Every now and then we find in India several NGOs involving in conversion activities, openly and dubious. Recently a controversy had triggered in Delhi after a Christian organisation-which that claims on its website that religious conversion as its agenda- had scheduled an event at Delhi’s Talkatora Stadium on August 25-26.
The controversy escalated after it was reported that the chief guest of the conversion program was Delhi deputy Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia. The protest against this event was led by several including former Minister in Arvind Kejriwal’s cabinet, Mr. Kapil Mishra who said “The event is being organised to encourage religious conversion and religious superstition. The website of the organisers, Family of Lord Jesus Church, itself declares that its objective is to ‘harvest one million souls every year’ and the objective of this event is the same. It is illegal to give permission for organising such an event in the stadium”.
But what is hilarious is when these institutions are busy converting people in India, a survey has revealed that “About 13 percent of American adults are former Catholics – representing more departures than any other religion has experienced in the U.S”.
When asked on why have you quit Christianity, Oakdale, the 62-year-old New York resident Aria Dapree said “It never connected with me. My mother actually taught religion in the house when I was young. It was weird stories. Jonah (and the whale), the Ark, all kinds of weird fantasy stories”. She also revealed that the biggest reason she left the church, particularly Catholic opposition to homosexuality and the whole spectrum of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Another man named Dennis M. Doyle said “The secular world kind of grinds down the nature of religiousness and then with the culture wars a lot of outward manifestations of religion seem to appear more extreme”. He added “These have been very difficult issues for centuries in the Catholic Church” and also said “I don’t think we (as Catholics) need to flip over and say, “Everything goes and let’s reopen the bath houses for everybody,” but I don’t think it’s as easy as “what we always thought is true”“.
