Radicals threaten to burn Christians to death

Warn of consequences if they don't reconvert to Hinduism by SundayMore than 60 Christian converts in northern India will be burned to death if they refuse to return to Hinduism by Sunday, a group of extremists has warned.The radical Hindus severely beat the converts' pastor, Feroz Masih, in a Nov. 4 attack in the state of Himachal Pradesh, accusing him of "forcibly converting" Hindus, reported Compass Direct, a news service that monitors persecution of Christians.Masih sustained internal injuries requiring medical treatment and still is recovering.The pastor's son, Ramesh, told Compass Direct the estimated 10 attackers were members of the World Hindu Council and its youth wing Bajrang Dal, which has been blamed for waves of attacks against Christians and other religious minorities since the rise of the Hindu nationalist party BJP in the late 1990s.The attackers forced Masih, 62, to sign a document stating his willingness to participate in a ceremony Sunday in which all of the Christians would convert back to Hinduism, Ramesh said.If the pastor or church members refuse to participate, they will be burned to death, the radicals warned.Masih and his son lead a local congregation related to Believer's Church in India that meets in their home in the town of Baijnath.The radical Hindus said they would come to the house Sunday to read from the Gita, the Hindu scripture, and convert the Christians back to Hinduism.The two church leaders sent a letter of complaint to officials at the local police station in Baijnath and the National Commission for Minorities, Compass Direct said. The letter included the names of six of the attackers: Harbans Lal, Madan Lal, Santosh Kumar, Ravi Kumar, Jitender Kumar, and Bablu Kumar.But Compass said the police regarded the beating as a "minor incident.""An official complaint [regarding the attack] has not been registered, and no one has been arrested," said Constable Rakesh Kumar.According to Kumar, the VHP attacked Masih based on the complaint of a local resident, Prakash Chand, who alleged Masih forcibly converted his wife two years ago. Kumar said police believe Masih did not use force.Masih's son, however, said the beating was inspired by local media reports that claimed his father was forcibly converting Hindus."We simply preach the message of peace and joy as given in the Bible. All the believers who attend the worship ... have embraced Christianity out of their own will," he said.The Masihs, who are connected to K.P. Yohannan's Gospel for Asia missionary group, say they still are waiting for a police response to the death threats.Yohannan said it's not clear that the police will take any action, noting the area is dominated by a large temple to the Hindu god Shiva, which draws thousands of pilgrims.The threat, he said, is reminiscent of the brutal murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two children in 1999 by Hindu radicals in the state of Orissa, who vowed to burn alive anyone who did not renounce their new faith."What is most important now is that we pray for this situation," said Yohannan. "These brothers and sisters have chosen by their own free will to follow Christ. I urge you to pray for their protection, and that God will surround them with His angels and turn back any violence. Please also pray for their attackers, that their hearts will be softened and that God will work a miracle in their lives."

