Pastor is tortured and then hanged in church by Hindu extremists
Religious persecution continues to make its victims around the world. Christians suffer the greatest persecutions since the second half of the first century.
At a time when knowledge and tolerance among people should be sufficient to promote respect among different religions, some still seem to live as slaves to ignorance and doctrines that the Truth about God does not admit.
Pastor Gideon Periyaswamy, age 43, who grazed the Maknayeem church in Adayachery in southern India, is another victim of persecution of Christians promoted by Hindu extremists in that country. He had left Hinduism 25 years ago, having been ordained Pastor 12 years ago. His work in the community was remarkable.
Periyaswamy spent much of the day in prayer, which gave him the nickname ‘Warrior of Prayer.’ Through God in his life, several people were converting from Hinduism to Christianity, which displeased local Hindu religious.
Pastor Azariah Reuben, a friend of Periyaswamy, said that several times they tried to stop the friend’s ministry, attacking the temple with acts of vandalism to intimidate the leader.
A week before he was killed, Periyaswamy complained, but apparently the local authorities did not pay due attention to the case. The pastor was found hanged in the temple of his church on Saturday morning. In the body there were several marks of violence, indicating that the leader had been tortured before he died.
