Seminaries Full in Southern India (despite new anti-conversion law)

Zenit News Agency ^ | April 11, 2006

[NYer]

KOENIGSTEIN, Germany, APRIL 11, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Vocations in India seem to be booming as increasing numbers of young men stepping forward to prepare for the priesthood.

In a recent interview with the international charity Aid to the Church in Need, Father Ignatius Prasad, rector of the Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Chennai (formerly Madras), gave this optimistic assessment of the Church.

The priest explained that his seminary now has 286 students and that -- due to a lack of space -- he had to turn away 23 candidates, who have been forced to continue their training elsewhere.

The seminary is one of four in southern India with a combined total of almost 800 students from 28 dioceses. More than 60 of them are due to be ordained to the priesthood next month.

In Chennai, there were now more than 30 students in each year-group in the seminary's theology section, double the number in the late 1980s, Father Prasad said.

"Vocations are going up; this has been the case for the last five years or so," the rector said. "We find it difficult to admit all the applicants and set a tight deadline for them to get their papers in on time."

Father Prasad revealed that there was growing "political pressure" to limit the growth of the Church with a new anti-conversion law introduced in the state of Tamil Nadu: Preaching in public is forbidden and would-be converts to Christianity now face a barrage of paperwork thrust upon them by government officials.

Retreats, sodalities

The seminary rector said that people were turning to the Church in protest against the new regulations.

"The more pressure they put on people, the more they feel like proclaiming their faith," he said.

The priest went on to explain that lively youth programs were drawing people to the faith and encouraging men to discern a possible vocation to the priesthood. Retreats, sodalities and altar serving had all helped to boost the number of seminarians.

He also praised the work of Aid to the Church in Need, describing how the charity had supported key training for seminary staff, Mass intentions, library books and a generator.

"What we feel is so important," Father Prasad added, "is to help the students to realize what they are learning about is not so much an academic subject but a mystery, something that is very personal and with a strong human dimension to it."

[Calabash]

Hogwash.

An apt summry of all you have said here.

[dangus]

In America, the judges are the least objective and most corrupt branch of government, so your proposal for "government" to butt out and let the judges handle it sounds strange. While your comments are not news to me, I think they are very well expressed and a good reminder and important for this subject. And thank you for providing a cool-tempered take on things.

[Calabash]

Gee, you can quote from the internet.

Try reading here:

http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/Zero.html

And here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Hindu-Arabic_numeral_system

[sniper22]

mindfever : "All religion and no development is not acceptable by the Indian people, and they demonstrated that by electing a party led by an Italian Roman Catholic Woman."

I dont agree with you that BJP did not do much for development. Infact it was during the 6 year tenure of BJP that the Indian economy started to grow at an 7-8% per year.That was also the period of great prorgess made at information technology (outsuorcing , software exports) and telecom in India - which were non-existant before BJP came to power , and now worth many hundred billion dollars.

[Calabash]

I dont agree with you that BJP did not do much for development. Infact it was during the 6 year tenure of BJP that the Indian economy started to grow at an 7-8% per year.That was also the period of great prorgess made at information technology (outsuorcing , software exports) and telecom in India - which were non-existant before BJP came to power , and now worth many hundred billion dollars.

So BJP policies invented the Internet to allow all this to occur? Or maybe it would have happened no matter who was in charge?

[CarrotAndStick]

Read it yourself again. Especially the latter part of the first link.

[mindfever]

In America, the judges are the least objective and most corrupt branch of government, so your proposal for "government" to butt out and let the judges handle it sounds strange.

As a 2004 freeper, I'm only too aware of that problem. I think ironically the magnitude of judicial activism in society seems to be a function of the maturity of its welfare-processes. That way maybe India can use America's experience to leap-frog/avoid that stage. To clarify, my statement was meant to emphasize ANY autonomous NON-STATE actor, not specifically the judiciary.

And thank you for providing a cool-tempered take on things.

Thank you for listening :)

@sniper22: Regardless of election-time hype, I think its an established fact that these reforms were initiated as a complete u-turn in Indian economic policy by none other than the current Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh. And regardless of whichever of the two major political parties had come to power, they would have merely accelerated those same policies.

[NYer]

Thank you .... but where are any commandments on how to treat your fellow man? These sound more like recommendations. (Again ... no offense ... just an observation).

[Upbeat]

My apologies for the multiple posting. I'm still only semi-literate on the internet. I don't have any personal knowledge of the widow. The only info that I have is from the MSM and Christian publications. I do believe that she has forgiven her husband's and sons' murderers. It's very comforting to know that in Hindu cultures they only murder the priests, pastors and other Christian leaders; whereas in the Moslem cultures their objective is to kill them all. Blessings-Don

[CarrotAndStick]

Bhagavad-Gita
Chapter 12

Arjuna:
Lord! of the men who serve Thee--true in heart--
As God revealed; and of the men who serve,
Worshipping Thee Unrevealed, Unbodied, Far,
Which take the better way of faith and life?