HiHere's an update:http://www.compassdirect.org/en/breaking.phpI think this URL gets updated occasionally, so the late-breaking news may have moved on to another topic by the time you read this - so I have pasted in the updated article after my brief comment below.The previous post is about a burning that was to happen last Sunday, not this coming Sunday. Things have been somewhat resolved since then. I saw a link to this exact same article in my e-mail inbox last Saturday. Just in time to print a few copies for some people to pray over. As no one was burned, I'm considering it an answered prayer. Still, attendance was less than 100% and it seems that the pastor, Masih, gave into pressure, so they still need our prayers that they might not compromise. May God grant that we not faint when faced with the same choices - we certainly can't endure without His Spirit - "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts".Jeffrey==========================Breaking News - Monday November 21, 2005INDIA : THREAT TO BURN CHRISTIANS TO DEATH DEFUSEDExtremists had demanded believers take part in ceremony to “reconvert” to Hinduism.November 21 (Compass) – Members of the Believers’ Church in India (BCI) in the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh met peacefully Sunday, despite death and arson threats issued by Hindu extremists.“About 20 people came for the service. This was lower than usual as some villagers were facing opposition, but at least we were able to meet without incident,” Ramesh Masih, the son of Pastor Feroz Masih, told Compass.The church meets in Masih’s house in the town of Baijnath.On November 4, extremists from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP or World Hindu Council) and its youth wing, Bajrang Dal, assaulted the elder Masih. After beating him, they told Masih that if he and his 60 church members failed to take part in a “reconversion” ceremony on November 20, they would burn them to death. (See Compass Direct, “Hindu Extremists Attack Church in Himachal Pradesh, India,” November 14.)The planned reconversion ceremony was apparently dropped due to police intervention.In the November 16 edition of a national Hindi daily, Amar Ujala, a senior VHP member, Baldev Sood, said the VHP would not “reconvert” the BCI Christians against their will.Police had warned VHP members that they would be held responsible for any harm done to Masih or his church members, senior police official Ravinder Singh Jamwal told Compass.Jamwal also said all citizens had a constitutional right to practice and preach their respective religions, and Masih had the right to preach and distribute Christian tracts.Police Inspector Sureshta Thakur of the Baijnath police station said she had warned the VHP and its supporters against taking the law into their own hands.“There are many illiterate people in Baijnath who can easily be misled to believe that Christians are forcibly converting Hindus,” she said. “These misconceptions are the root of the problem.”When the church asked Thakur for police protection for the worship service on November 20, however, she refused, saying, “Only the district collector has the authority to sanction police protection.”Thakur sent two police constables to visit Masih’s house on November 19. She also tried to arrange a meeting between Masih and the six attackers named in his police complaint. All six of the attackers, however, had gone into hiding and could not be contacted.Masih’s son said he did not want the attackers punished, but that he hoped local officials would protect the Christian minority.He also rejected the claims of “forced” or “fraudulent” conversion made against his father, saying such false accusations are a mere pretext for attacking and harassing Christians.“Recently, I arranged a press conference in which many of our church members said they had accepted Christianity out of their own free will, because they had been healed of their diseases,” he added.A recent police inquiry found that Masih had not converted anyone by force or by fraudulent means.(from compassdirect.org)

Thanks for the update JeffreyAs no one was burned, I'm considering it an answered prayer. Still, attendance was less than 100% and it seems that the pastor, Masih, gave into pressure, so they still need our prayers that they might not compromise. With you on the first part there but curious as to the latter, that the pastor may have gave into pressue, what makes you think so? (Not a pointed question)

Hi,"With you on the first part there but curious as to the latter, that the pastor may have gave into pressue, what makes you think so? (Not a pointed question"May the Lord forgive me for always trying to justify my standpoint - my following response just ate up about half an hour of my prayer time. To answer your question. Please re-read the original posted article. (I've quoted the relevant portion below - after my comment). Apparently the pastor, Masih, gave in to pressure from the attackers. I'm not trying to be judgemental as I don't have all the facts. On the surface it appears as if he denied his faith, and was prepared to do so again in the face of continued persecution. This is all history now, unless the attackers raise their ugly heads again, so I merely suggested that prayer for Masih was in order because, if he denied Jesus through his actions, he needs to repent and be forgiven. Likewise there may be some members of the congregation that may need to search their hearts to determine whether they sinned by not showing up on Sunday (see 2nd article). This is my prayer burden, as I took the matter upon myself last week. Truly, I am guilty of much worse denials myself, and only by the grace of God would I not fall given similar circumstances.Jeffrey"The attackers forced Masih, 62, to sign a document stating his willingness to participate in a ceremony Sunday in which all of the Christians would convert back to Hinduism."

Thanks brother,Had read this earlier I believe elsewhere, but missed that this go around. May the Lord forgive me for always trying to justify my standpoint - my following response just ate up about half an hour of my prayer time. Wasn't looking for that at all it was just a point of clarification and would also agree with your sentiments very well expressed here.