A person changing his/her religion was not an issue until recently in India as it was the constitutional right of an individual. Since the issue is politicized, it is news everyday. We have other serious development and social issues to give more priority for India to march ahead compared to other countries.

In any complaint normally there is a defendant and an accuser that suffered injustice from the defendant. In this case I do not remember a case where anybody came forward to complain that he/she was forced to change religion or a case where court found it true. As it is just propaganda, all these accusations of ‘mathaparivarthanam’ are from third parties. They have some media to give support, and so it is big news.

Joseph has given an unbiased report of some of the things going on in society. Joseph said some Christian groups have mocked the the practices of Hindu religion. It must be true. I personally do not mock any religion, and is against it. This is not the way to attract another person to your religion. Mocking or not mocking is a personal choice of a person. Can we bring laws against it as people generally mock others everyday? North Indians mock south Indians by calling them ‘Madrasi’. So if the South Indian does the same way, who is in trouble? When we laugh most of the time it is to mock another person or group for their foolish behavior as in ‘Phalithabindukkal’.

If 'mathaninda' is the reason for attacking another person, is it to cover your own shortcoming or weakness? If I take law into my own hand and then defend it by telling the court that the other person provoked me, will the court accept that as a defense? Anybody can be provoked at a moments notice depending on the thickness of that person’s skin. For some any religious difference of opinion can be interpreted as ‘mathaninda’. We hear daily about act of ‘mathaninda’ against Jesus and Christian faith all over the world. Does Christians respond with ‘asahishnutha’ in such cases?If it is in love we will not provoke another person unnecessarily, and also respond for provocations easily. We need lot of tolerance to grow and work together as a community.

If one religion can not give rational explanation for its practices, it has to change the practices or that religion will give way to another religion in the mind of people. Here some are trying for political reasons to cling on to their old practices by bringing laws supporting them as they are in the majority. How long this will last? History has given answer to that.