Krishna:
Whoever serve Me--as I show Myself--
Constantly true, in full devotion fixed,
Those hold I very holy. But who serve--
Worshipping Me The One, The Invisible,
The Unrevealed, Unnamed, Unthinkable,
Uttermost, All-pervading, Highest, Sure--
Who thus adore Me, mastering their sense,
Of one set mind to all, glad in all good,
These blessed souls come unto Me.

Yet, hard
The travail is for such as bend their minds
To reach th' Unmanifest That viewless path
Shall scarce be trod by man bearing the flesh!
But whereso any doeth all his deeds
Renouncing self for Me, full of Me, fixed
To serve only the Highest, night and day
Musing on Me--him will I swiftly lift
Forth from life's ocean of distress and death,
Whose soul clings fast to Me. Cling thou to Me!
Clasp Me with heart and mind! so shalt thou dwell
Surely with Me on high. But if thy thought
Droops from such height; if thou be'st weak to set
Body and soul upon Me constantly,
Despair not! give Me lower service! seek
To reach Me, worshipping with steadfast will;
And, if thou canst not worship steadfastly,
Work for Me, toil in works pleasing to Me!
For he that laboureth right for love of Me
Shall finally attain! But, if in this
Thy faint heart fails, bring Me thy failure! find
Refuge in Me! let fruits of labour go,
Renouncing hope for Me, with lowliest heart,
So shalt thou come; for, though to know is more
Than diligence, yet worship better is
Than knowing, and renouncing better still.
Near to renunciation--very near--
Dwelleth Eternal Peace!

Who hateth nought
Of all which lives, living himself benign,
Compassionate, from arrogance exempt,
Exempt from love of self, unchangeable
By good or ill; patient, contented, firm
In faith, mastering himself, true to his word,
Seeking Me, heart and soul; vowed unto Me,--
That man I love! Who troubleth not his kind,
And is not troubled by them; clear of wrath,
Living too high for gladness, grief, or fear,
That man I love! Who, dwelling quiet-eyed,
Stainless, serene, well-balanced, unperplexed,
Working with Me, yet from all works detached,
That man I love! Who, fixed in faith on Me,
Dotes upon none, scorns none; rejoices not,
And grieves not, letting good or evil hap
Light when it will, and when it will depart,
That man I love! Who, unto friend and foe
Keeping an equal heart, with equal mind
Bears shame and glory; with an equal peace
Takes heat and cold, pleasure and pain; abides
Quit of desires, hears praise or calumny
In passionless restraint, unmoved by each;
Linked by no ties to earth, steadfast in Me,
That man I love! But most of all I love
Those happy ones to whom 'tis life to live
In single fervid faith and love unseeing,
Drinking the blessed Amrit of my Being!

HERE ENDETH CHAPTER XII. OF THE BHAGAVAD-GITA

[Antoninus]

It seems you are a frustrated loser.Stop blaming the country or outside forces for your personal problems. Perhaps had you studied harder in your youth or picked up the requisite skills , you wouldn't be ranting this way on anonymous internet message boards about being discriminated against by nations , systems , corporations etc.

You're arrogant attitude is not helping your cause, pal.

Christians have always put their Faith before their nation. That's what the Romans hated so much about them. They tried to stamp out the sect of the Nazarene, too, just like the extremists in India are doing. 2000 years later, Christians are still around and flourishing. The Roman pagans and their deified emperors are long gone.

[Antoninus]

How would you feel if a black or a muslim American tells you how much he hates America and cannot get a job there because of his color/faith ?

Hey boss, Blacks do have trouble (sometimes) getting jobs because of their skin color--even today--in America. As for muslims, there aren't enough of them here for it to be an issue--and most of them who are tend to be well-educated and on work visas.

Nothing in SOLDIEROFCHRIST's posts struck me as hatred of India. On the contrary, you have come off sounding like a rabid anti-Catholic freak. Nice going.

[dangus]

Among Muslims, unfortunately, I think support for terrorists is very high; and the religion actively promotes terror as a means of propagating itself. "Hindiism" is in fact a blend, or even a tossed salad, of many religions and religious traditions with sharp contradictions to each other. Some sects are a little scary (The cult of Kali has been the antagonist in movies both real and fantastic.) But as a whole, I must emphasize that Hindi are not people who promote or tolerate religious violence. I am sure that many Hindi were shocked by the horrible crime, and angry, especially at the destruction of human life, but the profanation of the Hindu religion.

[sniper22]

Upbeat : "I do believe that she has forgiven her husband's and sons' murderers. It's very comforting to know that in Hindu cultures they only murder the priests, pastors and other Christian leaders; whereas in the Moslem cultures their objective is to kill them all."

The Indian courts have sentenced the murderer to death. As a hindu , I am deeply offended by your statement : "It's very comforting to know that in Hindu cultures they only murder the priests, pastors and other Christian leaders".........that shows your prejudice and ignorance. India is a country of 1.1 billion people.

