Christianity in Nepal
{{Short description|none}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
Christianity is, according to the 2021 census, the fifth most practiced religion in Nepal, with 512,313 adherents or 1.8%,{{cite book |last1=National Statistics Office |title=National Population and Housing Census 2021: Population Composition of Nepal |date=2024 |publisher=National Statistics Office, Nepal |page=52|url=https://censusnepal.cbs.gov.np/results/files/result-folder/Final_Population_compostion_12_2.pdf |access-date=18 May 2024}} up from 2011 when there were 375,699 adherents or 1.4% of the population.Nepal Central Bureau of Statistics (2011) ‘[https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/sources/census/wphc/Nepal/Nepal-Census-2011-Vol1.pdf National Population and Housing Census 2011.]’ p. 4. [https://web.archive.org/web/20180726014406/https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/sources/census/wphc/Nepal/Nepal-Census-2011-Vol1.pdf Archived] from the original on 26 July 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- Rai, Hemlata (2001) "[http://nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=8616#.Wbw4stFrzv9 Janjatis want to stand up, and be counted] {{Webarchive |url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171011220745/http://nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=8616#.Wbw4stFrzv9 |date=11 October 2017 }}". Nepali Times, 11 May 2001. [https://web.archive.org/web/20181118081526/http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=8616 Archived] from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- Hangen, Susan & Mahendra Lawoti (2013) "[https://books.google.com/books?id=D7Oga-GvExMC&pg=PA15 Introduction: Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict in Nepal]". in Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict in Nepal: Identities and Mobilization after 1990, ed. Mahendra Lawoti & Susan Hangen. Abingdon: Routledge. p. 15.
- Gellner, David N. (2005). "[https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/HJSA/article/view/1578 Ethnic Rights and Politics in Nepal.]" Himalayan Journal of Sociology 2, p. 10. informed observers have estimated that there are at least 1 million Nepali Christians.‘[http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2012-12-05/fncn-christian-population-below-actual-size.html FNCN: Christian population below actual size].’ Kathmandu Post, 6 December 2012. [https://web.archive.org/web/20181117193257/http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2012-12-05/fncn-christian-population-below-actual-size.html Archived] from the original on 17 November 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- Shrestha, Ram Prasad (2012) 'A Historical Analytical Account of Mission Development of Churches of Nepal from 1990 to 2010.' Thesis submitted for MA Intercultural Studies in Asian Context, Redcliffe College. p. 3.
- Gibson, Ian (2017).
- Gibson, Ian (2015). p. 113.
- Janssen, Peter (2016) ‘[https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Christianity-s-rise-tests-Nepal-s-new-secularism Christianity's Rise Tests Nepal's New Secularism]’. Nikkei Asian Review, 4 December 2016. [https://web.archive.org/web/20190128003124/https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Christianity-s-rise-tests-Nepal-s-new-secularism Archived] 28 January 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- ‘[https://issuu.com/mikegabriel/docs/wea_rlc_research_and_analysis_-_com Census in Nepal Marks 2.3 million Christians as Hindus]’ in Compilation of WEA Religious Liberty Commission Research and Analysis Reports 2010–13. pp. 128–9. [https://web.archive.org/web/20190128003552/https://issuu.com/mikegabriel/docs/wea_rlc_research_and_analysis_-_com Archived] on 28 January 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019. According to some Christian groups, there may be as many as 3 million Christians in Nepal, constituting up to 10% of the country's population.{{Cite web|title=2018 Report on International Religious Freedom: Nepal|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2018-report-on-international-religious-freedom/nepal/|website=United States Department of State|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-10}} A report by Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary identified the Nepali church the fastest growing in the world.Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (2013) [https://archive.gordonconwell.edu/ockenga/research/documents/ChristianityinitsGlobalContext.pdf Christianity in its Global Context, 1970–2020: Society, Religion and Mission]. South Hamilton, MA: Center for the Study of Global Christianity. p. 38. [https://web.archive.org/web/20180922211444/https://www.gordonconwell.edu/ockenga/research/documents/ChristianityinitsGlobalContext.pdf Archived] on 22 September 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019. The vast majority of Nepali Christians are evangelical Protestants (if evangelical is defined broadly to include charismatics and Pentecostals);DAWN Nepal (2007) National Church Survey of Nepal: August 2007. Kathmandu: Nepal Research and Resource Network. pp. 547–8.
- Mandryk, Jason ed. (2010) [https://books.google.com/books?id=6EOsBQAAQBAJ Operation World]. Bletchley, Milton Keynes: Authentic Media. p. 619.
- Shrestha 2005, pp. 24–5. there is also a small Catholic population of roughly 10,000.Parajuli, Kalpit (2011) ‘[http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Nepalese-Catholics-grow.-A-challenge-to-the-anti-conversion-laws-22963.html Nepalese Catholics Grow: A Challenge to Anti-conversion laws.]’ Asia News 20 October 2011. [https://web.archive.org/web/20181117193515/http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Nepalese-Catholics-grow.-A-challenge-to-the-anti-conversion-laws-22963.html Archived] 17 November 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
The first Christian mission to Nepal was established in 1715 by Catholic Capuchin friars,Barclay, John (2009) ‘{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20170923145018/http://www.internationalbulletin.org/issues/2009-04/2009-04-189-barclay.pdf The Church in Nepal: Analysis of Its Gestation and Growth]}}.’ International Bulletin of Missionary Research 33 (4):189–194. p. 189. who worked in the Kathmandu Valley.Alsop, Ian (1996) [https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B420OVYiDBGAbmFsUFJNN2VEYU0/view?usp=sharing ‘Christians at the Malla Court: the Capuchin ‘piccolo libro’.’] In Change and continuity: studies in the Nepalese culture of the Kathmandu Valley, edited by Siegfried Lienhard. Alessandria: Edizioni dell’Orso. p. 123. The Capuchins were expelled following Nepal's unification in 1768-9,Landon, Perceval (1928) Nepal. London: Constable and Co. Vol. 2. p. 236. and Christian groups were officially banned from the country for the next two centuries.Barclay 2009, p. 189. After the revolution of 1951, foreign missionaries were permitted to enter Nepal to perform social service work, but proselytization and conversion were still legally prohibited.Barclay 2009, pp. 190–1. It was only after the introduction of multi-party democracy in 1990, and the relaxation of restrictions on conversion,Gaborieau, Marc (2002). [https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B420OVYiDBGAR3lUc2JPNjNnRk0/view ‘Christian Minorities in the Hindu Kingdom of Nepal.’] In Religious minorities in South Asia: selected essays on post-colonial situations, edited by Monirul Hussain and Lipi Ghosh. New Delhi: Manak Publications. p. 96. that the Nepali church began to grow rapidly,Barclay 2009, pp. 192–3. but attempts to convert others remain illegal {{as of|2023|lc=yes}}.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64235873 |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=2023-01-15 |date=2023-01-14 |language=en-GB |title=Christian missionaries target the birthplace of Buddha in Nepal |last1=Kim |first1=Kevin |last2=Henscke |first2=Rebecca}}
The expansion of Christianity is a controversial subject in Nepal,‘[http://nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/sermon-on-the-mountain,3911 Sermon on the Mountain]’. Nepali Times 1 September 2017. [https://web.archive.org/web/20181121072711/http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/sermon-on-the-mountain,3911 Archived] 21 November 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- Rai, Om Asha (2017) ‘[http://nepalitimes.com/article/nation/golden-age-of-gospel-christianity,3903 The Golden Age of the Gospel]’. 25 August 2017. [https://web.archive.org/web/20181121120117/http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/golden-age-of-gospel-christianity,3903 Archived] on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- Coburn, Brot (2017) ‘[http://nepalitimes.com/article/nation/preaching-on-high,3904 Preaching on High]’. [https://web.archive.org/web/20181121203725/http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/preaching-on-high,3904 Archived] 21 November 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
- Mishra, Pramod (2017) ‘[http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2017-08-31/of-faith-and-indoctrination.html Of Faith and Indoctrination]’. Kathmandu Post, 31 August 2017. [https://web.archive.org/web/20181120221037/http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2017-08-31/of-faith-and-indoctrination.html Archived] 20 November 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2019. and Nepali Christians have been subject to sporadic violenceU.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (2017) [http://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/Monitored_Nepal.pdf Annual Report 2017 – Nepal]. [https://web.archive.org/web/20181121022109/https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/Monitored_Nepal.pdf Archived] 21 November 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- Australian Government Refugee Review Tribunal. 2010. [https://www.ecoi.net/file_upload/1788_1336749603_npl37529.pdf Country Advice Nepal – NPL37529]. p. 3. [https://web.archive.org/web/20181121203814/https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/1118646/1788_1336749603_npl37529.pdf Archived] 21 November 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- Parajuli, Kalpit (2012) ‘[http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Hindu-terrorists-threaten-more-attacks-against-Christians-and-Muslims-25550.html Hindu terrorists threaten more attacks against Christians and Muslims].’ Asia News, 14 August 2012. [https://web.archive.org/web/20181120221728/http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Hindu-terrorists-threaten-more-attacks-against-Christians-and-Muslims-25550.html Archived] 20 November 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- Coday, Dennis (2003) ‘[https://web.archive.org/web/20121026101535/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-110220548.html Maoists torch Catholic mission].’ National Catholic Reporter, 10 October 2003. Retrieved 15 September 2017. [https://web.archive.org/web/20181121072555/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-110220548.html Archived] on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019. and widespread social exclusion.Gibson 2017, ch. 7–10.
