India (MNN)—Although less likely to face the legal effects of India’s anti-conversion laws, Christians in the country’s rural communities still feel the cultural impact of this legislation, according to Greg Musselman of Voice of the Martyrs, Canada.
“A lot of the time it’s in the rural areas where there are beatings, and there are burning down churches, pastors arrested, sexual assaults, things like that, against the Christians,” says Musselman. “Say ‘that’s not the government doing that,’ but it’s fueling this animosity against Christians.”
Supporters of the anti-conversion laws claim they protection religious freedom by preventing conversion through deceit or coercion. However, in practice, they have been used to unjustly arrest religious leaders and have fueled persecution against Christ.
Twelve of India’s 28 states, most recently Rajasthan, currently enforce anti-conversion laws. After Rajasthan’s legislation was introduced, the state saw a spike in persecution.
“Much of that persecution are these people that have come from these tribal or, the government would say, Hindu religions, and they converted to become followers of Christ—and then there’s that pressure from their families and then also from the community,” says Musselman.
When rural pastors were asked how the anti-conversion laws are affecting them, Musselman says they responded, “We know it’s out there, and there are some aspects of it that are affecting us, but it’s mainly the community and family members that are upset they left Hinduism to embrace Christ.”
He notes that Muslims also face challenges under the anti-conversion laws, “but it’s primarily the Christians because of Jesus’ command to go to all the nations and bring people to Christ, and so that puts Christians at odds with the Hindu culture.”
In spite of all this, Musselman says he continues to see God at work in India and many coming to know Jesus, especially in the rural areas.
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