The size of the vote against those advocating violence against Christians amazed the political pundits, who had predicted a close election with perhaps years of unstable and weak coalition governments in India’s future.

“No one expected this,” Dr. Yohannan noted. “The Congress party itself is surprised.”

But Dr. Yohannan said there was a clear explanation.

“Many political pundits are talking about the ‘X’ factor in this election, something unexpected that can turn the results. There was an ‘X’ factor, and I believe it was God.

“There are 1.2 billion people in India,” he explained. “They are very important to God, and He worked.

“So much prayer went up,” he added. “Christians have been praying, and God answered their prayers. That’s what happened.”

It’s interesting that in India a secular state will curb the persecution, while in the West it is the secular state that is increasingly becoming the instrument of persecution by litigation.