Posted on 10/14/2006 10:38:07 PM PDT by Jedi Master Pikachu
Thousands of people have been attending mass ceremonies in India at which hundreds of low-caste Hindus (Dalits) converted to Buddhism and Christianity.
The events in the central city of Nagpur are part of a protest against the injustices of India's caste system.
By converting, Dalits - once known as Untouchables - can escape the prejudice and discrimination they normally face.
The ceremonies mark the 50th anniversary of the adoption of Buddhism by the scholar Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar.
He was the first prominent Dalit to urge low-caste Indians to embrace Buddhism.
As the chief architect of India's constitution, he wrote anti-discrimination provisions and quota systems into the country's law.
But four-fifths of India's Dalits live in often isolated rural areas, and traditional prejudice has persisted in spite of official laws.
'Cry for dignity'
The Dalits arrived by the truckload at a public park in Nagpur for ceremonies, which began with religious leaders giving fiery speeches against the treatment of lower castes.
Reuters reported that dozens of riot policemen had turned out at the sprawling park.
Udit Raj, a Dalit leader, told the BBC that around 2,500 people converted to Christianity and Buddhism.
DALIT FACTS 167m people, 16.2% of India's population Nearly 60% live in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu states The lowest rank in Hindu society, beneath the traditional caste system Expected to perform the most menial jobs, particularly handling cadavers and human and animal waste Physical contact with a Dalit was traditionally considered ritually polluting for other castes Even converts to Christianity and Islam have encountered discrimination from higher-caste converts
Joseph D'Souza, the president of the Dalit Freedom Network and a Christian convert, described the conversions as a "celebratory occasion".
"I think it's important to understand that this is a cry for human dignity, it's a cry for human worth," he told the BBC.
He said that Dalits could seek dignity by converting to Christianity, Jainism or Sikhism as well as Buddhism.
Buddhist convert Dhammachari Manidhamma told the BBC that social equality was impossible within Hinduism.
"Buddha's teaching was for the humanity, and Buddha believed in equality.
"And Hindu religion, Hindu teaching is nothing but inequality.
Laws against conversion
Similar mass conversions are taking place this month in many other parts of India.
Several states governed by the Hindu nationalist party, the BJP, have introduced laws to make such conversions more difficult.
Dalits in Nagpur converting to Christianity and Buddhism Hundreds of Dalits converted to Christianity and Buddhism
The states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have all passed laws restricting conversions.
Gujarat has reclassified Buddhism and Jainism as branches of the Hindu religion, in an attempt to prevent conversions away from Hinduism eroding the BJP's bedrock support.
Hinduism teaches that most humans were created from parts of the body of the divinity Purusha.
According to which body parts they were created from, humans fall into four basic castes which define their social standing, who they can marry, and what jobs they can do.
But Dalits fall outside this system and are traditionally prevented from doing all but the most menial jobs or even drinking from the same water sources as other castes.
Why not. What doe Hinduism have to offer untouchables?
Although Indian freepers will probably vehemently argue against it, strict Hinduism does seem to be racist because of the caste system. Therefore, Dalits should reject the racism directed at them by that religion.
However, they should not become Christian simply because Christianity does not have inset racism (if you go to the associated website, you will notice that they point out racism among Christian and Muslim converts. Surprising they didn't only put Christian).
This is a BBC report. There are other reports regarding conversion of the Dalits which are not nearly as cynical.
The BBC does tend to tilt slightly against Christianity, but the fact that a lot of Indian Christians are also Dalits is suspicious, and suggests that racism is a driving force for conversion to non-racist Christianity.
And in contrast to their tendency, the BBC has also posted some articles about Christian persecution in China and Sudan which are very respectful to the Christians in both those countries.
Like it or not, the caste issue is why a lot of Dalits converted to Islam during the Mughal era - they moved from untouchable to privileged.
Indeed. What do you think was it that caused so many people to convert to Christianity during Roman times?
Actually, if your religion tells you you're a worthless motherless nothing, I'd say it's an excellent time to go shopping.
Maybe the muslims will get tired of being treated like exploding beanbags and do some rethinking of their own.
I have a son in Iraq on his fourth deployment, and spends a lot of time working directly with Iraqis. I asked him what Iraq needs more than anything else. He thought for a long moment and then said "......a different religion."
That's what the muslims taught him.
So what? Racism is a driving force in prodding them to be open-minded. You can turn it around: The racists lavishing themselves at the top of the pyramid are quick to affirm their creed and loathe to leave it because the religion endorses and encourages their institutional racism.
A religion doesn't have a "right" to its adherents. Though that is a popular view among the Robo-Islamics.
The word for "caste" in most Indian languages is varna (from which we get the word "varnish."). It literally means "color."
Excellent point and one that I had in mind when I asked the question.
Hinduism, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism.....atre fine. Live and let live. Send missionaries if you want. Islam is the renegade religion that everyone must look out for because they don't believe in live and let live. They are always imperialistic
There is a difference between my question and your question, but the answers are more or less the same.
I might offer to the debate that Christianity offers several means of "salvation" to these people. To be honest, one of the things I enjoy when in the company of true Christians is their over humanity towards another individual or fellow Christian. You have many scenarios where this treatment isn't applicable, but when seeking fellowship with other Christians, it's typical.
It must be a great relief for the oppressed to rise and feel that they are not being treated as if they were part of the gutter any more. I think it's a great eye opener and simply one more aspect of the attractiveness to listening and learning about the teachings of Christ.
It could be suspicious but it could also be understandable. You're more likely to look around for an alternate religion when your current one makes it plain that you and your family are less attractive than a leprous dog, after all. Given the way Untouchables are treated, a high exodus rate to another religion is unsurprising. Good luck to them.
I think it is great that Dalits are converting to a religion where love and forgiveness is central to one's identity and life. Hindus will be converted by Christianity to stop the caste system or their religion will not surivive as people evolve. They will have no one to "caste" over in time.
Ever heard the term "FORCIBLE" conversions??It's very familiar with Islam.It explains the high prevalence of lower caste muslims in central & northern parts of India,which were the strongholds of the Mughals & various islamic chieftains .If conversion ever made these people privileged in any sense,India's muslims wouldn't be in the kind of state they are in now.
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