- [https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3eea0dc1-3f8e-4564-887f-f7aae26de57f Gibson 2015], ch. 7–10.
- Rai, Lagan (2013) ‘[https://drive.google.com/file/d/1klYjFQ1Em34XY4iov_LobmdPioUpPpmQ/view?usp=sharing Conversion to Christianity and Social Inclusion: A Comparative Ethnographic Study of Chepang and Santal Communities].’ Final Report submitted to the Social Inclusion Research Fund (SIRF)/ SNV Nepal. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- U.S. Department of State (2016) [https://web.archive.org/web/20170815171251/https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/269182.pdf Nepal 2016 International Religious Freedom Report.]. [https://web.archive.org/web/20181120221310/https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/269182.pdf Archived] on 20 November 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- Religion News Service (2020). '[https://religionnews.com/2020/07/14/nepals-government-actively-targets-religious-minorities/ Nepal's government actively targets religious minorities]'. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
It is frequently reported in Nepali media and political discourse that missionaries offer the poor material incentives to convert, like what's happening in India,U.S. Department of State 2016, p. 2.
- Dhungel, Bidushi (2015) ‘[http://nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/One-To-Many/fear-of-secularism-stems-from-fear-of-being-converted,543 Commodifying to Survive]’. Nepali Times, 7 August 2015. [https://web.archive.org/web/20181121120258/http://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/One-To-Many/fear-of-secularism-stems-from-fear-of-being-converted,543 Archived] 21 November 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- Baral, Biswas (2017) ‘[https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/12553/ Window into the Secular’]. My Republica, 5 January 2017. [https://web.archive.org/web/20190128015841/https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/12553/ Archived] on 28 January 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- Pattison, Pete (2017) '[http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2017-08-19/nepals-battle-for-souls.html Nepal's Battle for Souls]'. Kathmandu Post, 19 August 2017. [https://web.archive.org/web/20181120221246/http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2017-08-19/nepals-battle-for-souls.html Archived] 20 November 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- Coburn 2017.
- Shah, Saubhagya (1993) ‘[http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/himal/pdf/Himal_6_5.pdf The Gospel comes to the Hindu kingdom.]’ Himal 6 (5):35–40. but research has indicated that most Nepali Christians convert for reasons other than contact with missionaries.Gibson 2017, p. 87-101; ch. 7–10.
- [https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3eea0dc1-3f8e-4564-887f-f7aae26de57f Gibson 2015], pp. 103–22; ch. 7–10.
- Fricke, T. 2008. [https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/handle/2027.42/61425 ‘Tamang conversions: culture, politics, and the Christian conversion narrative in Nepal.’] Contributions to Nepalese Studies 35 (1):35–62.
- Zharkevich, I. 2016. [https://www.academia.edu/29586853/_When_Gods_Return_to_their_Homeland_in_the_Himalayas_Maoism_Religion_and_Change_in_the_Model_Village_of_Thabang_mid-Western_Nepal ‘‘When Gods Return to their Homeland in the Himalayas’: Maoism, Religion, and Change in the Model Village of Thabang, mid-Western Nepal’]. In Religion, Secularism, and Ethnicity in Contemporary Nepal, eds. David N. Gellner, Sondra L. Hausner, and Chiara Letizia. Oxford: OUP. p. 106.
- Ripert, Blandine (2014). [http://www.academia.edu/6224107/Improbable_Globalization_Individualization_and_Christianization_among_the_Tamangs_of_Central_Nepal ‘Improbable Globalization: Individualization and Christianization among the Tamangs.’] In Facing Globalization in the Himalayas: Belonging and the Politics of the Self, eds. Gerard Toffin & J Pfaff-Czarnecka. New Delhi: SAGE.
- Hagen, Paul Kenneth. 1998. 'The Nepali Brahman Response to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Context of the Hindu Nepali Brahman Worldview.' Dissertation submitted for degree of Doctor of Missiology, Concordia Theological Seminary. pp. 415–89.
- Leve, Lauren (2014) ‘[https://culanth.org/fieldsights/509-cruel-optimism-christianity-and-the-post-conflict-optic Cruel Optimism, Christianity, and the Post-conflict Optic.]’ Hot Spots, Cultural Anthropology, 24 March 2014. [https://web.archive.org/web/20181213224047/https://culanth.org/fieldsights/509-cruel-optimism-christianity-and-the-post-conflict-optic Archived] 13 December 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
- Kirchheiner, Ole (2016) [http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/21642/1/OKirchheiner%20thesis.pdf ‘Culture and Christianity negotiated in Hindu society: a case study of a church in Central and Western Nepal’.] PhD thesis, Middlesex University. pp. 123–63.
- [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1klYjFQ1Em34XY4iov_LobmdPioUpPpmQ/view?usp=sharing Rai 2013], ch. 5.
Nepal's constitution-writing process of 2006–15, and the 2007 designation of the country as a secular state,[http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/rarebooks/downloads/Nepal_Interim_Constitution_2007_first_to_sixth_amendements.pdf The Interim Constitution of Nepal 2063 (2007): with English and Nepali Side-by-side and Introductory Material in Both Languages] (2009). Kathmandu: UNDP Nepal. p. 56. [https://web.archive.org/web/20181117233412/http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/rarebooks/downloads/Nepal_Interim_Constitution_2007_first_to_sixth_amendements.pdf Archived] on 17 December 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019. intensified controversies surrounding Christianity.Letizia, Chiara (2017) 'Secularism and statebuilding in Nepal'. Accord: An International Review of Peace Initiatives 26: 109–11. The constitution of 2015 re-affirmed secularism but also prohibited proselytism and 'disturbing the religion of other people'.[https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Nepal_2015.pdf?lang=en Nepal's Constitution of 2015]. Comparative Constitutions Project. p. 22. [https://web.archive.org/web/20180623085105/https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Nepal_2015.pdf?lang=en Archived] on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019. In 2017, Nepal's parliament passed a bill which prohibited 'hurting the religious sentiment of any caste, ethnic community or class by writing, through voice/talk or by a shape or symbol or in any other such manner'.‘[http://www.csw.org.uk/2017/08/21/press/3676/article.htm Nepal Bill Criminalizes Conversion]’. Christian Solidarity Worldwide, 21 August 2017. 17 November 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- ‘[https://adfinternational.org/detailspages/press-release-details/nepal-to-ban-free-speech-and-prosecute-religious-conversions Nepal to Ban Free Speech and Prosecute Religious Conversions] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923095941/https://adfinternational.org/detailspages/press-release-details/nepal-to-ban-free-speech-and-prosecute-religious-conversions|date=23 September 2017}}’. Alliance Defending Freedom News Release, 23 August 2017. [https://web.archive.org/web/20181118035217/https://adfinternational.org/news/nepal-to-ban-free-speech-and-prosecute-religious-conversions/ Archived] 18 November 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- [http://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2017/october/nepal-criminalizes-conversion-christianity-evangelism-hindu.html 'Nepal Criminalizes Christian Conversion and Evangelism']. Christianity Today, 25 October 2017. 11 December 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (2018). [https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/Limitations%20on%20Minorities%20Religious%20Freedom%20in%20South%20Asia.pdf Limitations on Minorities' Religious Freedom in South Asia: USCIRF Special Report.]
