This ad will not display on your printed page.
News & Reporting
Update (Aug. 5): World Watch Monitor (WWM) reports that Christians in Madhya Pradesh still are waiting to hear whether or not the government will accept their amendments to the state's new 'anti-conversion law', the signing of which has been placed on hold.
According to WWM, the bill needs to be ratified by governor Ramnaresh Yadav, a member of the ruling, hardline-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). However, "local sources told World Watch Monitor that proceedings were halted on July 11, while the opposition prepared a no-confidence motion against the present BJP government."
-----
Converting to Christianity? Don't forget to ask your local government officials for permission first—at least one month in advance.
That is, if you live in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh state, which has passed legislation sending converts to Christianity—and their pastors—to prison for failing to obtain such permission before conversions.
The bill requires the governor's signature before becoming law. Existing law in Madhya Pradesh requires those who convert to notify government officials after conversion; the new legislation not only requires prior permission but also obligates religious leaders to report the conversions, and it increases prison terms from one to three years for clergy and converts who fail to do so.
With India already on a "watch list" of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, India's Christians were aghast at the bill's level of interference in private personal belief.
"These laws are political gimmicks used to polarize voters along religious lines – it is common knowledge that these laws have already been misused to terrorize the minority Christian community across the country," said Tehmina Arora, an attorney for Alliance Defending Freedom India.
The bill is an amendment to Madhya Pradesh's existing "anti-conversion" law of 1968. Ironically ...
You have reached the end of this Article Preview
© 2020 Christianity Today