Dalit Christians

Conversion of Dalits to different religions was primarily aiming at escaping the oppression from the caste hierarchy of the society. Christians by faith and doctrine are barred from pronouncing any caste identity; and so, Dalits found hope in the words of Missionaries, which heralded equal treatment and opportunities, and they dreamed of their emancipation from the lowest stratum of socio-economic position. However the social traditions weighed down the missionary effort of inculcating Christian values. And caste culture overpowered Christian culture due to the socio cultural complexity of our society. It is the collective responsibility of the Christian community in general to emancipate the Dalit Christians from the position of remaining at the receiving end of dependence to a status of self–reliance where everyone grows through interdependence.