Villagers furious with Christian Missionaries (no jesus, no food)

[donsu]

http://in.news.yahoo.com/050116/139/2j1rp.html

Rage and fury has gripped this tsunami-hit tiny Hindu village in India's southern Tamil Nadu after a group of Christian missionaries allegedly refused them aid for not agreeing to follow their religion.

Samanthapettai, near the temple town of Madurai, faced near devastation on the December 26 when massive tidal waves wiped it clean of homes and lives.

Most of the 200 people here are homeless or displaced , battling to rebuild lives and locating lost family members besides facing risks of epidemic,disease and trauma.

Jubilant at seeing the relief trucks loaded with food, clothes and the much-needed medicines the villagers, many of who have not had a square meal in days, were shocked when the nuns asked them to convert before distributing biscuits and water.

Heated arguments broke out as the locals forcibly tried to stop the relief trucks from leaving. The missionaries, who rushed into their cars on seeing television reporters and the cameras refusing to comment on the incident and managed to leave the village.

Disappointed and shocked into disbelief the hapless villagers still await aid.

"Many NGOs (volunteer groups) are extending help to us but there in our village the NGO, which was till now helping us is now asking us to follow the Christian religion. We are staunch followers of Hindu religion and refused their request. And after that these people with their aid materials are leaving the village without distributing that to us," Rajni Kumar, a villager said.

The incident is an exception to concerted charity in a catastrophe that has left no one untouched.(ANI)
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wish we could find out the names of the cruel missionaries

[varun]

1. No wonder there's anti-missionary hatred...

...in some parts of India.

The missionaries have noble thoughts when helping the poor and needy, but it should not be contingent upon conversion.

[Warpy]

6. Telling anybody their religion is shit is a terrible thing to do

even under the best circumstances. They're always likely to resent it.

I wish it were posssible to throw those hypocrites into prison where they could read the story of the Samaritan over and over until they got the point.

My own family were forcibly converted by such scum.

No wonder it didn't take.

[CatholicEdHead]

2. Were they born agains?

The article does not mention what sect they are from. I am leaning against Catholic charities.

[joefree1]

3. "Nuns"

Most likely this was a mission by the Catholic Church. However Indians are quite fed up with the subterfuge practiced by many evangelical groups that attempt to convert Hindus. Missionaries and Evangelicals must now have a special visa to enter India and are kept under a very tight leash.

[jdj]

4. eviljailankills are using this as an opportunity for conversion

then they go and accuse pro-choice people of taking advantage of people at their most vulnerable.

[Hugin]

5. I figured this was going on... n/t

[ott]

7. Exactly why we need to pump more funds into faith based initiatives

:eyes:

[OneBlueSky]

8. that's about the most un-Christian thing these people could do . . .

Jesus, were he around today, would not be pleased . . . not one little bit . . .