- Religion News Service (2020). '[https://religionnews.com/2020/07/14/nepals-government-actively-targets-religious-minorities/ Nepal's government actively targets religious minorities]'. Religion news. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
{{Historical populations
|title = Historical Christianity population in Nepal{{Cite web|url=https://nepal.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/Population%20Monograph%20V02.pdf|title=Population Monograph of Nepal Volume II (Social Demography)}}[https://unstats.un.org › NATIONAL POPULATION CENSUS OF NEPAL]
|type =
|footnote =
|align = right
|width =
|state =
|shading =
|pop_name =
|percentages =
|source = Nepal Censuses
|2001 | 104,180
|2011 | 375,699
|2021 | 512,313
}}
History
{{see also|Catholic Church in Nepal}}
=The Capuchin mission=
File:Frontispiece of "Satya Sakshi Parmesvarya Mahima" (1740).png by Capuchin missionaries.]]
Catholic Capuchin missionaries were given permission to reside in the Kathmandu Valley in 1715. They worked in each of the valley's three city-states,Alsop 1996, p. 123. and eventually made their main base in Bhaktapur, where they settled in 1740.Alsop 1996, p. 125. The Capuchins were surprised by the warm welcome afforded to them by the king of Bhaktapur, Ranajit Malla, who, one wrote, 'embraced us all affectionately and treated us with great familiarity and confidence; he made us sit at his side and kept us for more than an hour'. The missionaries focused their activities on the royal court, and composed a treatise on monotheism for the king. Although he did not convert, the king did offer some of his subjects to be Christians in his stead.Alsop 1996, pp. 131–2. The Capuchins refused this offer, and, although they succeeded in making a small number of voluntary local converts,Alsop 1996, p. 134. their mission was put to an end in 1769 after Prithvi Narayan Shah, the ruler of Gorkha, conquered the Kathmandu Valley and expelled all Christians from his new kingdom.Landon 1928, p. 236. The Newar Christians took refuge in India, settling first in the city of Bettiah and then later moving eleven kilometres north to Chuhari, where they reside to this day.{{cite book |last1=John |first1=Jose Kalapura |title=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, Vol. 61 |date=2000 |publisher=Indian History Congress |pages=1011–1022 |language=en}}
=1769–1951=
File:Photograph of Ganga Prasad Pradhan.jpg (1851–1932)]]
Over the next 200 years, until 1951, Nepal was entirely closed to Christians, although small numbers of ethnically Nepali evangelists from India were able to cross the border surreptitiously.Barclay 2009, p. 190. The most famous of these is Ganga Prasad Pradhan (1851–1932), a Newar raised in Darjeeling who is known as the first ordained Nepali pastor.Perry, Cindy L. (2000) A biographical history of the Church in Nepal. 3rd ed. Kathmandu: Nepal Church History Project. pp. 29–35. Pradhan converted to Christianity while studying at a school run by Church of Scotland missionaries in Darjeeling. After forty years of ministry to the Nepali-speaking community in northern India, focused mainly on producing a Bible translation and other evangelistic materials in Nepali, he decided in 1914 to return with his family to Kathmandu to establish a Christian presence in Nepal. Travelling with a group of around forty people, Pradhan and his colleagues' presence was discovered by the authorities soon after they arrived in Kathmandu. They were firmly instructed to leave, being told: 'there is no room for Christians in Nepal'.Perry 2000, p. 34.
=1951–1990=
After the overthrow of the Rana regime in 1951, King Tribhuvan opened Nepal's borders and appealed to the outside world to assist in Nepal's development. A number of Christian missionary groups responded to this call. The largest such organisation was the United Mission to Nepal (UMN), founded in 1954 as a cooperative endeavor between eight Protestant denominations.Barclay 2009, p. 191. The first projects of the mission were the foundation of medical facilities in Tansen in west Nepal and in the Kathmandu Valley near to Bhaktapur; the work soon expanded to include rural development, education, engineering, and the foundation of other medical facilities and hospitals. By 1990 the UMN 'comprised 39 member missions, 420 expatriate missionaries, and over 2,000 Nepali staff'. Due to a 2002 decision to hand over most major projects to local control, the size of UMN is currently much reduced from this level.‘[http://www.umn.org.np/page/our-history Our History.’] United Mission to Nepal website. Retrieved 16 September 2017. [https://web.archive.org/web/20181118122750/https://www.umn.org.np/page/our-history Archived] 18 November 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019. The UMN's work in Nepal has been defined and limited by a series of five-year agreements with the Nepal government, which clearly prohibit proselytism.
File:The women's ward at INF's Green Pastures Hospital in Pokhara, during the 1960s. (2).jpg
The other major Protestant missionary organization to enter Nepal after 1951 was the Nepal Evangelistic Band (NEB). Founded in 1943 by the doctor Lily O’Hanlon, the NEB worked with ethnically Nepali converts in northern India during the 1940s. In 1952 O’Hanlon and her colleagues were given permission to undertake medical work in Pokhara; they established 'The Shining Hospital', which became well known for the high quality of its treatment, and in 1957 opened the Green Pastures Hospital for the treatment of leprosy.Hale, Thomas (2012) Light dawns in Nepal: the Story of the International Nepal Fellowship. Kathmandu: International Nepal Fellowship. p. 87. The NEB would later change its name to the International Nepal Fellowship (INF), and expand its work into a range of medical and social justice activities.Hale 2012. It currently has a staff of over 400‘[https://www.inf.org/inf-nepal/ INF Nepal]’. INF website. [https://web.archive.org/web/20200106202406/https://www.inf.org/INF-nepal/ Archived] 24 October 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019. and operates according to agreements with the government similar to those of the UMN.‘[https://www.inf.org/news/agreement-signed/ Agreement Signed!]’ INF website, comms department, 22 July 2016. [https://web.archive.org/web/20170923153623/https://www.inf.org/news/agreement-signed/ Archived] 23 September 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
File:Pastor David and Premi Mukia, founders of Ram Ghat church.jpg
Unlike that in India and other countries which had been colonized, the Protestant church in Nepal was established under indigenous leadership, with a clear line of separation between the church and missionary organizations.Barclay 2009, p. 191.
- Perry, Cindy L. (1990) ‘[https://missionexus.org/church-and-mission-in-nepal-the-development-of-a-unique-relationship/ Church and Mission in Nepal, the Development of a Unique Relationship.]’ Evangelical Missions Quarterly, 26(4), 16–23. January issue.
- Kehrberg, Norma (2000) The Cross in the Land of the Khukuri. Kathmandu: Ekta Books. pp. 98–103.
- {{citation|doi=10.1111/j.1758-6631.1997.tb00037.x|title=Appendix II: Church and Mission Relationship in Nepal – Forty Years Ahead|journal=International Review of Mission|volume=86|issue=342|page=303|year=1997|last1=Khatry|first1=Ramesh}}
- Kirchheiner, Ole. 2016. 'Culture and Christianity negotiated in Hindu society: a case study of a church in Central and Western Nepal'. PhD thesis, Middlesex University. pp. 96–99. David Mukhia and his wife Premi, who were ethnically Nepali Christians from India, established Ram Ghat church in Pokhara in 1952, which is generally known as Nepal's first church.Perry 2000, pp. 71–77. Tir Bahadur Dewan and his wife Ratan, also Nepalis who had lived in India, established a fellowship in Bhaktapur in 1954.Perry 2000, pp. 64–67. In 1957 a group of Nepali Christians from Kalimpong, led by Robert Karthak, Rajendra Kumar Rongong and including Gyaani Shah and Elizabeth Franklin, established a fellowship in Kathmandu, later known as Nepal Isai Mandali.Kehrberg 2000, pp. 98–103. This would eventually become one of the largest churches in Nepal.Rongong, Rajendra (2012a) 'Gyaneshwor Church (Nepal Isai Mandali).’ In The Oxford Encyclopaedia of South Asian Christianity, edited by Roger E. Hedlund, Jesudas Athyal, Joshua Kalapati and Jessica Richard. Vol. 2. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. p. 294. From the 1960s, Christians encountered increasing legal problems, with prosecutions being brought for proselytism and conversion (see Political and Legal Situation).
