An Indian pastor says he was attacked by Hindu extremists who dragged him out onto the streets, beat him, and threatened to kill him unless he renounced Jesus Christ for a Hindu monkey deity. “In those moments when they were kicking and beating me, I felt that even if I die now, the Lord will make the ministry I leave behind fruitful,” Pastor Karma Oraon told Morning Star News in an article published Monday. “We are just a few gathering in the name of Jesus. He is our strength.” The attack occurred
while in Harmu village of Ranchi District, Jharkhand state, on Christmas Eve, when 16 or so Hindu radicals attacked a prayer meeting the 34-year-old pastor was leading with others. The attackers started shouting “Praise Bajrang Bali,” referring to the monkey god Hanuman. “They forcefully dragged me outside when we were in the middle of meditating on the Word of God,” the pastor explained. “They spewed many words in extreme foul language and beat me on my chest repeatedly.” READ MORE