(CBN) – A mob of animists in central India attacked members of five Christian families after they refused to renounce their faith in Jesus Christ. Morning Star News (MSN) reports the attack came during a meeting with Salhephal village leaders in Bastar District, Chhattisgarh state on May 5.
The Christians had forbidden a tribal animist leader, Dulla Poyami, to perform tribal worship on their land. Animism is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things – animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, human handiwork, and perhaps even words – as animated and alive.
When the families came to the meeting with the village elders, they found their leaders estimating the value of their lands, Pastor Sirisguda Ramdhar told MSN. “The village leaders told the Christians, ‘You are not partaking in our tribal rituals, and so we cannot allow you to profit from your agricultural lands,'” according to the pastor.
The Christians said the lands in question were all deeded in their names. “We follow our faith but have never been a burden on this village or to our kinsmen – you cannot snatch away our lands,” they told the tribal elders, according to the pastor. READ MORE
