Aware of the tensions between people and communities of different religious convictions and the varied interpretations of Christian witness, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID), the World Council of Churches (WCC) and, at the invitation of the WCC, the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), met during a period of 5 years to reflect and produce […]
Swami Dayananda Saraswati: “Religious freedom does not extend to having a planned program of conversion”
In June 2003, News Today published excerpts a long interview with Swami Dayananda Saraswati, whose views critical of missionary activities are well-known. In the interview, conducted by Editor T.R. Jawahar, Swami Dayananda Sarawsati reaffirmed his understanding of conversion as a form of violence: “What is violence? When you physically hurt me it is violence. When […]
“The Niyogi Committee Report on Christian missionary activities”
An important historical document for students of contemporary reactions to missionary activities in India. This enquiry into the activities of the Christian missionaries in Madhya Pradesh was commissioned by the government of this Indian State in 1954 and published in 1956. Long out of print, it was republished by Voice of India (New Delhi) in […]
“Religious conversions: frequently asked questions”
“Conversions create social tensions. The targeted community feels that it will lose out on its culture and civilisational values. All societies try and protect the collective consciousness of the past. The destruction of a culture is not only in terms of physical structures like places of worship, but also a destruction of amassed wisdom. The […]
“The creeping march of Christianity: the widespread evangelization in Bangladesh”
“Now the tocsin is being whistled in the firmament of Bangladesh due to the extensive activities of Christian missionary groups, which have made massive assault on the custom, culture and religion of poverty-stricken people. They control the majority of NGOs directly or indirectly and are engaged in evangelization. Their activities termed as the “neo-colonialism” are […]