Many Hindus believe that conversion to Christianity is an attack on their culture and way of life, and an imminent threat to both, despite the fact that Christianity has been a presence in India since the days of St. Thomas the Apostle. Instances such as the one described below are the result.
For previous ChristianPersecution.com coverage of the persecution of Christians in India, see here.
“Widow Threatened by In-Laws for Converting to Christianity,” International Christian Concern, September 2, 2021:
09/02/2021 India (International Christian Concern) –Bire Madakami’s husband, Lt. Padia Madakami, died in 2016, leaving her struggling to care for their four children in the village of Bejangwada, India.
Three years later, in 2019, Bire heard a sermon and accepted Jesus Christ as her personal savior. She became a regular member of the Church of Bejangwada, grew in her faith and became spiritually stronger each day. In February 2020, Bire was baptized. Her and her children felt peace and confidence knowing that Jesus was with them in their struggles.
However, on July 28th, 2021, Bire’s in-laws went to her house and demanded that she revert to Hinduism. They told her that if she continued to attend church, she wouldn’t receive her son’s share of government benefits.
Bire relayed the conversation to ICC. In response to her in-laws, she said, “Five years ago, when your son passed away you didn’t care to inquire about my problems, or see how I was running my family.
Now that I became a strong Christian and I have so many brothers and sisters to care (about me), now you ask me to stop going to church and return to Hinduism? Neither will I stop going to church, nor will I become a Hindu again.”
To this, her father in-law said, “If you don’t come back to Hinduism, you and your four children have to leave the part of land which is my son’s, and leave this house.”
He then forcefully took away Bire’s BPL card, a means of government support for those who are poor.
“You may isolate me, but I won’t forsake Jesus Christ and return to Hinduism,” said Bire….
