The 'Harijan' dated May 11, 1935 published an interview given by Gandhiji to a missionary nurse before that date. The nurse asked him, "Would you prevent missionaries coming to India in order to baptise?" Gandhiji replied," if I had the power and could legislate, I should certainly stop all proselytizing. It is the cause of much avoidable conflict between classes and unnecessary heart-burning among the missionaries.......In Hindu households the advent of a missionary has meant the disruption of the family, coming m the wake of change of dress, manners, language, food and drink". The nurse commented," Is it not the old conception you are referring to? No such thing is now associated with proselytisation". Gandhiji was well-informed about missionary methods. He said," The outward condition has perhaps changed but the inward mostly remains the same. Vilification of the Hindu religion, though subdued, is there. If there was a radical change in the missionaries' outlook, would Murdoch's books be allowed to be sold in mission depots? Are those books prohibited by missionary societies? There is nothing but vilification of Hinduism in those books. You talk of the conception no longer being there. The other day a missionary descended on a famine area with money in his pocket, distributed it among the famine-stricken, converted them to his fold, took charge of their temple and demolished it. This is outrageous. The temple could not belong to the converted, and it could not belong to the Christian missionary. But this friend goes and gets it demolished at the hands of the very men who only a little while ago believed that God was there.
The nurse took shelter behind the Bible. “But Mr.Gandhi," she asked,” why do you object to proselytisation? Is not there enough in the Bible to authorize us to invite people to a better way of life?" Gandhiji replied," If you interpret your texts in the way you seem to do, you straightaway condemn a large part of humanity unless it believes as you do".
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