The latest from India

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the conversion of outcast Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar to Buddhism, a ceremony of mass conversion of 10,000 Dalits (outcasts) took place over the weekend in Nagpur, India.

The Indian government, touted as the “largest democracy in the world,” recently passed legislation requiring anyone who leaves Hinduism to obtain a certificate verifying that they did so out of their own free will and not under coercion. If you convert without this “permit,” you could face imprisonment. There was even a law that classified Buddhism and Jainism as branches of Hinduism, denying them status as unique religions.

The staunch Hindu conservatives in government have claimed that Christian missionaries have used “enticements” to lure the outcasts out of Hinduism. On the other hand, David Griffiths of Christian Solidarity Worldwide said about the anti-conversion legislation, “ It imposes restrictions on conversions, which should be free. There is ostensibly an agenda to keep the Dalits and tribespeople oppressed within the caste system.”

Read the links to the two stories and consider these questions: in what ways does the Hindu caste system still show itself today, even though it has technically been unconstitutional for decades? How are the Dalits (untouchables) treated? Why, do you suppose, that of the 10,000 converts who left Hinduism this weekend, only 500 became Christian and the rest became Buddhist? What challenges do Christian missionaries face in India that are unique to that culture?