Despite legal obstacles, the Nepali Protestant church grew slowly but steadily in the period up to 1990. Norma Kehrberg, drawing on the work of the Nepal Church History Project, estimates this growth as follows:Kehrberg 2000, p. 124.
class="wikitable" | |
Year | Baptized Christians |
---|---|
1966 | 100 |
1973 | 500 |
1977 | 1,400 |
1980 | 7000 |
1982 | 10,000 |
1985 | 25,000 |
1990 | 50,000 |
File:Members of Gyaneshwor Church (Nepal Isai Mandali) in the 1960s, celebrating a baptism.jpg
This growth resulted primarily from person-to-person evangelism by Nepali believers,Kehrberg 2000, pp. 151–155, pp. 106–12. and was often connected with prayer-based healing or exorcism.Kehrberg 2000, pp. 147–150.
- Sharma, Bal Krishna. 2001. ‘[http://www.apts.edu/aeimages/File/AJPS_PDF/01-2-bsharma.pdf A History of the Pentecostal Movement in Nepal.]’ Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies 4 (2). p. 301. During this period most churches opted, as Kehrberg has described, to 'worship in an eastern style, removing one's shoes and sitting on the floor with men and women seated on opposite sides; not using pews [...]. The music was Christian words set to Nepali folk tunes'.Kehrberg 2000, p. 100. In 1960 of the Nepal Christian Fellowship (NCF) was formed;Barclay 2009, p. 192. this group united most Nepali Protestants until 1978, when another national group – the Agape Fellowship – was established.Rongong, Rajendra (2012b) 'Agape Fellowship'. In The Oxford Encyclopaedia of South Asian Christianity, edited by Roger E. Hedlund, Jesudas Athyal, Joshua Kalapati and Jessica Richard. Vol. 2. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. p. 9. The latter group had a more charismatic orientation than the former.Rongong 2012b, p. 9.
Catholics also responded to the opening of Nepal in 1951, but the numerical growth of Nepali Catholicism has been slower than that of Protestantism (see also Catholic Church in Nepal). The Jesuit Fr. Marshall Moran established St Xavier's School on the edge of the Kathmandu Valley in 1951. St Xavier's catered primarily to the middle and upper echelons of Nepali society. Fr. Moran, who was the founder of the school and the guiding spirit of the mission, became a figure in Nepali high society during the 1950s, with one Nepali intellectual recalling, 'Fr Moran was at every party in those days. If a visitor didn't see Fr Moran in Kathmandu, his trip wasn't really complete'.Messerschmidt, Donald A. (2012) Fr Moran of Kathmandu: pioneer priest, educator, and ham radio voice of the Himalayas. Bangkok: White Orchid Press. p. 227. Jesuit missionaries also made notable contributions to scholarship on Nepali history and religions.Stiller, Ludwig F. (1973) The rise of the House of Gorkha: a study in the unification of Nepal, 1768–1816. New Delhi: Manjusri Publishing House.
- Miller, Casper J. (1979) Faith Healers in the Himalayas. Kathmandu: Centre for Nepal and Asian Studies.
- Locke, John K. (1980). Karunamaya: the cult of Avalokitesvara-Matsyendranath in the valley of Nepal. Kathmandu: Sahayogi Prakashan for Research Centre for Nepal and Asian Studies, Tribhuvan University.
- Sharkey, Gregory (2001). Buddhist daily ritual: the Nitya Puja in Kathmandu Valley Shrines. Bangkok: Orchid Press. Due to the long process of preparation that precedes Baptism, and a soteriology that does not compel them to attempt as many conversions as possible, the Nepali Catholic church has grown slowly, having 10,000 members by 2011.Parajuli 2011.
=Role of Asian missionaries=
In 1955, the All India Council of National Missionary Society of India decided to send missionaries to the neighbouring countries. With this decision, a meeting held on 28–30 September 1956 decided to send Ms. K. Circar, the then honorary secretary, Dr. A. Rallaram to visit Nepal and locate a starting station for the mission. This team choose Butwal as the starting station. Ms. K. Circar along with Mr. Sam John and his wife became the first Indian missionaries to serve in Nepal starting from October 1957. They did not have a fixed salary but rather worked together as a fellowship. Due to severe illness, Mr.John Sam's family was not able to continue their work as missionaries in Butwal. This led the organization to appoint Mr. M.M. Mathai and his wife from Kerala as the replacement. Later Mr. K.S. Eapen and Mr. V.T. Abraham joined the Butwal Mission.{{Cite journal| pages = 109| last = Prabhakar| first = I Samuel| title = Indian Christian mission movement with special reference to the national missionary society of India 1905-2005}} Other missionaries such as Mr. M.M. Mathai from Kerala, Ms. K. Circar, Mr. K.S. Eapen, Mr. V.T. Abraham and Mr. C. K. Athially also served as early missionaries to spread Christianity in Nepal.{{Cite web| title = Remembering India's Pioneering Missionary to Nepal {{!}} Center for Global Christianity & Mission| accessdate = 2020-08-05| url = http://www.bu.edu/cgcm/2020/03/17/remembering-indias-pioneering-missionary-to-nepal/}}
Much of the growth in Christian converts post-1990 is due to Korean missionaries.
Contemporary Protestantism
After the introduction of multi-party democracy to Nepal in 1990, a new constitution was promulgated which retained the ban on proselytism but removed the ban on conversion.Gaborieau 2002, p. 96. This, along with a general relaxation of government restrictions on religious activity,Gaborieau 2002, pp. 95–6. rapid changes in social attitudes towards caste and gender,Gibson 2017, ch. 3 and 8.
- [https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3eea0dc1-3f8e-4564-887f-f7aae26de57f Gibson 2015], ch. 3 and 8.
- Dalzell, Victoria (2015). [http://escholarship.org/uc/item/0vg8n6pg ‘Freedom, Margins, and Music: Musical Discourses of Tharu Ethnicity in Nepal]’. Thesis submitted for degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Music, University of California Riverside.
- Kehrberg 2000, ch. 4. and dislocations associated with capitalist globalizationLeve 2014.
- Ripert 2014.
- Fricke 2008.
- Gibson 2017, ch. 7 and 10.
- [https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3eea0dc1-3f8e-4564-887f-f7aae26de57f Gibson 2015], ch. 7 and 10. and civil war,Zharkevich 2016.
- Leve 2014. created conditions conducive to a rapid growth of Nepali Protestantism after 1990. Kehrberg estimates the growth of the Nepali church during the 1990s as follows:Kehrberg 2000, p. 125.
class="wikitable" | |
Year | Baptized Christians |
---|---|
1992 | 75,000 |
1998 | 300,000 |
1999 | 400,000 |
The 2000s saw an acceleration of the growth of the 1990s; there were likely more than 1 million baptized Christians present in Nepal by the early 2010s (see Demographics). A 2013 report by Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary found that Nepal's church was the fastest growing in the world, with an annual growth rate of 10.9% since 1970.Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary 2013, p. 38.
File:Prayer at a Christian healing festival in Bhaktapur.jpg.|alt=]]
The contemporary Nepali church is largely charismatic or Pentecostal in orientation, in that most Nepali churches practice healing and exorcism, and have emotive styles of worship.Tamang, Ganesh (2012). 'Some Critical Observations for Theological Education in Nepal.' The Ecumenical Review 64 (2). p. 136.
