Members and leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu applauded the withdrawl of an "anti-conversion" ordinance that slowed, but did not stop, Adventist Church membership growth.
Members and leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu applauded the withdrawl of an “anti-conversion” ordinance that slowed, but did not stop, Adventist Church membership growth.
The bill, passed in 2002, made it a crime to either force someone to change their religion or to offer “incentives” to do so. While Christians, Mulsims and other minority religions agreed that forcible conversion is ethically wrong, they said the ordinance could result in accusations of “inducements” that were never offered.
The legislation’s fall was due to the defeat, in national elections, of the same party to which Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jayaram belongs. Sensing a change in the national mood toward secularism, Mrs. Jayaram said she would have the bill overturned, declaring that her government “has always been the strongest champion of the rights and welfare of every minority community, be it Christians, Muslims or others,” according to a report in “The Hindu” national newspaper.
In 2001 the population of Tamil Nadu was 62 million people, with only 11 percent claiming Christian or Muslim affiliation. There are approximately 75,000 Seventh-day Adventist Christians in the state.
During the 20 months that the ordinance was in force, courts in the region were not presented with a single case of forcible conversion. To avoid any false allegations during this period, Seventh-day Adventists required candidates for baptism to sign a legal document stating that they were voluntarily desiring church membership and there were no incentives or force in their decision.
Because of the huge expense involved in preparing the documents, baptismal ceremonies were frequently delayed. But the measure didn’t curtail church growth: approximately 10,000 people joined the Adventist Church during the period, and evangelistic activities continued, according to Pastor Rathna Raj John, who is president of the Adventist Church in Southeast India, a region that includes the states of Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu.
“We are thankful that the evangelistic work of the church can be carried forward without false allegations of conversion by unlawful means,” added Pastor Daniel Devadhas, ministerial director of the Adventist Church in Southeast India.
Jeeva Ponnappa, church president in the South Tamil district, says activities and outreach programs of the church can now be carried out more fervently, and he thanks the government for this step.
