Two thousand Christians gathered in India in November to urge the government to protect religious freedoms as violence and legalized discrimination increase in the world’s most populous country.
Representatives of more than 200 Christian denominations including evangelicals advocated for religious freedoms at the day-long National Christian Convention Nov. 29, spotlighting a 500 percent increase in targeted attacks against Christians from 2014-2024, religious persecution watchdog CSW reported.
Increase in attacks
More than 830 attacks against Christians were recorded in 2024, based on a report from the United Christian Forum (UCC), representing an increase from 139 such cases in 2014.
Physical assaults on pastors based on unverified allegations of forced conversions, and mobs vandalizing churches were among reported incidents. Anti-conversion laws and concerns over the Presidential Order of 1950, which continues to deny Scheduled Caste status to Dalit Christians and other Dalits, were also discussed.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Diana Chandler and originally published by Baptist Press.
Share with others: