by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - A mob of Hindu nationalists violently attacked four Christians in central India’s Chhattisgarh state because they refused to renounce Christ and return to Hinduism, International Christian Concern (ICC) reported last week.
Chhattisgarh is one of eleven Indian states which have now passed anti-conversion laws that are supposed to prevent Hindus from being forcibly converted to other religions but which, according to the Open Doors international Christian advocacy organization, “are often used as an excuse to harass and intimidate Christians who are just doing things like distributing aid or having a private church meeting.”
In the recent attack, the four Christians were summoned to a meeting by the village leaders, where they were confronted by Hindus who threatened them with severe consequences, including removal from their homes if they did not renounce their Christianity, ICC reports. The Christians stood firm and refused to deny Jesus.
“When the four Christians refused to deny their faith in Christ, the mob beat them with sticks and stones,” ICC said in its report. “They were rushed to the hospital with police protection… In the wake of the event, other Christians in the village left for nearby villages, fearing for their lives…Please pray for the believers persecuted in India.”
Ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party since 2014, India ranks 11th on the US Open Doors World Watch List of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.