Hope of treatment lures individuals to church buildings
Manmeet Singh Gill, Charanjit Singh Teja and GS Paul
Tribune Information Service
Amritsar, February 8
Whereas Punjabis, particularly Sikhs, had reined in native deras the place self-styled godmen “cured ailments” and helped individuals in some ways corresponding to getting a greater job and partner, within the final decade, a void was created after the deras had been shut. It paved the best way for unbiased church buildings to “flourish”.
Nevertheless, with the rising financial disparity, illiteracy and myriad issues, there isn’t any dearth of determined individuals looking for magical treatments for his or her issues. And right here comes the brand new breed of Christian preachers. Whereas the sooner magic healers did it underneath the umbrella of the Sikhism or the Hinduism, the brand new self-styled “brokers of God” are doing it underneath the garb of Christianity.
Now, have a look at an instance. A middle-aged individual with facial palsy because of paralysis is supposedly healed inside a couple of seconds as Apostle Paul Sukhpal Rana touches his face a couple of occasions whereas talking gibberish. In between, he throws in a couple of English phrases, Jesus, bless, God, Hallelujah and the job is finished. The facial palsy fades away and the identical second, a band and singers ready on the stage begin a devotional tune and everybody within the viewers, together with the cured affected person, begin dancing.
Whereas there isn’t any scientific clarification for what and the way Rana did it (if he had actually performed it), the believers are mesmerised and satisfied that Rana has reference to the Almighty.
Nevertheless, an inquisitive thoughts with a scientific temperament, after proper queries, finds that the “affected person” just like the “apostle” too was an actor. However each have performed their half properly and the poor, determined, sick and uneducated flock imagine it.
Now, Rana presents a lady whose infertility he claimed to have cured. Most of his “followers” are from the poor strata of society, largely Scheduled Castes, who’re determined to hunt treatment for infertility, a baby’s psychological well being situation, most cancers, and many others.
The success of pastors might be guaged from the truth that Rana is establishing a sprawling church on at the least six acres adjoining to IIM. Whereas the land alone is value a number of crores, the church has a state-of-the-art congregation corridor and all facilities.
A nook of Rana’s “Plentiful Life Church” has a set of three counters the place such determined persons are standing in a queue to get their identify registered for the particular prayer (exorcism).
Whereas Rana is a ‘star’ nowadays, Prophet Jimmy Masih makes use of the identical methods and performs the identical miracles on the rooftop of his home at Verka, which he has transformed right into a church. Jimmy is related to the church of Pastor Bajinder Singh, who’s accused of raping a follower and from whose locations, large stashes of unaccounted money had been recovered by the IT Division.
Dr Sham Sunder Deepti, a neighborhood drugs knowledgeable and Punjabi author, stated, “A sick individual is in a poorer state of psychological well being than a wholesome individual. He’ll go to anyplace he’s hopeful of getting aid from.” Dr Deepti stated the federal government had didn’t develop scientific temperament amongst residents as envisaged within the Structure.
Dr Deepti added that the failure of the federal government to implement The Medication and Magic Treatments (Objectionable commercials) Act had left the weak teams on the mercy of miscreants, who can exploit them.
A senior police official stated, “The police have typically taken motion underneath the magical treatments Act however it has been often performed towards people. With a spiritual entity or a gaggle violating the legislation and police taking motion towards it is going to snowball into a serious controversy.”
A member of the administration of Apostle Sukhpal Rana ministries, who recognized himself as Brother Ranjit, stated, “The baseless allegations towards the Christian preachers have been levelled for lengthy. Earlier, it was stated church buildings supplied cash to individuals and now it’s stated they’re taking cash from individuals.” Repeated telephone calls to Ranjit for having a phrase with Rana proved futile as each time he claimed that “Father” (Rana) is in prayer.
Akal Takht has expressed concern on the rising development of apostasy with officiating Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh and requested the Centre to analyze the supply of funding of those congregations and introduce ‘anti-conversion’ legislation, however in useless.
President of the Dalit and Minority Organisation Kashmir Singh stated the SGPC, too, wanted to introspect for its failure to curb the apostasy. Dalit ‘mazhbi’ Sikhs had been embracing Christianity. In return, they had been supplied the whole lot, from cash to therapeutic power sicknesses, free schooling, compensation, and many others. The Dalits had by no means been given ample illustration in Sikh our bodies and by no means supported by the SGPC,” he stated.
SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami stated, “In July, a letter was written to the Centre to take steps to scrutinise the funding of such congregations, which had been deliberate to attract or pressure individuals to undertake their religion, however there was no response,” he stated.
Bishop Dr PK Samantaroy, who can also be the President of the MMS, stated, “Not a single grievance towards any forcible conversion has come to my data but.”
On the mercy of ‘miscreants’
A sick individual is in a poor state of psychological well being. The failure of the federal government to implement the Medication and Magic Treatments (Objectionable Commercials) Act has left weak teams on the mercy of miscreants, who can exploit them. — Dr Sham Sunder Deepti, drugs knowledgeable
Will take up challenge
Within the absence of any grievance, the federal government won’t be able to scrutinise the funding of those congregations or take any motion. I’ll take up the problem with the authorities to examine if there’s any violation of the FCRA. — Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, rural growth minister