying the message of the gospel. Every person is free to accept or reject the message of salvation. Every person has a right to freedom of conscience. Every person has the obligation to form his or her conscience in the light of God’s truth. We have a duty to pursue the truth, to live it and preach it to others. So these persecutions will not adversely affect our faith. Iam sure that these bitter experiences will deepen our faith. It will be an golden occasion to unite Christian churches.
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