- Gibson 2017, pp. 101–8.
- [https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3eea0dc1-3f8e-4564-887f-f7aae26de57f Gibson 2015], 122–130. Research, by both Christian and non-Christian scholars, has consistently shown that prayer-based healing is the main reason for conversion among a majority of converts,Gibson 2017, ch. 7.
- [https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3eea0dc1-3f8e-4564-887f-f7aae26de57f Gibson 2015], ch. 7.
- Fricke 2008.
- Zharkevich 2016, p. 106.
- Ripert 2014, p. 54.
- Kirchheiner 2016, p. 123-163.
- Leve 2014.
- Rai 2013, pp. 26–31, ch. 5.
- Shrestha 2012, pp. 60–1.
- Dalzell 2015, p. 325, p. 350.
- Kehrberg 2000, p. 149. with some observers estimating that healing of a person or a family member accounts for as many as 75% of conversions.Shrestha 2012, p. 60.
- Gibson 2017, p. 101.
- [https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3eea0dc1-3f8e-4564-887f-f7aae26de57f Gibson 2015], p. 120. Frequently, conversion occurs among those who become ill, then find what they perceive to be inadequate support from familyGibson 2017, ch. 7.
- Gibson 2015, ch. 7. or traditional healers,Gibson 2017, ch. 7.
- Gibson 2015, ch. 7.
- Fricke 2008.
- Kirchheiner 2016, pp. 130–3.
- Ripert 2014" leading them to turn to churches for social support and healing. Theologically, healing is understood in terms of the defeat of evil spirits, often associated with witchcraft, by the power of Christ;Gibson 2017, ch. 7 and 8.
- Gibson, Ian (2017b). ‘[http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-9655.12700/full Pentecostal Peacefulness: Virtue Ethics and the Reception of Theology in Nepal]’. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Society. 23 (4).
- [https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3eea0dc1-3f8e-4564-887f-f7aae26de57f Gibson 2015], ch. 7 and 8.
- Kirchheiner 2016, pp. 127–151. this pacification of spirits allows some converts to remove themselves from cycles of social aggression associated with witchcraft accusations.[https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1467-9655.12700 Gibson 2017b].
- Gibson 2017, pp. 158–65.
- [https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3eea0dc1-3f8e-4564-887f-f7aae26de57f Gibson 2015], pp. 196–203.
File:A church service in Sanga, in the eastern Kathmandu Valley, in 2013.jpg, in the eastern Kathmandu Valley, in 2013.]]
Relatively egalitarian attitudes within churches towards caste, gender, and age are also significant factors in conversion to Christianity. In many areas the majority of converts come from Dalit, Janajati, or other excluded social groups.DAWN Nepal 2007.
- Gibson 2017, pp. 228–237.
- [https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3eea0dc1-3f8e-4564-887f-f7aae26de57f Gibson 2015], pp. 281–6.
- Kehrberg 200, pp. 140–3.
- Campbell, Ben. 2016. 'Tamang Christians and the Resituating of Religious Difference'.
In Religion, Secularism, and Ethnicity in Contemporary Nepal , edited by David N. Gellner, Sondra L. Hausner, and Chiara Letizia. Oxford: OUP. Churches preach caste equality,Gibson 2017, ch. 6, p. 158. - [https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3eea0dc1-3f8e-4564-887f-f7aae26de57f Gibson 2015], p. 158 and ch. 6.
- Rai 2013. offer opportunities for leadership to excluded castes,Ripert 2014
- Gibson 2017, ch. 9–10.
- [https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3eea0dc1-3f8e-4564-887f-f7aae26de57f Gibson 2015], ch. 9–10. and allow intermarriage between castes, though such marriages are at times resisted by older Christians.Dalzell 2015, p. 353.
- Gibson 2017, p. 118.
- [https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3eea0dc1-3f8e-4564-887f-f7aae26de57f Gibson 2015], p. 143. Many churches have a majority of women in their congregations.DAWN Nepal 2007.
- Gibson 2017, ch. 8.
- [https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3eea0dc1-3f8e-4564-887f-f7aae26de57f Gibson 2015], ch. 8. This is connected with the promotion of an ideal of 'companionate marriage' within some churches,Gibson 2017, p. 158.
- [https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3eea0dc1-3f8e-4564-887f-f7aae26de57f Gibson 2015], pp. 194–5. involving a strong rejection of domestic violence (and an associated prohibition on alcohol which is often linked with such violence),Gibson 2017, ch. 8.
- Gibson 2015, ch. 8.
- Rai 2013, pp. 39–40. and an increasing involvement of women in marital decision-making.Gibson 2017, pp. 149–158.
- [https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3eea0dc1-3f8e-4564-887f-f7aae26de57f Gibson 2015], pp. 184–96. Churches also provide opportunities for female leadership within women's fellowships, and in some cases as pastors.Gibson 2017, ch. 8.
- [https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3eea0dc1-3f8e-4564-887f-f7aae26de57f Gibson 2015], ch. 8.
- Leve 2014.
- Kehrberg 2000, p. 102.
- Perry 2000, pp. 61–4. A significant proportion of many church congregations is under the age of 30,DAWN Nepal 2007.
- Gibson 2017, ch. 10.
- [https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3eea0dc1-3f8e-4564-887f-f7aae26de57f Gibson 2015], ch. 10. with some young Christians, as well as more educated converts, claiming that they find Christianity more ‘modern’ or ‘rational’ than other religions.Gibson 2017, ch. 10.
- [https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3eea0dc1-3f8e-4564-887f-f7aae26de57f Gibson 2015], ch. 10.
- Ripert 2014.
- Hagen 1998. Youth fellowships provide social and psychological support, as well as opportunities for leadership, to young Christians.Gibson 2017, ch. 10.
- [https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3eea0dc1-3f8e-4564-887f-f7aae26de57f Gibson 2015], ch. 10.
File:An Easter foot washing service at a church in Jumla, west Nepal, in April 2012.jpg, west Nepal.]]
Until 1990 most Nepali churches were non-denominational and independent; since then numerous denominational groups have entered Nepal, leading to concern among Nepali Christian leaders about sectarianism and church-splitting.Bhatta, Bhoj Raj (2010). [https://missionexus.org/creating-unity-and-health-in-the-nepali-church/ ‘Creating Unity and Health in the Nepali Church.‘] Evangelical Missions Quarterly, July issue.
- Tamang 2012.
- Shrestha 2012, pp. 39–46. There have been claims that denominational groups have offered financial incentives to church leaders – often in the form of funds for church buildings, or educational scholarships – to encourage them to change denominations.Johnson, Mark (2006) [https://missionexus.org/grace-and-greed-in-a-people-movement-to-christ-in-nepal/ ‘Grace and Greed in a People Movement to Christ in Nepal.‘] Evangelical Missions Quarterly. January issue.
- Tamang 2012.
- Bhatta 2010.
- Shah 1993.
Additionally, some denominational missionary groups (not associated with UMN or INF) have adopted methods of relief or development work arousing widespread social concern, particularly in the wake of the 2015 earthquake.Coburn 2017
- 'Sermon on the Mountain'. Nepali Times 1 September 2017.
- Preiss, Danielle (2016) [https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/02/03/463965924/why-nepal-has-one-of-the-worlds-fastest-growing-christian-populations 'Why Nepal has one of the World's fastest Growing Christian Populations'.] NPR website, 3 February 2016. [https://web.archive.org/web/20181201092052/https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/02/03/463965924/why-nepal-has-one-of-the-worlds-fastest-growing-christian-populations Archived] 1 December 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019. Nonetheless, while some Christian leaders (particularly those in larger churches in urban settings) do gain financially from missionary groups, as may a small minority of other Christian converts, research has shown that the majority of Nepali Christians receive no material or financial gain either before or after conversion, and often in fact suffer significant losses as a result of post-conversion ostracism from their families and communities, including frequent disinheritance.Gibson 2017, ch. 5–10.
- [https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3eea0dc1-3f8e-4564-887f-f7aae26de57f Gibson 2015], ch. 5–10.
