Indian Supreme Court on forced religious conversion

Aupmanyav

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Taking a serious note of such proselytization through deception, allurement, and intimidation, the Court opined that if such religious conversions are not stopped, they may pose a danger to the national security and the fundamental right of the citizens to freedom of religion and conscience.

The Bench instructed the Union government to make its stand clear and file a counter on what steps can be taken by Union and/or others to curb such forced conversion by force, allurement, or fraudulent means. The Court observed in this connection that there may be freedom of religion, but there cannot be freedom of religion by forced conversion.

One of India’s essential rights is the right to practice one’s religion freely. India is a secular nation and each Indian Citizen is thus free to practice and spread his faith peacefully. This indicates that changing one’s religion due to personal conviction, marriage, or divorce is acceptable in India so long as the decision is made voluntarily and without the use of pressure or force.

It is also worthwhile to note here that, in a case, Rev Stanislaus vs Madhya Pradesh, 1977 SCR (2) 611, the Supreme Court of India had considered the issue whether the fundamental right to practice and propagate religion includes the right to convert.

The Apex Court had then held that the right to propagate does not include the right to convert, and therefore had upheld the constitutional validity of the laws enacted by Madhya Pradesh and Odisha legislatures prohibiting conversion by force, fraud, or allurement.
 
Forced conversions? By whom?

Is not raising a child in any religion a forced conversion? Indoctrination at birth sure isn't by choice!

But who is forcing per this and how? By employers? Communities?
 
Is not raising a child in any religion a forced conversion? Indoctrination at birth sure isn't by choice!
One man's meat is another man's poison.
Every action is judged by its intention.
"indoctrination" as a word, has negative connotations.

I doubt most parents have bad intention.
 
Forced conversions? By whom?
But who is forcing per this and how? By employers? Communities?
Community, when they are in sizable number. Also inducements, threats, ridicule, with-holding facilities if some one does not convert. Lots of things happen in back-waters.
And when controversial, we leave it to judiciary and Supreme Court. Any one can approach them and we go by their decision.

 
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Of course, the intention of most parents is not bad, but results also are important. Myths are not always truths, claims are not always facts. When that is done, problems arise.
 
A standard as to what is Proselytizing was set to guide people in the Baha'i Faith.

"Proselytizing implies bringing undue pressure to bear upon someone to change his Faith. It is also usually understood to imply the making of threats or the offering of material benefits as an inducement to conversion."

This was important in India as things like mission schools or hospitals, for all the good they do, are regarded with suspicion and even aversion by the local authorities because they are considered to be material inducements to conversion and hence instruments of proselytization.

So Baha'i does not take that path and Baha'u'llah has given laws against forced conversion.

People do have to make their own choices.

Regards Tony
 
You mean Bahais do not have education, medical and social service organizations in India? That is where proselytization takes place.
Actually India does not need them. No need to allow NGOs to operate in India. We have refused foreign aid since some decades. Many NGOs contravene Foreign Exchange rules. National and State governments should do it and are doing it. NGOs are only a facade to religious conversion.
IMHO, religious conversion is to step back in ignorance, from a well to a ditch. It benefits none.
 
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Who makes the pamphlets, maintains the web pages, publishes the books? Men or messengers?
Are messengers not men?
Well, as Bahais say, they are wholly human but with reflected divinity - morror images.
All other messengers just talked but the latest three, James Smith, Bahaollah and Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, talked as well as wrote copiously.
 
India is a secular nation and each Indian Citizen is thus free to practice and spread his faith peacefully.
I agree with peaceful dialogues, the difference between a true faith and a false faith is dialogue. Evidence and reason speaks for itself. Christianity to me is effortless because we do not harm as taught in scripture, yet we suffer the most hate from other people. The world cannot agree with what it cannot understand.
 
I agree with peaceful dialogues, the difference between a true faith and a false faith is dialogue. Evidence and reason speaks for itself. Christianity to me is effortless because we do not harm as taught in scripture, yet we suffer the most hate from other people. The world cannot agree with what it cannot understand.
Good to meet you. That post will cause some comebacks.

Christians are not alone in wanting peace and fair dealings in life for all, and are also not alone in facing hate as a result. So it is good to acknowledge all that work for Love, Peace and Justice.

