This is the event of 1799 AD.

This was a very painful answer for Kerry as people were trying to burn the single woman alive.

But Kerry also received another alarming response thathttp://Godishopehttps://gracetogospel.com/2022/01/04/how-to-prove-that-the-bible-is-the-word-of-god/ they were about to burn the dead man’s living wife.

One evening,

on his way back from Calcutta, William Carey noticed a large crowd on the riverbank. When asked why they had gathered, he replied that the dead man should be burned. But Kerry also received another alarming response that they were about to burn the dead man’s living wife. This was a very painful answer for Kerry as people were trying to burn the single woman alive.”I kept talking until the argument was meaningless, and I shouted with all my might against what they were doing,” he wrote. I told them it was a shocking murder. They told me it was a great act of holiness. “[1] William Kerry, revered as the” Father of the Modern Mission, “came to Calcutta, India from England in 1793 to preach the Gospel of Jesus to the people of India. Nearly 6 years later, on the river bank, thirty miles from Calcutta.In the evening, after seeing a single woman being burned at the stake, Kerry became very upset and decided to go against this cruel practice. [2] The practice of burning the wife alive with her husband’s body after the death of the married husband is called sati. It was originally practiced among Hindus. The wife had to voluntarily be willing to burn, and in case of reluctance, she was forcibly placed in a pyre. According to Hinduism, ‘Sati’ is the name of a goddess. Father Daksha Prajapati married her husband.

William Kerry, revered as the” Father of the Modern Mission,

came to Calcutta, India from England in 1793 to preach the

thirty miles from Calcutta.

Due to insulting Shiva, Sati jumped into the fire and gave her life. The Sanskrit word ‘sati’ literally means ‘good wife.’ [3] What was the reason for burning the wife alive after the death of her husband? There are various reasons. Sati was a religious belief practice in which a single woman could enjoy eternal bliss and bring blessings to her family only if she was burned to death along with her husband. [4]After the death of the husband, the wife had no justification. So she had to die. [5] Even after death, the wife who followed her husband was considered dutiful. [6] The first clear reference to the practice of sati in Sanskrit is found in the Mahabharata.[9]At that time, a woman burning with her dead husband was called ‘sati’ and this kind of practice was called ‘sati practice’. The practice later spread to the so-called lower castes and eventually spread widely among people of all classes. It peaked between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries, and it is claimed that up to 1,000 women were burned annually in India and Nepal during that

The practice later spread to the so-called lower castes and eventually

But Christian missionaries opposed the British government on this issue.http://GODSAIDMANSAID.COM jesuschrist.com

They collected data on the practice; Preached against it; Wrote pamphlets as well as books. In this way they gathered public opinion against this cruel practice. Kerry became the first person in Calcutta to lead a campaign to eradicate the practice. As a result of his campaign, the British government banned this brutal practice in Calcutta, although it continued in the surrounding areas.

After tireless efforts, the practice of sati was finally legalized in India in 1829 AD. Christian missionaries played a significant role in eradicating the practice of sati in India. [11] William Bentinck was the governor of India who was appointed to the post in 1828 AD. He was an active Christian. He was influenced by the controversy over whether to abolish sati. He was adamant that such a vile practice should be completely and immediately abolished

[9]At that time, a woman burning with her dead husband was called ‘sati’ and this kind of practice was called ‘sati practice’. The practice later spread to the so-called lower castes and eventually spread widely among people of all classes. It peaked between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries, and it is claimed that up to 1,000 women were burned annually in India and Nepal during that period. [9]

[13]As a result, on Sunday, December 4, 1829, he declared the practice of sati illegal and a punishable offense. When missionary William Kerry was allowed to translate the document, his response was, “I don’t know the church today. “Even if I delayed translating and publishing it for an hour, the lives of many single women could be sacrificed.” He worked till evening. [13]

[16]
Following the enactment of the law, religious contractors shouted, “If the widows are not burned alive, the foundations of Hindu society will be shaken.” [14] Gave Indian single women another human right, the right to remarry. [16]

[17]
Although William Kerry has been at the forefront of eradicating the practice of sati in India, the names of William Wilberforce, William Ward and the Hindu reformer Ram Mohan Roy should never be forgotten. Missionary John Scudder also sought to spread awareness about the inhuman superstitions, such as the practice of sati. [17]According to Professor Axel Michaels of Germany, there is evidence of the first inscription that the practice of sati was practiced in Nepal in 464 AD. [18] This practice has left a black mark on Nepali history. When King Rudramalla of Bhaktapur died (1326 AD) 4 queens, Parthivendra Malla (younger son of King Pratap Malla of Kathmandu) died 24 queens (1687 AD) and King Yoga Narendra Malla of Lalitpur died (1705 AD) 31 queens.

19] These are just a few examples in the history of Nepal. When Prithvi Narayan Shah died in 1775, his youngest queen Narendra Lakshmi, two nieces and nephews were also burnt alive. [20] Many other Nepali women lost their lives due to this cruel practice. When Jung Bahadur Rana returned from Britain, he enacted a law to stop this practice. The law was amended during the rule of Prime Minister Bir Shamsher Rana.

a woman burning with her dead husband was called ‘sati’ and this kind of

practice was called ‘sati practice’. The practice

Nepal came under pressure from the British

–ruled Indian government, and finally, on 8 July 1920 (i.e., 25 July 1977), Chandra Shamsher took legal action to stop this brutal practice in the name of religion. Declaring it illegal on the occasion of his 58th birthday, he gave invaluable gifts to Nepali society and especially to women. [21]

In ancient Hindu society, single women were burned alive in the name of religion, whereas the Bible teaches respect for them in ancient times and even today. When the son of a single woman in the city of Nine died, Jesus resurrected her and showed mercy to her (Luke 7: 11-15). He condemned religious leaders who exploited single women financially (Mark 12:40).

He praised the poor single woman who offered two pennies in the temple treasury (Luke 21: 1-3). Paul commanded Timothy to respect single women (1 Timothy 5: 3-4). James reminds Christians, “This is the pure and holy religion before God and the Father: to take care of orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep themselves spotless from the world” (James 1:27).

Christian missionaries carried the gospel of Jesus to the corners of the world, and when they looked at the conduct of the locals from the point of view of biblical ethics, they found many practices inhumane and reprehensible, one of which was the practice of sati. They not only raised their voices against such superstitions but also helped to enact laws to eradicate them. The abolition of sati is another laudable step taken by the missionaries in building civilization.