- Rai 2013, pp. 46–9.
- Kirchheiner 2016.
- Hale, Thomas (1989) On the far side of Liglig Mountain: the adventures of an American family in Nepal. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. p. 8.
- U.S. Department of State (2010) [https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/eoir/legacy/2013/06/10/Nepal_1.pdf Nepal 2010 International Religious Freedom Report.] p. 1. [https://web.archive.org/web/20181014091726/https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/eoir/legacy/2013/06/10/Nepal_1.pdf Archived] 14 October 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- Hagen 1998, pp. 396–402.
- Gibson, Ian et al. (n.d.) [https://nepalichristianity.com/ 'A Conversation about Nepali Christianity]' A Conversation about Nepali Christianity website. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
Informed observers have judged that the contemporary Nepali church is too large and organizationally diverse (see Demographics) to be susceptible to systematic foreign resourcing or control.Gibson, Ian (2019). "[https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2436&context=himalaya Praying for Peace: Family Experiences of Christian Conversion in Bhaktapur]". Himalaya: The Journal of the Association of Nepal and Himalayan Studies. 39 (1), p.55.
- Gibson, Ian et al. (n.d.) '[https://nepalichristianity.com/ A Conversation about Nepali Christianity]' A Conversation about Nepali Christianity website. [https://web.archive.org/web/20190122195531/https://nepalichristianity.com/ Archived] 22 January 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
Contemporary Catholicism
{{main |Catholic Church in Nepal}}
File:Kathmandu, catholic Assumption cathedral.jpg]]
Although numerically much smaller than Nepali Protestantism (see Demographics), Catholicism in Nepal exercises significant influence through its educational, interreligious, and social service work. St Xavier's School has educated several generations of the Nepali elite, including the children of high-ranking political, bureaucratic, and military officials.Messerschmidt 2012. Gyanendra Shah, Nepal's king from 2001 to 2008, is said to have been positively disposed towards Christianity as a result of his friendship with his former teacher, Bishop Anthony Sharma S.J.'[https://www.fides.org/en/news/442-ASIA_NEPAL_FIRST_OFFICIAL_VISIT_BY_NEW_NUNCIO_ARCHBISHOP_PEDRO_LOPEZ_QUINTANA_THE_GOSPEL_WILL_TAKE_ROOT_ONLY_IF_IT_HAS_A_PROFITABLE_MEETING_WITH_CULTURES_AND_TRADITIONS_OF_THE_PEOPLE_AMONG_WHOM_IT_IS_PROCLAIMED First Official Visit by New Nuncio Archbishop Pedro Lopez Quintana]'. Fides. 9 July 2003. Retrieved 22 January 2019. [https://web.archive.org/web/20160307064349/http://www.sspxasia.com/Countries/Nepal/NewsArchive.htm Archived] on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2019. Whereas Nepali Protestants tend to avoid all non-Christian ritual and ceremony,Kirchheiner 2016.
- Sharma, Bal Krishna (2013) From this world to the next: Christian identity and funerary rites in Nepal. Oxford: Regnum Books International.
- Gibson 2017, pp. 125–8.
- Gibson, Ian (2019). "Praying for Peace: Family Experiences of Christian Conversion in Nepal." Himalaya: The Journal of the Association of Nepal and Himalayan Studies. 39 (1).
Nepali Catholicism takes a notably more open approach to non-Christian religions.'[https://www.jcsaweb.org/interreligious-and-ethnic-dialogue-jesuit-nepal-region Interreligious and Ethnic Dialogue in Jesuit Nepal Region]'. Jesuit Conference of South Asia website. [https://web.archive.org/web/20190122195531/https://www.jcsaweb.org/interreligious-and-ethnic-dialogue-jesuit-nepal-region Archived] 22 January 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2019. Catholics take part in festivals such as Bhai Tika and Dashain,Sharma, Christopher (7 October 2014) ' [http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Dashain-Festival,-a-moment-of-solidarity-and-harmony-for-all-the-religions-of-Nepal--32356.going Dashain Festival],'. Asia News. [https://web.archive.org/web/20190122145311/http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Dashain-Festival,-a-moment-of-religions-of-Nepal--32356.html Archived] 22 January 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- '[https://www.ucanews.com/story-archive/?post_name=/1999/10/22/nepali-magazine-exposes-catholics-attitude-toward-hindu-festivals&post_id=14623 Nepali Magazine Exposes Catholics' Attitude towards Hindu Festivals]'. UCANews.com. [https://web.archive.org/web/20190128030124/https://www.ucanews.com/story-archive/?post_name=/1999/10/22/nepali-magazine-exposes-catholics-attitude-toward-hindu-festivals&post_id=14623 Archived] 28 January 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019. and are permitted to consume alcohol, an important part of social and ritual life for some ethnic groups.Fricke 2008, p. 39. Nepali Catholics have played leading roles in interreligious dialogue in recent decades,Sharkey, Gregory (2009) '[http://www.martinchautari.org.np/files/SINHAS-Articles/SINHAS-Vol.14-No.2_article_Gregory-Sharkey.pdf.pdf The Life and Work of John Kerr Locke]'. Studies in Nepali History and Society 14(2): 423–440. [https://web.archive.org/web/20190122145054/http://www.martinchautari.org.np/files/SINHAS-Articles/SINHAS-Vol.14-No.2_article_Gregory-Sharkey.pdf.pdf Archived] 22 January 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- '[https://www.desiderihouse.org/desideri-house Jesuit Buddhist Studies and Dialogue]'. Desideri House website. [https://web.archive.org/web/20200521020846/https://www.desiderihouse.org/desideri-house Archived] May 21, 2020.. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- '[https://www.jcsaweb.org/interreligious-and-ethnic-dialogue-jesuit-nepal-region Interreligious and Ethnic Dialogue in Jesuit Nepal Region]'. Jesuit Conference of South Asia website. Retrieved 27 January 2019. and Kathmandu's Assumption Cathedral incorporates Newari and Tibetan styles of architecture and mural painting.'[https://www.jcsaweb.org/interreligious-and-ethnic-dialogue-jesuit-nepal-region Interreligious and Ethnic Dialogue in Jesuit Nepal Region]'. Jesuit Conference of South Asia website. Retrieved 22 January 2019. Catholic aid organizations have a significant presence in Nepal, with Caritas reporting that in 2017 its programs reached as many as 185,294 Nepalis.Caritas Nepal (2017) [https://www.caritasnepal.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Annual-Report-2017-Caritas-Nepal.pdf Annual Report 2017]. p. 9. [https://web.archive.org/web/20200106203236/https://www.caritasnepal.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Annual-Report-2017-Caritas-Nepal.pdf Archived] 6 January 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2020. Like UMN and INF, Caritas Nepal works strictly without reference to the religion or background of those who receive its help, and does not perform evangelistic work.'[https://www.caritasnepal.org/pages/29/ About Us]'. Caritas Nepal website. [https://web.archive.org/web/20190122144954/https://www.caritasnepal.org/pages/29/ Archived] 22 January 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
Politics
=Legal situation=
Throughout the period from 1768 to 1990, proselytism of or conversion to Christianity or Islam was legally prohibited in Nepal.Gaborieau 2002, p. 93. A statement of this prohibition can be found in the legal code of 1935:Quoted in Gaborieau 2002, pp. 93–4
To him who preaches beliefs opposed to the traditional religion of the subjects of the kingdom, to him who abandons or cause to abandon one religion to adopt, or cause to adopt, another one, the following rules will be applied: In the whole of the kingdom of Gorkha – Nepal, putting into practice (calauna) and preaching (pracar garna)…. Kabir panthi, Christian, Islamic and other irreligious (vi-dharmi) and foreign (vi-deshi) beliefs (mat) which ruin the religion traditionally practised (sanatan-dekhi hindu jati ma cali-aeko) by the Hindu community and the caste hierarchy, is prohibited; converting to these beliefs any of our subjects belonging to the Brahman caste, or any other clean caste is prohibited.
