{"id":60877,"date":"2026-10-13T10:32:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T01:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/?p=60877"},"modified":"2026-10-13T11:30:56","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T02:30:56","slug":"vomk-report-421","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/2026\/10\/13\/vomk-report-421\/","title":{"rendered":"CENTRAL INDIA CHURCHES POST SIGNS: \u201cFOR CHRISTIANS ONLY; OTHERS ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”60879″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” css=””][vc_custom_heading text=”Signs for visitors are going up outside churches in the Central Indian city of Dhamtari in Chhattisgarh state. But according to persecution watchdog Voice of the Martyrs Korea, the signs are for warning, not welcome.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:1.2em|text_align:left|color:%23111111″ google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css=”” el_class=”headline”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]\u201cThe signs <\/span>advis<\/span>e<\/span> potential visitors that worship services are for Christians only and that non-Christians who enter do so at their own risk<\/span>,\u201d says Voice of the Martyrs Korea Representative Dr<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span> Hyun Sook Foley. <\/span>So far ten <\/span>of the thirty <\/span>churches in <\/span>Dhamtari<\/span> have posted the signs outside their doors, and the <\/span>Dhamtari<\/span><\/span> Christian <\/span>forum<\/span> is urging churches across the region\u2014as well as Christians <\/span>who <\/span>host prayer meetings in their homes\u2014to do the same.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]According to Representative Foley, the signs are the result of legal concerns, not a lack of hospitality.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]\u201cIn March the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly approved a new anti-conversion law with extremely strict regulations,\u201d says Representative Foley. \u201cIf a church or individual is found guilty of \u2018mass conversions\u2019\u2014which the law defines as converting two or more people\u2014the minimum punishment is ten years<\/span> and a fine of <\/span>2,500,000 Indian Rupee<\/span>s (approximately 35,000,000 KRW)<\/span>, but life imprisonment <\/span>and harsher fines may be given.<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”60882″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” css=””][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]The law requires that individuals must give authorities a <\/span>minimum<\/span> of 60 <\/span>days<\/span> advance notice of their intention to convert to a different religion.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]\u201c<\/span><\/span>Since the passage of the law, local C<\/span>h<\/span>ristian leaders say that more than a thousand non-Christians have notified authorities that they are voluntarily attending church gatherings at their own risk, without coercion from Christians.<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span> <\/span>She says that level of interest in possible conversion is likely to attract the attention of Hindu nationalist groups, who sometimes disrupt church services and prayer meetings in order to protest against what they claim are forced or deceptive attempts to convert Hindus to Christianity.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]\u201c<\/span><\/span>That<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s why the <\/span><\/span>\u2018<\/span><\/span>For Christians only<\/span><\/span>\u2014<\/span><\/span>enter at your own risk<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span> signs are going up at area churches,<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span> says Representative Foley. <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>Christian leaders are hoping that the signs will protect their congregations from anti-conversion charges while not frightening away visitors.<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Representative Foley says it is too early to tell how authorities<\/span><\/span>\u2014<\/span><\/span>and <\/span>possible church<\/span> visitors<\/span><\/span>\u2014<\/span><\/span>will respond to the warning signs. She notes that churches like the <\/span>116-year-old<\/span><\/span> Sunderganj<\/span> Mennonite Church<\/span>, one of the oldest churches in the region, have posted the warning sign outside their door but not on their YouTube or social media pages. <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>T<\/span>h<\/span>e <\/span>Sunderganj<\/span> Mennonite C<\/span>h<\/span>urch posted a <\/span><\/span>\u2018<\/span><\/span>one family in C<\/span>h<\/span>rist<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span> <\/span>message<\/span> on Facebook for <\/span><\/span>\u2018<\/span><\/span>Peace Sunday 2026<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span> at the end of September. <\/span>Peace with their neighbors is what the churches in <\/span>Dhamtari<\/span> are clearly <\/span>seeking<\/span>, but <\/span>that<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s<\/span> becoming increasingly difficult with Hindu nationalism on the rise,<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span> says Representative Foley.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”60884″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” css=””][vc_custom_heading text=”Churches like the 116-year-old Sunderganj Mennonite Church, one of the oldest churches in the region, have posted warning signs for non-Christian visitors outside their door. (Photo: Sunderganj Mennonite Church Facebook page)” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230a0101|line_height:1.45em” css=””][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Hindu nationalist organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has seen a 20 percent increase in membership. Although Prime Minister Modi has publicly said his government will not tolerate religious discrimination, laws forbidding the conversion of Hindus have passed in several Indian states, and the push for a similar federal law <\/span>is <\/span>gain<\/span>ing<\/span> support<\/span>, according to persecution watchdog groups like Voice of the Martyrs Korea.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Still, Representative Foley says the church is growing, though exact numbers are not known.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]\u201cAbout 80 percent of Indians are Hindus, and more than 10 percent are Muslims<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>she says<\/span>. \u201cThe Indian government does not release accurate statistics about its Christian population, so exact figures are not available.\u201d<\/span> Her organization and others estimate the number of C<\/span>h<\/span>ristians in India to be between <\/span>30<\/span> to<\/span> 70 million<\/span>+<\/span><\/span>\u2014<\/span><\/span>no\u00a0 more<\/span> than 5 percent <\/span>of <\/span>India\u2019s population of <\/span>nearly 1.4<\/span> billion.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Representative Foley says V<\/span>o<\/span>ice of the Martyrs Korea has recently <\/span>published<\/span><\/span> curriculum in Korea for Christian children about persecution in India and will be spotlighting the faithful witness of Indian Christians in its December newsletter.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]More information about the persecution of C<\/span>h<\/span>ristians in India is available at India \u2013 Voice of the Martyrs Korea<\/a><\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_column][\/vc_column]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”60879″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” css=””][vc_custom_heading text=”Signs for visitors are going up outside churches in the Central Indian city of Dhamtari in Chhattisgarh state. But according to persecution watchdog Voice of …","protected":false},"author":1959,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[140],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vomk-report"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.6","language":"en","enabled_languages":["ko","en","zh","ru"],"languages":{"ko":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"zh":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"ru":{"title":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1959"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60877"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60877\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60905,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60877\/revisions\/60905"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}