After Hindu nationalists in Maharashtra State attacked Christians two weeks ago because they refused to honour a tribal deity – violence that led many to flee their homes – the extremists yesterday assaulted remaining Christians as they met for worship. As police stood by watching, about 100 club-bearing Hindu extremists disrupted worship at the house of Ravindra Shankar Ander in Tamsai village, Thane District. The extremists did not use their wooden clubs as they did in the attack two week's ago. More than 100 Christians from the area are afraid to return to their homes after Hindu extremists on Dec 30 beat worshippers with wooden clubs for refusing to contribute to the festival for the tribal deity. Men and women said to belong to Hindu nationalist groups in Tamsai village stormed the worship service of the Yehovah Prathana Group Tamsai congregation in Tamsai.
Pray: that God's people will not fear but trust in the His protection. (Ex.15:2)
More: http://www.religiontoday.com/blog/attacked-christians-in-india-fear-returning-home.html
As police looked on, militants attacked a church in central India on the second day of a revival meeting earlier this month at the Indian Christian Assembly of God Church in Rajnandgaon, causing severe injuries to some members and sending the pastor into hiding. The revival meeting included a graduation ceremony of 14 students who attended a short Bible training programme. About 300 Christians had gathered to witness the ceremony and attend the revival meeting. Attendees came from the neighbouring states of Maharashtra, West Bengal, Orissa, and Madhya Pradesh. ‘Everything went well on the first day of the meeting until the afternoon of the second day,’ a witness told World Watch Monitor. The witness asked not to be named in order to avoid possible retribution from the attacker.
Pray: against the increasing violence against Christians in many parts of India may God arise and his enemies be scattered. (Ps.10:12)
The discovery of explosives in one village days ahead of a brutal assault on a Christian community in another village has raised fears of a repeat of the large scale anti-Christian violence in Orissa state, India. A church leader and the 12 families in his congregation were attacked by Hindu extremists on 15 June in the village of Mitrapur. Evangelist Baidhar (50) was making his way home from a prayer meeting in a believer’s home when he was set upon. He was seriously injured and left bleeding on the ground. He was found shortly afterwards by local Christians who took him to hospital. Around 50 Hindus then attacked the Christian community in the village. The assailants looted the homes of the 12 families. The Christians fled the village. A few days before this incident, on 10 June, police seized more than 50 homemade bombs and 12 blocks of dynamite from a hut in Gambhari village, Puri district. The offenders fled and the explosives were taken to the police station to be defused.
Pray: against any recurrence of extremist activities in Orissa state. (Ps.5:11)
India: Asks US evangelists to leave
23 Jun 2011
An international advocacy group urged the U.S. government to condemn Indian authorities for asking three American Christians to leave India because they allegedly participated in evangelism. ‘We urge the U.S. government to look into this matter and take appropriate measures to pressure India to respect the religious freedom of Christians and other religious minorities,’ explained an International Christian Concern (ICC) representative. Shelly Deeds, a nurse from Pennsylvania, her daughter Katelyn 15, and Diane Harrington a teacher at Wisconsin were ‘asked to leave’ the country after Hindu organizations complained they ‘tried to convert poor families in India's southern state of Kerala. Indian police acknowledged there was no evidence the Christian tourists participated in proselytizing, but said they asked them to leave because the women ‘violated’ visa regulations by trying to attend a prayer meeting. Pray: God’s protection for Christians and the Christian community in the sensitive areas of India. (Ps.17:1) More: http://www.bosnewslife.com/17201-india-asks-u-s-evangelists-to-leave
Tensions remained high on Wednesday, September 15, in several parts of India where reports of Qur'an burning in the United States sparked deadly attacks against Christian institutions. In the village of Tangmarg, in India's Kashmir region, at least 14 people were killed and scores injured over the weekend when thousands of angry Muslims took to the streets and torched a Christian school. ‘The students are not hurt, but the building has totally burnt down,’ said Bishop Pradeep Kumar Samantaroy of the Church of North India. He said officials were informed of a possible attack and that Christians requested protection, but that ‘no action was taken’. The demonstrations were fuelled by reports that although a Florida pastor called off his plans to burnthe Qur'an, Iran's state-run TV, which is widely available in India, showed footage of a different man destroying a Qur'an in Tennessee. (See also Prayer Alert 3710) Pray: that any further actions that would bring the Church into disrepute and cause outrage would be stopped at source. (2Pet.2:1-2) More: http://www.bosnewslife.com/13830-14-killed-as-anti-christian-violence-spreads-in-india
With Hindu extremists constantly perpetrating attacks against the church, Christians in the northern region of India find themselves in a very hostile environment. Persecution has also come through politics as some states have implemented laws against conversion to Christianity. One such law is ironically called the "Freedom of Religion Bill." Similar legislation has been approved by lawmakers in Madhya Pradesh. The bill, which now awaits the governor's signature, would make it a crime to convert to Christianity without government permission. But Pastor Abraham, who works everyday with average people in the region, says that not everyone is hostile toward Christians. "When you bring the salvation, the healing, the blessings from Jesus, the common people always respond to the Gospel," he said. "Otherwise we can't do the work." Despite the persecution and the challenges, God is moving and the church is growing, Abraham said.
Pray: for true freedom of religion and for those who do wish to convert to Christianity. ( Jn.10:28)
More: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/September/India-Church-Growing-Stronger-Despite-Hostilities/
Increase in persecution across '10/40 window'
05 Nov 2012There has been a steep increase in persecution across the ‘10/40 window’ in the last decade, says Gospel for Asia. It warned that in India alone there had been a ‘400 per cent’ increase in persecution. The 10/40 window encompasses the countries that have been least reached with the Gospel. Gospel for Asia president K P Yohannan said that people who had not experienced persecution ‘do not fully understand what it means to have their lives threatened, homes destroyed, rights violated and loved ones imprisoned, all because of embracing faith in Jesus Christ’. Christians in the 10/40 region have had their homes destroyed or been imprisoned because of accusations against them, including accusations of forced conversions. Many have been killed because of their belief in Christ and others have been forced to go underground. ‘The increase of this kind of persecution should not be surprising where the gospel is going forth in unfriendly world areas,’ said Yohannan. ‘.
Pray: for all Christians ouround th World who find themselves persecuted for their faith. (2Ti.3:12 )
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/increase.in.persecution.across.1040.window/30949.htm
Hundreds dead in Philippines typhoon
08 Dec 2012More than 320 people have died in the southern Philippines after Typhoon Bopha swept across the south of the country. The total number of fatalities, which stood at around 90 on Tuesday, jumped as rescuers on Wednesday reached remote mountain villages cut off by floods and landslides. A government spokeswoman, Fe Maestre, told the Associated Press news agency that at least 151 people died in the worst-hit province of Compostela Valley. That included 66 villagers and soldiers who died in a flash flood that swamped two emergency storm shelters and a military camp as Bopha devastated New Bataan town the day before. Maestre said an unspecified number of villagers remained missing in New Bataan. Bopha swept across the island of Mindanao, destroying homes with 210km per hour gusts on Tuesday before headed towards the South China Sea.
Pray: for the people of the Philippines, for those who are suffering and need relief. (Lam.3:56)
More: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2012/12/201212553732512410.htmlChibok