These laws were in force even after the revolution of 1951, and were reaffirmed in the legal code of 1963, which prohibited the preaching of Christianity or Islam and stipulated three years in jail for those who attempted to convert people, and six years for those who succeeded in converting others.Gaborieau 2002, p. 94. For those who 'attempt' to be converted, there was a fine of a hundred rupees, and for those who actually converted (that is, were baptized), there would be imprisonment of one year. The code stated that 'when somebody becomes converted, the conversion is nullified, and he remains in the Hindu dharma [religion]'.
File:Pastor Prem Pradhan, Bir Bahadur Rai, and Dil Bahadur Thakuri in Tansen prison, 1961.jpg
From the early 1960s, the state began actively to prosecute Christians where the baptism of Nepali citizens had occurred; this active governmental persecution continued up to 1990.Gaborieau 2002, p. 95. Following baptisms in Nepalgunj and Tansen between 1958 and 1960, pastors David Mukhia and Prem Pradhan, along with six baptised believers, were prosecuted by the authorities for proselytism and conversion. The pastors were sentenced to six years imprisonment; the male converts were sentenced to one year imprisonment and the female converts to six months.Barclay 2009, pp. 191–2. Prosecutions such as this continued for the whole of the Panchayat period:Kehrberg 2000, pp. 106–9. when an amnesty was proclaimed in 1990 there were 30 individuals in Nepal imprisoned for crimes of proselytism or conversion, and 200 others who were subject to legal action for the same offences.
After the democracy movement of 1990, a new constitution was promulgated which decriminalized religious conversion, but retained the ban on proselytism. The interim constitution of 2007, adopted after the democracy movement of 2006, was identical to the 1990 code in these respects;[http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/rarebooks/downloads/Nepal_Interim_Constitution_2007_first_to_sixth_amendements.pdf The Interim Constitution of Nepal 2063 (2007)] (2009). p. 74. [https://web.archive.org/web/20181117233412/http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/rarebooks/downloads/Nepal_Interim_Constitution_2007_first_to_sixth_amendements.pdf Archived] 17 November 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019. it also proclaimed Nepal a secular state[http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/rarebooks/downloads/Nepal_Interim_Constitution_2007_first_to_sixth_amendements.pdf The Interim Constitution of Nepal 2063 (2007)] (2009). p. 56. and included guarantees on religious freedom. The 2015 constitution retained the designation of Nepal as a secular state, but defined secularism to include the 'protection of religion and culture being practiced since ancient times'.[https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Nepal_2015.pdf?lang=en Nepal's Constitution of 2015.] Comparative Constitutions Project. p. 13. [https://web.archive.org/web/20170923095922/https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Nepal_2015.pdf?lang=en Archived] 23 September 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2019. It also prohibited 'disturbing the religion of other people' and reiterated the ban on proselytism[https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Nepal_2015.pdf?lang=en Nepal's Constitution of 2015.] Comparative Constitutions Project. p. 22. (or literally, 'causing someone to change religion' [kasaiko dharma parivartan garaunu][http://www.easynepalityping.com/nepali-sanvidhana Nepali Sanvidan 2072]. p. 13. [https://web.archive.org/web/20180707200404/http://www.easynepalityping.com/nepali-sanvidhana Archived] 7 July 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019.).
In 2017, Nepal's parliament passed an ambiguously worded law criminalizing 'hurting the religious sentiment of any caste, ethnic community or class by writing, through voice/talk or by a shape or symbol or in any other such manner', and stipulating that 'nobody should indulge in any act or conduct so as to undermine the religion, faith or belief that any caste, ethnic group or community has been observing since eternal times'.'[http://www.csw.org.uk/2017/08/21/press/3676/article.htm Nepal Bill Criminalizes Religious Conversion]’. Christian Solidarity Worldwide website, 21 August 2017.
- [http://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2017/october/nepal-criminalizes-conversion-christianity-evangelism-hindu.html 'Nepal Criminalizes Christian Conversion and Evangelism']. Christianity Today, 25 October 2017.
- U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (2018). [https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/Limitations%20on%20Minorities%20Religious%20Freedom%20in%20South%20Asia.pdf Limitations on Minorities' Religious Freedom in South Asia: USCIRF Special Report.]
In other South Asian countries, similarly worded laws, which have sometimes been interpreted as prohibiting even speaking about one's faith, have been used to settle personal vendettas or harass Muslim or Christian minorities.U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (2017). [http://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/India.2017.pdf 2017 Annual Report – India]. [https://web.archive.org/web/20190111084738/https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/India.2017.pdf Archived] 11 January 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (2017). [http://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/Pakistan.2017.pdf 2017 Annual Report – Pakistan.] [https://web.archive.org/web/20190110083104/https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/Pakistan.2017.pdf Archived] 10 January 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (2018). [https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/Limitations%20on%20Minorities%20Religious%20Freedom%20in%20South%20Asia.pdf Limitations on Minorities' Religious Freedom in South Asia: USCIRF Special Report.]
=Persecution=
Between 1990 and the mid-2010s Nepal's law on proselytism remained largely unenforced, and Christians were able to operate without significant governmental interference. However, the rapid growth of Christianity and the rise of nationalist sentiment since the declaration of secularism in 2007 has led to increasing calls for tighter restrictions on Christian activity,Letizia, Chiara (2012) 'Shaping secularism in Nepal.' European Bulletin of Himalayan Research, 39. pp. 79–83. causing the authorities in recent years to enforce anti-proselytism laws more aggressively. It has been reported that local government and police officials have begun to interpret the constitutional ban on proselytism to include non-coercive evangelism,U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom 2017, p. 2. and have brought a number of legal cases against Christians on this basis.‘[http://www.csw.org.uk/2016-nepal-charikot The Charikot Case]’. Christian Solidarity Worldwide website. [https://web.archive.org/web/20181117233417/https://www.csw.org.uk/2016-nepal-charikot Archived] 17 November 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- ‘[https://barnabasfund.org/en/news/Hinduspressurepolicetoarrest40ChristiansinNepal Hindus pressure police to arrest 40 Christians in Nepal].’ Barnabas Fund website. [https://web.archive.org/web/20190128050713/https://barnabasfund.org/en/news/Hinduspressurepolicetoarrest40ChristiansinNepal Archived] 28 January 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (2018). [https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/Limitations%20on%20Minorities%20Religious%20Freedom%20in%20South%20Asia.pdf Limitations on Minorities' Religious Freedom in South Asia: USCIRF Special Report.]
The 2017 law criminalizing the 'hurting [of] religious sentiment' has led to additional prosecutions.‘[http://www.csw.org.uk/2017/08/21/press/3676/article.htm Nepal Bill Criminalizes Religious Conversion]’. Christian Solidarity Worldwide website, 21 August 2017.
- US Department of State (2018). [https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/NEPAL-2018-INTERNATIONAL-RELIGIOUS-FREEDOM-REPORT.pdf 2018 Report on International Religious Freedom: Nepal.]
- U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (2018). [https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/Limitations%20on%20Minorities%20Religious%20Freedom%20in%20South%20Asia.pdf Limitations on Minorities' Religious Freedom in South Asia: USCIRF Special Report.]
- {{Cite web|last=Carvalho|first=Nirmala|date=6 November 2018|title=Kathmandu, four Christians arrested for 'forced conversion' of Dalit|url=http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Kathmandu,-four-Christians-arrested-for-'forced-conversion'-of-dalit-45396.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181123020244/http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Kathmandu,-four-Christians-arrested-for-'forced-conversion'-of-dalit-45396.html|archive-date=23 November 2018|access-date=1 January 2019|website=AsiaNews}}
- Religion News Service (2020). '[https://religionnews.com/2020/07/14/nepals-government-actively-targets-religious-minorities/ Nepal's government actively targets religious minorities]'. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
Other signs of an increasing political backlash against Christianity include the removal of Christmas from Nepal's list of public holidays in April 2016,{{Cite web|url=http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Nepal-cancels-Christmas-as-a-public-holiday%3B-Christians-retort-that-Hindus-have-83-37122.html|title=Nepal cancels Christmas as a public holiday; Christians retort that Hindus have 83|last=Sharma|first=Christopher|date=4 April 2016|website=AsiaNews.it|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106104638/http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Nepal-cancels-Christmas-as-a-public-holiday%3B-Christians-retort-that-Hindus-have-83-37122.html|archive-date=6 January 2019}} and the convictions, later overturned, of four Christians in Salyan for witchcraft in December 2016.{{Cite web|url=http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Four-Christians-accused-of-witchcraft-released-41905.html|title=Four Christians accused of witchcraft released|date=28 September 2017|website=AsiaNews.it|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190105145648/http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Four-Christians-accused-of-witchcraft-released-41905.html|archive-date=5 January 2019}}
File:Cathedral of the Assumption, Kathmandu, after the 2009 bomb attack.jpg, after the 2009 bomb attack.]]
