[transgendernews] [News] [India] “We Have Come to Earn Salvation”
Meryl Sizemore
"We Have Come to Earn Salvation"
Gospel for Asia
dimanche 12 août 2007, par Journalchretien.net
ORISSA, INDIA (ANS) — The mythical marriage of two Hindu gods is the
basis for the Sitalsasti festival in Orissa, India, that draws
thousands of people from Orissa and other states.
Gospel for Asia missionaries took this opportunity to reach out to
people who do not know Jesus, including many who came hoping to be
born into a better station in their next life. India's hijras are a
group in society with specific religious duties. Most of these men,
who dress like women, believe they were born this way because of sins
in their past life. More than 500 hijras gathered at the Sitalsasti
festival for two reasons : to discuss their problems as transgenders
as well as hoping to gain favor from the gods.
"We are born eunuchs because of the sins we committed in our last
life," the Times of India website quoted Kamala, a hijra, as saying.
"We have come here to earn some Puniya (salvation) by observing the
gods. We believe that in our next life we will be born as normal human
beings."
According to the BBC, the number of hijras throughout India is between
500,000 and one million. For many hijras, their only work options are
begging or prostitution. Some earn money performing classical dances.
While there are certain religious ceremonies reserved for hijras to
perform, in daily life they are not accepted. They feel their choice
to act as women has brought them injustices, which is one of the
reasons they came together at the Sitalsasti festival.
Amidst the dancing, rituals and celebrations at the Sitalsasti
festival, 10 pastors of GFA-related churches distributed tracts and
literature among the crowd of devotees, hijras and some westerners who
came out of curiosity.
"Within three days, GFA missionaries distributed 50,000 tracts, 10,000
Christian booklets and 5,000 New Testaments," our correspondent wrote.
One pastor reported that at least 200 people seemed genuinely
interested in the Gospel message. The pastors will be doing follow-up
work in the days ahead.
Our correspondent asks for prayer that people from all parts of
society who attended this festival will read the literature they
received and turn to Jesus for salvation.
(c) Assist News Service
http://www.spcm.org/Journal/spip.php?article14328
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