HARVESTING SOULS

DERAS, SELF-STYLED CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES, ARE USING MIRACLES AND OTHER DUBIOUS METHODOLOGIES TO WOO PEOPLE INTO THEIR FAITH

- JAIBANS SINGH

Punjab has, since millennia, been home to a number of ethno-religious communities. The region takes pride in its diversity and has always remained open to the coexistence of different religions and faiths. In the present context, Sikh are a majority religion while Hindu, Islam and Christianity continue to be practiced along with other religions.

SPREAD OF CHRISTIAN DERAS

In the mid-19th century, Punjab became a part of the British Empire and evangelistic efforts by Christian missionaries gained momentum. Christians are now settled all across Indian Punjab but are more concentrated in Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Ferozepur districts.

Surprisingly, Punjab is witnessing rapid proliferation of Christian Deras (religious sects). Normal people, who have no education in Christian theology or the necessary sanction to preach, are becoming self-styled “Apostles” and “Pastors” of these new age Deras. In the bargain they are earning huge amounts of money and have tremendous power as in the case of other Dera chiefs of the Sikh and the Hindu communities.

FEIGNING USING MIRACLES FOR CONVERSION

The fraudulent Christian Baba's use dubious techniques like shows of miracles and give guarantees of cure from terminal illness etc to attract innocent people mostly of the lower segment of society and mislead them into conversion. In many cases, the lure of migration is used as the bait. There are also reports of use of force to engineer conversion.