Regards Tony
 
I agree with peaceful dialogues, the difference between a true faith and a false faith is dialogue. Evidence and reason speaks for itself. Christianity to me is effortless because we do not harm as taught in scripture, yet we suffer the most hate from other people. The world cannot agree with what it cannot understand.
We understand Christianity very well. It is playing a number game in India with the help of foreign money ignoring the Indian law. And it is deriding polytheism on internet and in places where it is active though it has no evidence for its One God or Jesus being his son. While the west is realizing its fallacies and moving away from Christianity, it is trying to expand where people are poor or uneducated.
 
We understand Christianity very well. It is playing a number game in India with the help of foreign money ignoring the Indian law. And it is deriding polytheism on internet and in places where it is active though it has no evidence for its One God or Jesus being his son. While the west is realizing its fallacies and moving away from Christianity, it is trying to expand where people are poor or uneducated.
Xtianity is not as large a community as Muslims in India. And the once loving Hindu people are becoming very nationalist spurred on by the, now ruling, BJP party. Their actions are, for now at least, more hateful towards Muslims than towards Xtianity/Buddhism and my guess is that the so-called claim of "forced religious conversion" is nothing more than an offshoot of the ridiculous claim of Love Jihad being a threat to Hindus, Buddhists, and Xtians because these communities are against their children going into interfaith marriages.

India has, and still is, for a large part, been a nation focusing more on arranged marriage than love marriage. Parents ask for annulling of love marriages in court claiming the marriage is not "valid" since the girl was tricked into converting by being seduced by the boy; despite the fact that the child was the one who made the choice to convert and themselves say that they were not "forced".

Strange to see you spouting nationalist conspiracy theories here @Aupmanyav almost as if they were true! As an atheist, I would have thought you would be against religiously based contention and, maybe even, hate.
 
Vasu Devan, that is a reaction to what Christians and Muslims are doing.
Jihad and Love Jihad is a fact in India and even the Christians in Kerala are crying against it. You are only putting your head in sand if you deny it.
Buddhism is no problem. After all, many Hindus consider Buddha to be the ninth avatara of Lord Vishnu. The reason why Dr. Ambedkar selected it was that it is not abrasive.
Yes, I do not favor interfaith marriage. After marriage many women are pressurized to change their religion. Many of such marriages are not choice but mistakes. I wish Shraddha understood that.
Firstly, I am not just an atheist, I am a Hindu atheist. Secondly, I do not sweep the problems under the carpet. I speak clearly about them. I am a realist and not an idealist.
 
Jihad and Love Jihad is a fact in India and even the Christians in Kerala are crying against it. You are only putting your head in sand if you deny it.
Buddhism is no problem. After all, many Hindus consider Buddha to be the ninth avatara of Lord Vishnu. The reason why Dr. Ambedkar selected it was that it is not abrasive.
I see. So, your beef with interfaith is only when Hindu women/men go Muslim/Xtian? Strange. I see that as a bit of tunnel vision there. Almost a form of phobia of specific religions. Children may be "pressurized to change their religion" but I sincerely doubt women and men can be. First claim of love jihad was supposedly of Muslim men against Hindu women. Then, Muslim women against Hindu men. And now the Kerala Christians have chimed in too. Yet you see this as a genuine threat? I would not have thought that of you. Still, you are entitled to your beliefs, no matter how spaced out they are.
Yes, I do not favor interfaith marriage. After marriage many women are pressurized to change their religion. Many of such marriages are not choice but mistakes. I wish Shraddha understood that.
You are connecting Islam as the primary reason Shraddha was killed by her nutjob husband? Men have been killing wives for a long time in India. Yet that is because they are deranged, not Muslim.
Firstly, I am not just an atheist, I am a Hindu atheist. Secondly, I do not sweep the problems under the carpet. I speak clearly about them. I am a realist and not an idealist.
You also claim to be "a Hindu atheist"? Hinduism is for the most part polytheistic and while Advaitha focuses on a single, unified, consciousness, it still seems to define this consciousness as our greater Self(Great Atman). Please share how you reconcile 'gods do not exist'(Atheism) vs 'The universe is conscious'(Advaitha)
 
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