In some parts of India, Christians are stratified by sect, location, and the castes of their predecessors. For instance, the Syrian Nasrani Christians in South India retain the middle caste status in society. Starting from the 16th century, Portuguese missionaries converted some of the lower-castes to Christianity^[1]. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The Nasrani Menorah, the symbol of the Syrian Malabar Nasrani Christian community in South India. ... The Indian caste system is the traditional system of social stratification on the Indian Subcontinent, in which social classes are defined by a number of endogamous, hereditary groups often termed as jātis or castes. ...

Presently in India, more than 70% of Christians are Dalits, but the higher caste Christians (30% by estimates) control 90% of the churches administrative jobs [1]. Out of the 156 bishops, only 6 are from lower castes^[2][1]. This article is about the religous people known as Christians. ... In South Asias caste system, an untouchable, dalit, or achuta is a person outside of the four castes, and considered below them. ... Caste systems are traditional, hereditary systems of social restriction and social stratification, enforced by law or common practice, based on endogamy, occupation, economic status, race, ethnicity, etc. ... Lower may refer to: Lower Township, New Jersey Lower Receiver (firearms) Lower Wick Gloucestershire, England Category: ... The word Caste is derived from the Portuguese word casta, meaning lineage, breed or race. ...

Christian Castes in Goa

In the Indian state of Goa, mass conversions were carried out by Portuguese missionaries from the 16th century onwards. The Hindu converts retained their caste practices. The continued maintenance of the caste system among the Christians in Goa is attributed to the nature of mass conversions of entire villages, as a result of which existing social stratification was not affected. The Portuguese colonists , despite their violent anti-Hindu iconoclasm, did not do anything to change the caste system. Thus, the original Hindu Brahmins in Goa now became Christian "Bamonn's", and the Kshatriya became Christian noblemen called "Chatim" or "Chardos".The Christian clergy became almost exclusively Bamonn .Vaishya's who converted to Christianity became "Gauddo's", and Shudras became "Sudir's". Finally, the Dalits or "Untouchables" who converted to Christianity became "Maharas" and "Chambars" (an apellation of the anti-Dalit ethnic slur "Chamaar"). Several ethnic groups who did not convert to Christianity and remained Hindus (such as Marathas) were incorporated into the Christian caste of "Chaddho"^[3]. , Goa   (Konkani: गोंय goṃya; Marathi: govā; Portuguese: ) is Indias smallest state in terms of area and the fourth smallest in terms of population (after Sikkim, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh). ... Anti-Hindu leaflet launched by fundamentalist Christian churches Anti-Hindu prejudice is a negative perception against Hinduism, Hindus and Indian or Hindu culture. ... Statues in the Cathedral of Saint Martin, Utrecht, attacked in Reformation iconoclasm in the 16th century. ... Young Indian brahmachari Brahmin A Brahmin (less often Brahman) is a member of the Hindu priestly caste. ... For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya (Hindi: , from Sanskrit: , ) is the title of the princely military order in the Vedic society. ... In the Hindu varna system, a Vaishya (Sanskrit वैश्य vaiÅ›ya) is a member of the third of the four only varnas of the varna system of traditional Indian society. ... Shudra (IAST: ) is the fourth Varna in the traditional four-section division in historic Hindu society. ... In the Indian caste system, a Dalit, often called an untouchable,or an outcaste, is a person who does not have any varnas. ... Extent of the Maratha Confederacy ca. ...

Thus, the Varna system was effectively mapped into Christian society in the region. The Castes were based on ideas of Nobility and family, much like the rest of South Asia. The Christian Castes had sub-castes (Jatis) like Saraswats, Chitpavans etc. The Dormition of the Theotokos Cathedral in Varna The Stoyan Bachvarov Dramatic Theatre Varna (Bulgarian: ) is the largest city on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, and 79th-largest in the European Union, with a population of 357,752 ([1]). Commonly referred to... Jati - A part of the Hindu caste system. ...

Caste Discrimination among Indian Christians

Christian churches in India are largely controlled by upper caste Priests and nuns. Low-caste Dalit Christians are discriminated against by the upper-caste Christians (principally among Roman Catholics). The extent and practice of untouchability within the Indian Christian community have been researched. Chapels for Dalit Christians are often segregated from Christians of a higher caste. Other churches admit Dalit Christians, but keep separate pews for them. Dalit Christians are buried in separate cemeteries. In addition, Dalit boys are not allowed to be altar boys or lectors. In addition, there are various instances of economic discrimination where Dalit Christians are not allowed to own arable land by upper caste Christian clergy. In many Christian communities in India, bonded labor is still practiced. As a consequence of the discrimination, Dalit Christians tend to be very poor and undernourished. Dalit Christians are denied education by the Upper Caste Priests and nuns. Very few Dalit Christians are involved in administrative services, except for the few who reconverted back to Hinduism.^[4] There exists evidence to show that Christian individuals have mobility within their respective castes^[5]. The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ...

Many Dalit Catholics have spoken out against discrimination against them by the Catholic Church. A famous Dalit activist with a nom-de-plume of Bama Faustina has written books that are critical of the discrimination by the nuns and priests in Churches in South India.^[6]

Caste distinctions among Indian Christians are breaking down at about the same rate as those among Indians belonging to other religions. In some cases, social inertia cause old traditions and biases against other castes to remain, causing caste segregation among Indian Christians.^[7]

References

1913 advertisement for the 11th edition, with the slogan When in doubt — look it up in the Encyclopædia Britannica The Encyclopædia Britannica (properly spelled with æ, the ae-ligature) was first published in 1768–1771 as The Britannica was an important early English-language general encyclopedia and is still...

External Links

• Roman Catholic Brahmin