Orissa Christians thirsting for the Word of God, says ministry

More than food and water, the food for thought from the Bible is what victims of Kandhamal violence demanding, says a Christian ministry.

According to the Audio Scripture Ministries (ASM), "instead of requesting food and blankets and things like that, which they desperately need," people request "God's Word so they can listen to the Scriptures."

Hence, the ministry has decided to distribute 1,000 audio players among Christians in the volatile state of Orissa.

"They realize that if there's going to be any joy in anything that comes into their lives, it will come through God's Word," ASM's Executive Director Tom Dudenhofer says.

"That really gets us excited, to see the power of God's Word demonstrated in the requests of these believers...who want to listen to God's Word right in the middle of these tough times," he adds.

Most of the victims are unable to read the word of God, and therefore audio provides them with encouragement and hope, says the ministry.

The ministry is also wary that distributing materials can incite violence from Hindu fanatics. To counter this, the ASM teams will approach local churches that will "discreetly handle all the details that are involved in this process."

In addition, the ASM will also charge a small fee for the audio players, which Dudenhofer says might seem harsh, but is another form of defense. If the players are free, Hindu radicals might accuse people of converting to Christianity.

Dudenhofer believes this provides them with a sense of "personal ownership". "It also demonstrates that they are investing their own money into this, that nobody is bribing them."

There are still over 3,000 Christians in Kandhamal relief camps where the living conditions are said to be very appalling. Some of them have also complained of being constantly intimidated by Hindu extremists who demand their conversion to Hinduism.

Over 50,000 were rendered homeless during the violence in the aftermath of the killing of VHP leader Swami Laxmananda Saraswati.