The Soul Harvest Menace in Punjab

There is a craze among Sikh youth to opt for better living, and they yearn for visas to go to the US, UK or Canada. By dangling inducements like arranging visas, the evangelists are perhaps luring some youth to convert.

 

Punjab is in dire straits. It is shameful that a prosperous state has become a mere junkyard for controversies. Whether it is the rise in sacrilege attempts, the Khalistani movement, mob lynching, or the very recent and appalling incident of the Prime Minister's security breach. This showcase for granted – the attitude of the current administration of Punjab.

Christian missionaries' activities in the state have become a new sore point for Punjab. The clutches of these religious syndicates have alarmingly penetrated deep into society. They have left no stone unturned to succeed in converting the demography of the border state.

The Influence of Christianity in Punjab:

Christianity entered Punjab in 1834. John Lowrie and William Reed were the first missionaries to spread the word of Jesus Christ in the region.

Christianity is growing in Punjab, mirroring what states like Tamil Nadu experienced in the 1980s and 1990s. Small churches are springing up on the rooftops of many villages in Gurdaspur.

Kanwal Bakshi is the state president of the United Christian Front (UFC), a group that has committees in 8,000 of Punjab's 12,000 villages. According to him, 600-700 churches in Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts belong to four Christian denominations. He says 60-70 per cent of these have sprung up in the past five years.

In the Census of 2011, Punjab had 3,48, 230 Christians. According to some estimates, it would not be surprising if the Census finds Christians in Punjab to come to have formed 10 per cent of the state's population.

Why Punjab?

Access to good education is one of the major reasons people embrace Christianity with open arms. The staff of St Francis Convent School, Fatehgarh Churian, informed that the organisation spends Rs. 90 lakh per year on providing children with free or subsidised education. Out of the school's 3,500 pupils, 400 pay almost nothing. The buses get students to the school from five-six villages within a 20-kilometre radius of Fatehgarh Churian free of cost.

There is a craze among Sikh youth to opt for better living, and they yearn for visas to go to the US, UK or Canada. By dangling inducements like arranging visas, the evangelists are perhaps luring some youth to convert.

Roman Catholics have opened five-six schools in Amritsar and Tarn Taran districts and 40 after-school classes attended by 880 children.

Awan, a border village, is the largest in the Ajnala assembly constituency in Amritsar district, with a population of 10,000. It's home to four churches of different denominations — Roman Catholic and Protestant denominations, including Pentecostals and the Salvation Army.

The Propagandas and Ulterior Motives:

Here are some of the ludicrous activities these religious organisations undertake for propagating their agenda and deceive the mindsets of the people:

The missionaries often publish false information about the person's native faith to make them believe that Christianity has more to offer.
The churches are constructed in the shape of temples and gurdwaras. Jesus Christ is referred to as 'Satguru' in Punjab.

Conversions under the garb of Changai sabhas are organised (supposedly curing ailing through recital prayer recited by a pastor), and there have been reports that missionaries go to the extent of wearing saffron robes, making statues of Jesus doing Yoga.

Christian Hymns are being sung in the form of the "Kirtan" (musical recitation of the Holy Guru Granth Sahib). There is now a body named Shiromani Church Parbhandak Committee to organise the Christian community in Punjab.

What do the Missionaries say in their defence?

The Missionaries said that almost a third of Punjab's 28 million residents are ST & SC, one of the highest scheduled caste percentages in the country. Yet cultural, religious, political and social life remains dominated by the dominant Jatt castes. This contradiction has given rise to new-age religious movements that span all major religions, including Christianity.

"Unlike other ministries, we do not have illiterate or superstitious followers," said Kamal TK of Jesus Calls. He said pastors of rival churches deliberately perpetuate the notion of witchcraft to then make money by claiming to fight it. "They support the superstition with biblical passages to generate belief amongst their poor and illiterate followers. This is against Christianity and should be dealt strongly by law."

Missionaries subtly accuse the Hindu dharma, "They say we allure people with money, when all people look for in the Church is equality. It's the limitations of other religions, like the propagation of untouchability that they don't want to address."

The Political Angle:

"In Punjab, there are around 900,000 Christian voters and the largest chunk, 17 per cent, reside in Gurdaspur district. Here, their number is over 150,000. After Gurdaspur, maximum Christian voters are in Amritsar, Ferozepur and Ludhiana districts," said Kanwal Bakshi of the UCF.

Sonu Jaffer, an AAP leader and president of the Christian Samaj Front, which has 1 lakh members in Punjab, says, "If any Christian ever gets a ticket, it's only from Gurdaspur. This time, I'm demanding a ticket from Ajnala constituency in Amritsar district. There are about 43,000 Christian voters here."

There have been instances where Punjab CM Charanjit Channi and his kin have also been associated with Christianity several times, not explicitly, though.

The Editor-in-Chief of Sudarshan TV tweeted a picture of Charanjit Channi's wife, with a Christian cross hanging on the wall behind her. Video of Charanjit Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu addressing a group of Christians while shouting "Hallelujah Hallelujah" was circulated.

On November 24, 2021, an invitation of "Prophet Bajinder Singh Ministries" started to make rounds on social media platforms. The organisation started its branch in Moga on November 25. Chief Guests, the invitation card mentioned were Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Congress MLA Harjot Kamal, actor Sonu Sood and his sister Malvika Sood.

Efforts made by Sikh Community:

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has launched a special drive to counter alleged mass conversions of Sikhs to Christianity in Punjab. Named "Ghar Ghar Andar Dharamsaal (sacred shrine within every home)", the SGPC campaign is adopting means used by Christian preachers and other traditional methods to spread Sikh literature and teachings across villages in the state.
"The campaign will not only bring firmness among Sikhs toward their faith but also make the young generation take pride in their history and culture," said SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur.

Under the campaign, 150 teams comprising seven preachers each have been dispatched to villages. In the evening, they gather children at the local gurdwara to teach them the correct recitation of Gurbani (hymn) and create awareness of Sikh history, culture and philosophy. Thereafter, diwan (religious congregation) is staged by the preachers, dhadis (ballad singers) and kavishars (folk singers) to sensitise the community members about their faith and values.

The failure of the Sikh leaders, stalwarts, and organisations to properly address the issue gave the missionaries ample time to spread their wings. The lack of action and no concrete outputs to curb the forceful conversions has exacerbated the situation in Punjab.