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First Page

56

Last Page

70

Abstract

India, consisting of several diverse communities, operates on various religious sentiments, norms, expectations, cultures, and worldviews. Each culture and worldview developed, nurtured, and was organized in a community that recognized the importance of religious tolerance—tolerances that keep India united and yet diverse. Religious tolerance in India respects and allows the various religions to exist and practice within the same community.1 However, if this norm is broken, the resulting actions can result in unexpected consequences. There are several cases where tolerance was breached due to religious standards, views, or beliefs, causing chaos in a community.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church has become a center of influence for many communities around the country. The Church’s outreach includes education, healthcare, and training schools, among other services. Such services respect religious sentiments and provide room for people from every religious background to be nurtured and feel accepted. However, the Seventh-day Adventist Church remains careful not to compromise its values and fundamental beliefs. In this manner, it provides education in a Christian context in hundreds of schools in India. Through its schools and medical institutions, the Church reaches out to people of other religions, offering acceptance, compassion, and love (personal communication, September 7, 2020).

This study looks at religious liberty in the outreach of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in India. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s restriction and limitation, this study is limited to using a descriptive methodology exploring selected literature to discuss the norms to follow, adhering to the government’s laws, and being true to the functional beliefs operative in the outreach and services of the Adventist Church.

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.32597/jams/vol17/iss1/6/

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