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Punjab: Heads of main line churches call on Akal Takht jathedar
Amid the tension between Sikh leaders and Christian missionaries over the “forced” conversion of Sikhs to Christianity, heads of main line churches of Punjab on Wednesday met Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh at Takht secretariat on the premises of Golden Temple to discuss about the deadlock between both the communities over this issue
Amid the tension between Sikh leaders and Christian missionaries over the “forced” conversion of Sikhs to Christianity, heads of main line churches of Punjab on Wednesday met Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh at Takht secretariat on the premises of Golden Temple to discuss about the deadlock between both the communities over this issue.
Besides various Sikh activists including Parampal Singh and Satinder Singh, Takht Kesgarh Sahib Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh was also present in the meeting.
PK Samantaroy, Bishop, Diocese of Amritsar, Church of North India (CNI), said after the meeting, “Some people who call themselves as preachers, pastors, bishops or prophets, are hurting sentiments of the Sikhs. We had a talk with Jathedar Sahib in this regard. They showed us proofs of what these people are doing. And we went through them. We are from the main line churches which have a constitution and a set norms and eligibility criteria for becoming Pastors, Bishops etc. It is wrong for anyone to have declared himself as ones without practicing the discipline that lasts for at least 10 years. We told the Sikh leaders that this kind of practice should be stopped. Whoever indulges in this kind of practice is not Christian. I would say he is not even a human being. Disrespecting any other religion is nobody’s right. This is not only a disrespect to your religion (Sikh) but also of ours. We disown this practice”.
“We will issue circular containing parameters for becoming Bishop or Pastor. Whoever will not abide by this edict, we will openly disown him or her and condemn him and her. We will ask the Christian community to shun all kind of ties with him or her. We will protect the biblical principles that promote respect to other faiths and love. It is our duty to expose the people who indulge in working against these principles”, he said.
Reacting to the Christian religious leaders who claim to have miraculous healing powers, he said, “Both Christians and Sikhs believe in God who has such powers. If anyone makes these claims, he or she commits disrespect to God. So, we will work along with Sikh leaders to take action against these people by forming a joint committee on the basis of the evidence. Commercialisation of religions must be stopped. Religion is not a business”.
“We feel proud of Sikhism and Punjab when we visit the other countries. I am from Odisha. My office secretary in the school run by us is a Sikh. We also have Hindus working in the offices of our schools. Lakhs of Sikh students are studying in our schools. Millions of Sikhs and Hindus have studied in our school. How many of them have been taken to the fold Christianity by us? Tell us. Main line churches are accountable”, he added.
Bishop Agnelo Rufino Gracias, apostolic administrator of Jalandhar diocese, said, “We want to maintain peace and brotherhood. We have had a long tradition of living and working together. We don’t allow any group to disturb that peace. We will give the people on wrong path a chance to improve first”.
Denzel Peoples, Bishop of Chandigarh, sought probe of funding sources to the so called Pastors, Bishops and Prophets.
Notably, unknown persons vandalized Catholic Church in Tarn Taran district on August 31 amid the row over conversion. The incident comes two days after a group of nihangs and their supporters disrupted an event organised by Christian missionaries at Daduana village in the border district of Amritsar.