There have been sporadic incidents of violence against Christians in Nepal. During the civil war of 1996 to 2006, churches in Maoist-controlled areas were routinely harassed and extorted, and there have been incidents of murder or kidnap of Christian pastors in rural areas.Coday 2013.
- Parajuli 2011. In May 2009, a bomb was detonated in the Catholic Cathedral in Kathmandu, killing three people and injuring a further thirteen (the disarray following the attack is shown in the image on the right). The group believed to be responsible is the Nepal Defence Army, a Terai-based Hindu nationalist group.Parajuli 2012. In September 2015, three Protestant churches were bombed in the Jhapa District, with Hindu nationalists again identified as responsible. Christian leaders have expressed concern that the 'inflammatory language' of nationalist leaders and some in the media (including accusations that Christians lure people to convert with material inducements) may encourage anti-Christian prejudice and violence.US Department of State 2016, p. 2.
Demographics
It is impossible to determine with certainty the exact number of Christians in Nepal today, but most informed observers agree that the 2011 Census's figure of 375,699 (1.4% of the population) is a significant underestimate. Scholars and religious minorities have argued that Nepal's censuses consistently under-report non-Hindus.US Department of State 2012.
- Rai 2001.
- Hangen and Lawoti 2013.
- Gellner 2005. Various informed organizations and observers have placed the number of Christians in Nepal between 700,000 and 3 million.National Churches Fellowship of Nepal (2017). [http://www.ncfnepal.org/about/ ‘About NCFN.’] Retrieved 20 September 2017. [https://web.archive.org/web/20171109161500/http://ncfnepal.org/about/ Archived] on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- Mandryk 2010, p. 619.
- Shrestha 2012, p. 21-6.
- Gibson 2017, p. 95.
- [https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3eea0dc1-3f8e-4564-887f-f7aae26de57f Gibson 2015], pp. 113–14.
- Janssen 2016.
- ‘FNCN: Christian population below actual size.’ Kathmandu Post, 6 December 2012. [https://web.archive.org/web/20181117193257/http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2012-12-05/fncn-christian-population-below-actual-size.html Archived] from the original on 17 November 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
Christians as Hindus’ in Compilation of WEA Religious Liberty Commission Research and Analysis Reports 2010–13. pp. 128–9. [https://web.archive.org/web/20190128003552/https://issuu.com/mikegabriel/docs/wea_rlc_research_and_analysis_-_com Archived] on 28 January 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- US Department of State (2018), "[https://www.state.gov/reports/2018-report-on-international-religious-freedom/nepal/ 2018 Report on International Religious Freedom: Nepal]".
Scholars who have assessed the various estimates have suggested that a figure of roughly 1 million may be the most plausible estimate.Gibson 2017, p. 95.
- [https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3eea0dc1-3f8e-4564-887f-f7aae26de57f Gibson 2015], p. 113.
- Shrestha 2012, p.3.
File:A photograph of Scheer Memorial Hospital, Nepal.jpg.]]
The vast majority of Nepali churches are Protestant evangelical (if evangelical is defined broadly to include charismatics and Pentecostals).Mandryk 2010, p. 619.
- Shrestha 2012, p. 45-6.
- DAWN Nepal 2007, pp. 11–12. Before 1990, these churches were largely non-denominational and free of foreign ties.Shrestha 2012, p. 45-6.
- Tamang 2012. Since then, denominational groups (such as the Assemblies of God, the Baptist World Alliance, Calvary Chapel, and Believers Church) have grown rapidly, but independent and house churches still account for more than half of Nepali congregations.Mandryk 2010, p. 619. There are also roughly 10,000 Nepali Catholics, a significant number of whom are located in the eastern region of the country.[https://books.google.com/books?id=J8BNAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA82 Sharma 2013], p. 82. Additionally, there are small numbers of adherents to non-mainstream Christian groups in Nepal, such as the Seventh-Day Adventists,[https://www.adventistyearbook.org/entity?EntityID=12924 Adventist Yearbook: Himalayan Section.] Seventh-day Adventist Online Yearbook website. Retrieved 13 February 2019. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,Australian Government Refugee Review Tribunal. 2011. [https://www.ecoi.net/file_upload/1788_1336750564_npl38240.pdf Country Advice Nepal – NPL38420]. [https://web.archive.org/web/20181118081507/https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/1040548/1788_1336750564_npl38240.pdf Archived] 18 November 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019. Jehovah's Witnesses,Gibson 2017, pp. x–xi.
- [https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3eea0dc1-3f8e-4564-887f-f7aae26de57f Gibson 2015], p. 3.
- '[https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/worldwide/NP/ Nepal: Johovah's Witnesses around the World]'. Jehovah's Witnesses website. [https://web.archive.org/web/20171128062843/https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/worldwide/NP/ Archived] 28 November 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2019. and World Mission Society Church of God.Gibson 2017, p. 182.
- [https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3eea0dc1-3f8e-4564-887f-f7aae26de57f Gibson 2015], p. 224.
- '[http://usa.watv.org/mission/worldwide.asp Church Status.]' World Mission Society Church of God website. [https://web.archive.org/web/20181117192928/http://usa.watv.org/mission/worldwide.asp Archived] 17 November 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
A 2020 survey noted that 4.3% of the population was Christian; the majority of these were 'independent Christians', but 1% of the country identified as Protestant.[https://www.thearda.com/world-religion/national-profiles?u=159c World Religions Database at the ARDA website, retrieved 2023-08-08]
{{As of|2023}}, there were at least 7,758 churches in Nepal.
In 2023, the country was scored 2 out of 4 for religious freedom.[https://freedomhouse.org/country/nepal/freedom-world/2023 Freedom House, retrieved 2023-08-08]
See also
{{portal|Christianity|Nepal}}
References
{{reflist}}
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External links
- [https://www.christiankura.com/christian-population-in-nepal/ Christiankura website; Christian Population in Nepal]
Further reading
- Afful, Kenneth E. 1992. "The Role of NGOs in the Development Process A Case-study of NGO Projects in Nepal." PhD thesis, University of Lancaster.
- {{Cite book |last=Fulgentius |first=Vannini |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TL8WAAAAIAAJ |title=Christian Settlements in Nepal During the Eighteenth Century |publisher=Capuchin Ashram |year=1977 |location=New Delhi}}
- Gellner, David N. 2005. "[https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:eb809675-7c85-4ad5-a779-ef721e6447ca/download_file?file_format=pdf&safe_filename=ATTACHMENT01&type_of_work=Journal+article The emergence of conversion in a Hindu-Buddhist polytropy: The Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, c. 1600–1995.]" Comparative studies in society and history 47 (4):755–80.
- Sever, Adrien, 1993. Nepal under the Ranas, New Delhi: Oxford and IBH Publishing Co.
- Stiller, Ludwig F., 1993. Nepal: Growth of a Nation, Kathmandu: Human Resources Development Research Center.
- Vaidya, Tulsi Ram, 1996. Jaya Prakash Malla: The Brave Malla King of Kantipur, New Delhi: Anmol Publications.
- Vaidya, Tulsi Ram, 1992. Nepal: A Study of Socio-Economic and Political Changes, New Delhi: Anmol Publications.
- Whelpton, John. 2005. A History of Nepal. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-52180470-7}}.