A
Christian pastor was killed recently in India.
A
friend of his, also a pastor (I’ll call him "Pastor H") in India, posted this message on
Facebook on July 7, 2016:
"Dear
spiritual brothers and sisters, friends, please pray for Pastor Maraiah, killed
by Maoists in Andhra Pradesh. What a WONDERFUL TESTIMONY about [this] pastor
and brother from Sarapaka."
Pastor
Maraiah worked among the Koya people.
"He
had been targeted by Naxales, just because he was bringing [the] Koya people to
Christ," says Pastor H. "Several times he [was] warned by them [the Naxales]. His
son [was] also was kidnapped earlier. Despite these
[things], he never cared [about] their warning and proclaimed the Gospel and
became a martyr for Christ."
Pastor H offered this prayer for
his deceased friend:
"May the Lord comfort their
family and church. May the Lord raise [up] many more kannaiahs. The blood of
the martyrs is the seed of the church."
On August 2, 2016, Pastor H
posted this Facebook message:
"Dear
spiritual brothers and sisters, friends, as you all know, a few days back a
pastor was tortured and killed by Maoists in Andhra Pradesh, but [there is]
still no reaction from government. [This] coming week, me and friends [are]
going to meet that pastor's family and [are] willing to support [them]
financially. If anyone wants to support his family or is willing to come with
me, please let me know before coming Sunday. God is going to change many
Maoists [into] pastors and make them to do ministry in [the] same place. Soon,
if God allows, [I] will raise support and build a church in same place.
Hallelujah!!!"
Naxalites allegedly killed
Pastor Mariah.
What is a “Naxalite”?
A “Naxal” or “Naxalite”
is a member of any of the Communist guerrilla groups in India, mostly
associated with the Communist Party of India (Maoist), according to internet
sources (especially “Wikipedia”).
The term “Naxal”
derives from the name of the village Naxalbari in West Bengal, where the
movement had its origin. Naxalites are
considered far-left radical communists, supportive of Maoist political sentiment and ideology.
The below information is from
“Wikipedia” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naxalite%E2%80%93Maoist_insurgency):
The armed wing of the
Naxalite–Maoists is called the PLGA (Peoples Liberation Guerrilla Army) and is
estimated to have between 6,500 and 9,500 cadres,
mostly armed with small arms. The Naxalites control territory
throughout Bihar, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh states in India and claim to be
supported by the poorest of the rural population, especially the Adivasis.
In 2006, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called the Naxalites the “single biggest
internal security challenge ever faced by our country.”
It was estimated in 2007 that
Naxalites were active across 40 percent of India’s geographical area in an area
known as the "Red Corridor."
What is the difference between
Maoism and Naxalism?
The below information is taken
from https://www.quora.com/Naxalism-What-is-difference-between-a-Maoist-and-Naxalite.
Maoism
originated in China. Naxalism originated in India.
Maoism
began in China as a form of Communist theory derived from the teachings of the
Chinese leader Mao Zedong. Developed during the 1950s and ’60s, it was applied widely
as the political-and-military guiding ideology of the Communist Party of China until
1977-78. Maoism emphasized the advancement of people’s social and economic life
by establishing a classless society through armed revolution. … Maoism sees the
agrarian peasantry, rather than the working class, as the key revolutionary
force that can basically transform capitalist society towards socialism. Maoist
philosophy: “Power flows from the barrel of the gun.”
Naxalism
originated In India as a rebellion against lack of development and poverty at
the local level in the rural parts of eastern India. . . . Their initial ideology
came from Marx and Lenin. Later, they were also influenced by Mao Zedong’s communist
theory.
The
difference between Maoism and Naxalism, apart from their origins, is the scale
of ideologies during their uprising. Maoism desires to take control of
government and run government, enforcing its ideology on a whole country.
During the uprising of Naxalism, rural-area workers revolted against
their masters and landlords, protesting marginalization of the poor or rural
areas. Maoism’s aim was to fundamentally transform a country towards socialism,
but Naxalism, originating in India, focused on the anger of working-class
people. Naxalites reportedly now follow Maoist theory to achieve the same “end
results” or goals.
Through the merger of the People's War and the Maoist Communist Centre
(MCC), the Communist Party of India (Maoist) was formed in 2004 and aims to
overthrow the government of India “through people's war.” Now, Naxalites work
mostly under the influence of the CPI-Maoist, which is currently described as a
terrorist organization by the Indian government because it organizes mass
killings to further its ideology.
Though there were some differences in the ideology of Naxalism and the ideology of Maoism during their uprisings, the Naxalites now follow Maoist ideologies to achieve their common goals.
Though there were some differences in the ideology of Naxalism and the ideology of Maoism during their uprisings, the Naxalites now follow Maoist ideologies to achieve their common goals.
Many people are saddened by Pastor Maraiah's death.
"The
blood of the [Christian] martyrs is the seed of the Church." -- Quintus
Septimus Florens Tertullian (Apologeticus, Chapter 50).
