This will not be the first time when eyebrows will be raised over my views. I don’t believe in making sensations but few people sometimes feel uneasy on my views.
Other day I had a debate with a net-friend of mine over conversion. She is from St. Lucia which is a beautiful island country in the Caribbeans and some of the matches of recently concluded T-20 world cup were held there. As per a survey the people of St. Lucia are the happiest in the world. My friend seemed very much worried about the condition of Dalits in India. She asked me why we do not improve it. I asked her if what her sources of information were. She said that she heard some missionaries talking about this. I told her the cause of worry, nowadays, is not untouchablity but the missionaries. I told her how so many Christian missionaries are indulged in the conversion on large scale on the pretext of education and social service. She made her point that wat’s wrong in spreading one’s religion. And I wanted to convey her, wat’s wrong in a social service with out conversion. Finally she gave up after a long discussion. I don’t know if she was convinced, dint want to pull it further or she dint have any more point to debate.
I believe all religions are equal. And, I think, there is only one religion, humanity, and rest all are reforms. We name them any thing but the conclusion is, they want to say almost same thing. Still there is a race to pull more and more people under their banner by some religions.
The question is why only poor and backward people are mostly converted? And answer is very simple! So called messengers of God penetrate deep into these people, ofcourse they serve them, educate them, provide medical facilities but wat’s the cost! They make them to embrace their religion. This is a social service or the service for conversion; is it very difficult to conclude! And there have been many incidents where people have been lured to convert. Why a social service can not be done without disturbing ones religious orientation? This can not be disputed that these conversions have disturbed social harmony in many parts of India.
Other day I happened to meet a guy, who does the job of a sweeper and has old acquaintance with me. I saw a cross round his neck and I asked if he had converted. He confirmed, I saw a sort of contempt in his eyes. I asked if he found some change. He didn’t have answer. I didn’t find any change in his condition. He still was wearing same type of clothes; his complexion was still tanned, his teeth were still stained with gutkha and he still was doing the same job, of a sweeper. I am sure, he never read Gita and nor Bible and one who converted him was not bothered to do so. He just added one more ‘disciple of true faith’. That’s the achievement! Wat’s the use! Religion means morality. And it has become rare, be it any religion. I am yet to find a person who did lot of studies in his original religion and in that he converted into. I would certainly appreciate the person.
The condition of Dalits has indeed been bad. But the things have changed a lot and are still changing. I have many Dalit friends who never converted and nor they have contempt in their eyes. Is the key to improve a poor’s condition is conversion? Why do not these missionaries serve people without the greed of converting them? Why, after all, one should convert a person to improve his condition? Do not these conversions result in to a separate class of people? Why is human society so willing to create divide rather than to unite. Take Hinduism so many offshoots like Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhs, Shaivites, Vaishnavas etc, Muslims as Shias, Sunnis, Ahmedias, Alawite, Ismailis, Bohras, Druze and so on, Christians like Catholics, Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Protestants, Restorationists etc, Sikhs like Khalsas, Ramgarias, Nirankaris, Nam-Dharis and more. So many faiths, so many conversions. Great personalities take birth to cleanse society, not to create divide. But their followers fail to understand this fact and they take on the path of division, establish themselves as a separate faith. And then begins the race of conversion.
Now tell me, religion unites or breaks!
