The Persecution & Prayer Alert The Voice of the Martyrs, Canada October 10, 2000 Re: Persecution and Progress in India The Voice of the Martyrs continues to receive reports of persecution of Christians in India by radical Hindus. The India Express reported in October 9, 2000 that four Christian prayer houses were attacked during the previous week. Two were vandalized in Sindhipankala on October 3rd, while another was set on fire in Lankargarh during the same evening. The next night, another prayer house was set ablaze in Ramgiri. No arrests have yet been made. On Saturday, while speaking at a rally in Nagpur, K.S. Sudarsan, leader of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of India's ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accused foreign missionaries of "wreaking havoc with the unity and integrity of the country" and of "hatching a political conspiracy to destabilize the country." He called on Indian churches to disassociate themselves from what he called "foreign churches" and to establish a national church such as exists in China. Indian Christian leaders responded to his comments by asserting that an officially sanctioned church would violate India's secular constitution that guarantees freedom of religion. Despite the attacks and pressures put on the Indian church over the last two years, the gospel continues to spread and many are coming to Christ. Please remember to pray for the Indian church during these days. Pray for continued religious freedom in India. Pray, too, that the government and civil authorities would fulfill their legal responsibilities to protect the rights of India's Christian population. Jan Ross jross@... http://focusontheword.com ICQ#18767082 "Sha'alu Shalom Yerushalayim" (Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem) Psalm 122:6 ~*~*~*~*~*~* Focus On the Word Banner Exchange--Sign Up Today and Receive 2,500 Free Credits http://focusontheword.com/banex