Why  fear a debate on conversions?

The Prime Minister’s call to have a national debate on conversions needs to be welcomed by all well–meaning people, as indeed Bishop Alan de Lastic, the Roman Catholic Archbishop in Delhi and many others have done. Debate is the democratic alternative to the use of violence, which, most regrettably, appears to be the method of choice for some people.

To pave the way for a meaningful debate on this sensitive issue, it is necessary to condemn the violence that has been unleashed in this regard, and to punish its perpetrators in a transparent fashion. It is in this respect that there is widespread cynicism. Those who destroyed the Ayodhya mosque, for example, are yet to be punished. Unless crimes committed in the name of politics and religion are punished according to the law of the land, a climate for debate cannot be created.

In recent times, most of the main–line Churches have come out in the open against  conversions by force or inducement. Yet they react negatively to the idea of passing a bill to this effect. This could be due to two reasons. Firstly, religious leaders themselves are under considerable communal pressure from within their own folds. Secondly, legislation that appears to narrow down the scope of religious freedom aggravates anxieties, even among those who do not intend to practice conversions. Here again the need to build trust in lieu of the present model of distrust and intimidation is strikingly evident.

Conversions in which any mercenary motive is at work (either on the part of the one who converts or on the part of the one converted) are an affront to human dignity and a blot on the religion in whose name it is practised. But the real issue is not conversion. Conversion is not such a casual matter — people just crossing over, selling themselves cheap. Conversion is quite a difficult and unnatural matter; and very powerful compulsions are at work in this sphere. The coercion and inducement alleged in the context of conversions, are exerted not only by Christian missionaries, but also by the abominable and oppressive caste system that treats millions of human beings worse than animals. I am not surprised if people who have put up with poverty and caste oppression for centuries, and see no future for themselves in the Hindu fold, are tempted to look for a new beginning elsewhere.

Yet, for that very reason I am indignant at conversions. The lower castes who flee from their traditional spiritual homes to escape the demon of caste oppression find themselves plagued by the same in other faiths too. This amounts to deceit; luring people with false promises that are not meant to be kept. Both for Hindus and for Christians the foremost priority should be not conversions, but ridding themselves of the leprosy of caste alienations.

Hindu society condemns itself by its habitual apathy to human suffering. We could do a lot better with a little more indignation. Remember the passion with which the Mandal Commission recommendations were fought? If only a similar vehemence is brought to bear on the poverty, exploitation and oppression that are endemic to our society, the very rationale for conversion could be rooted out. Resorting to violence, instead, is a cheap and dishonest alternative that could hurt the nation as a whole, in addition to those who naively expect to gain from it. The age of Crusades and Inquisitions is over.  Individual freedom is the key to the modern outlook. Our society is undergoing radical changes. Something new is being born. We need spiritual dynamism and moral passion to shape this sublime ferment into something beautiful and profound. The days of street violence as well as of buying and selling people in the name of religion are gone.  The sooner we realize it, the better.