A Child Faces Persecution Rajiv lives in a remote village in northern India. When he was nine years old and in the fourth grade, his schoolteacher, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, taught the children moral standards with the help of the book Learn From the Great Teacher. Rajiv drank in this information and began to apply it. He told his teacher that he had stopped telling lies and fighting with his schoolmates and was sharing his food at lunchtime with those who had none. As he learned more about the promise of Paradise on earth, he began to tell this good news to others in his village and to people he met while traveling on the train. This annoyed and embarrassed his parents. They told him to stop talking about Jehovah and Jesus. When he continued, they began to beat him, and his mother would take away his clothes when he returned from school so that he could not go out and talk about his newfound hope. His parents did not allow him to sleep on his bed, and they restricted his food. When these measures also failed, they called a priest to change the boy’s thinking. The priest stayed in the home for several days and tried to force Rajiv to bow down to an idol. When Rajiv said that the idol was just stone and was not a living god, the priest replied that the boy should ‘see through the heart.’ Only then would he “see” god in the statue. Rajiv took a piece of paper and wrote on it “100 rupees.” He gave it to the priest and asked him to buy some chocolates and bring back the change. The priest said that he was not a fool; this was just a piece of paper and had no value. “If you look at this through your heart,” replied Rajiv, “you will see real currency in this piece of paper.” Angrily, the priest pushed the boy’s head down in front of the idol. “You have forced my head to bow in front of this statue,” said Rajiv, “but you will never bow my heart.” Finally the priest left, saying that it was impossible to reform the boy and that if he stayed any longer, he himself would lose his faith. Rajiv’s parents then moved him to another school. But he has not stopped talking to everyone who will listen to what he says about Jehovah and the promise of Paradise. Now ten years old, he continues to rely on Jehovah for help to keep his faith strong. A Child Faces Persecution Rajiv lives in a remote village in northern India. When he was nine years old and in the fourth grade, his schoolteacher, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, taught the children moral standards with the help of the book Learn From the Great Teacher. Rajiv drank in this information and began to apply it. He told his teacher that he had stopped telling lies and fighting with his schoolmates and was sharing his food at lunchtime with those who had none. As he learned more about the promise of Paradise on earth, he began to tell this good news to others in his village and to people he met while traveling on the train. This annoyed and embarrassed his parents. They told him to stop talking about Jehovah and Jesus. When he continued, they began to beat him, and his mother would take away his clothes when he returned from school so that he could not go out and talk about his newfound hope. His parents did not allow him to sleep on his bed, and they restricted his food. When these measures also failed, they called a priest to change the boy’s thinking. The priest stayed in the home for several days and tried to force Rajiv to bow down to an idol. When Rajiv said that the idol was just stone and was not a living god, the priest replied that the boy should ‘see through the heart.’ Only then would he “see” god in the statue. Rajiv took a piece of paper and wrote on it “100 rupees.” He gave it to the priest and asked him to buy some chocolates and bring back the change. The priest said that he was not a fool; this was just a piece of paper and had no value. “If you look at this through your heart,” replied Rajiv, “you will see real currency in this piece of paper.” Angrily, the priest pushed the boy’s head down in front of the idol. “You have forced my head to bow in front of this statue,” said Rajiv, “but you will never bow my heart.” Finally the priest left, saying that it was impossible to reform the boy and that if he stayed any longer, he himself would lose his faith. Rajiv’s parents then moved him to another school. But he has not stopped talking to everyone who will listen to what he says about Jehovah and the promise of Paradise. Now ten years old, he continues to rely on Jehovah for help to keep his faith strong.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 05:14:37 +0000