How many christian missionaries have been killed in India over the last 50 years ? 1 million ? 10 million ? Nope. 10 at best. Just ten. 10 christian priests killed over the last 50 years. How many such murders have you heard of ? One. And yet you think it reflects a tendency in hindu culture 'to murder priests , pastors and christian leader'.

Every day 5-10 rapes take place in US. Would you then say that christian culture condones rape of women ?

[sniper22]

"Christians have always put their Faith before their nation. That's what the Romans hated so much about them. They tried to stamp out the sect of the Nazarene, too, just like the extremists in India are doing"

Christians are not a monolith. There are all sorts of christians - segregated by various factors - sect , class , geographic , economic , ethinic etc. There is not much in common between them.

Also , christians only constitute 2.5% of India's population. Same as they did for the last 100 years. If there were extremnists in India wanting to wipe out christians , they could have done so without as much as breaking a sweat long time ago.

Indian christians enjoy full freedom to follow their faith in India and are are as Indian as any hindu or sikh.

If you are sincere about helping out your fellow christians , you should looking towards China and Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan where christians are truly persecuted against , murdered , incarcerated and tortured as per state policy.

[sniper22]

This has degenerated into a hindu vs christian debate and the poverty in India is attributed to hinduism while prosperity in US is attributed to christianity.

However...christianity does not only prosper in USA. Christianity also prospers in Africa and the Latin America , arguably worse off than India and without much of a future . Countries like Rwanda ,Ghana,Cameroon, Ivory Coast , Angola - are all majority christian and very passionate about their belief in Jesus Christ. Fat lot of good it seems to have done for them.

Atleast India has a future. Its economy has grown rapidly over the last 10-15 years , poverty decreased drastically , new industries have come up , millions of jobs created...
Atleast India shows potential. Ask yourself. There are lot of complains about information technology related jobs being lost to India. When did you last hear of a job being lost to Africa ? Or Latin America ?

So as a hindu , I am not convinced about the rewards of accepting the dude Jesus as my saviour or whatever.You know - I dont wanna end up like those Africans. That would be a real set back for me after all the progress I have made , to be honest.....

[The Lion Roars]

Hindus (different from hindi which is a language in india) are not fascists and will have no problem worshipping anywhere including in churches. But the so called missionaries are not guilt less either. first of all they break indian laws by targetting the poor and the needy for conversion by offering them monetary benefits. somehow jesus for a rupee is hardly my version of christianity.

India is a remarkably tolerant society. Why else would they have a sikh and a muslim as the head of their country.
But if our missionaries go and start attacking hinduism it wont go down well even with pacifist people. Imagine a hindu monk preaching in interior mississippi and mocking christianity as devil worship.

There have been well documented incidents of christians massacring hindus in india!! (i think these are along areas bordering china. not sure) Many areas in india that have a christian majority prohibit hindus from worshipping. Try that in a slammie country and the christians will be massacred down to the last child.

And finally about the poster. This guy sports a portugese flag and is a regular hindu baiter on this forum. According to him - a law graduate like himself cant get a job and this must be solely the fault of corporate india dominated by the hindus. Replace hindus with jews and you are staring at nazi germany talk.

[dangus]

>> Hindus (different from hindi which is a language in india) are not fascists and will have no problem worshipping anywhere including in churches. But the so called missionaries are not guilt less either. first of all they break indian laws by targetting the poor

>>the so called missionaries are not guilt less either... the poor and the needy for conversion by offering them monetary benefits. somehow jesus for a rupee is hardly my version of christianity. <<

Oh, brother! So the missionaries are supposed to ignore the suffering of the people they're surrounded by? Oh, my, he fed a poor person, let's go bash his skull in!

>> first of all they break indian laws <<

and the first Christians broke Roman laws. And the Jew-protecters broke Nazi laws. And the underground churches broke Soviet and Maoist laws.

[The Lion Roars]

poverty in India is attributed to hinduism while prosperity in US is attributed to christianity.

the hindus are the most prosperous group in the US. the jews and the japanese are probably second and third. let people what they want and feel happy in their trailer homes.

[MILESJESU]

Dear Dangus,

I just cannot understand something here. I am not the Poster on this Thread. Cannot "The Lion Roars" read who is the Poster ?

Does that even remotely look like my Freeper Name. Why am I being constantly accused of being the Poster when I never posted this thread at all.

The Lion roars constantly accuses me of being a regular hindu baiter on this forum. I want to see the proof which indicate that I am a hindu- baiter or anti- hindu.

I do not like statements being made in the air just because they resent the fact that I have the Portuguese Flag on my Home Page. In addition, to what I have said about Corporate India is the simple truth.

There are dozens of Christian Professionals who have experienced discrimination in the Corporate World in various parts of India for a number of years and have later decided to migrate to countries in the West.

This has been going on for a number of years. Why are these Guys in denial ? This is all I have to say.

Imagine calling me a Hindu Baiter. Just because they resent the Portuguese Flag. All I have to say is show me the proof that I am a Hindu Baiter.

That is all I am going to say for a long time to come.

Peace