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A Seminar Paper on Development of Christianity in Nepal
Subject: History of Christianity in India Submitted By: Aaron Thomas Mathews Submitted To: Rev. Biju Krishnan Introduction If one looks at the church in Asia from the point of view of western missions, then the history of the last few decades of the 1 900 s was dismal indeed. Missionaries had become unpopular almost everywhere, and Illegal in many places like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Malaysia, Burma, North Korea, Nepal and so on.^1 This paper aims to present how the gospel message of salvation in Christ came into the beautiful Himalayan country of Nepal, a country sandwiched between China and India, and how Christianity advanced despite severe persecution and hardship. Nepal's first contact with Christianity came through the periodic travels of Jesuits and then Capuchins in the 1600s. And the largest numbers of Christians were among tribal groups.^2 To bring light to the subject, it would be helpful to take a glance at some historical factors such as the socio- political, religious, and cultural background of the country. The information enlisted in the paper will help one to know how Christianity advanced rapidly despite many unutterable obstacles and opposition. A Brief Historical Background Population composition of Nepal is very diverse. There are more than hundred different people groups and ethnicities with their own language and dialects and cultural exercises. Hindu beliefs and its caste-base practices were present here. It is regarded as the constitutionally protected state religion of Nepal, but Buddhism shares this protection. Dor Bahadur Bista writes that the Hindu religion and its caste system was brought from India.^3 The ruling class consisted of the highly regarded Brahmans and Kshetriyas, and everyone in society was expected to follow their rules. Since the country remained closed to 'others' who would probably bring a different religion, practice and introduce a new way of life. Nepal opened its doors to the outside world in 1951 and with the parliamentary democracy ending in 1961, the country came back to one party rule.^4 Later, Nepal became a federal republic on 28 May 2008 and was formally renamed the 'Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal' (^1) Paul R. Spickard, Kevin M. Cragg, and G. William Carlson, A Global History of Christians: How Everyday Believers Experienced Their World (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2008), 441 (^2) (Pentecost in. Asia: A New Way of Being Church, THOMAS C. Fox. ORBIS BOOKS, Maryknoll, New York pg 218) (^3) Dor Bahadur Bista, Fatalism And Development: Nepal's Struggle for Modernization (Kolkata: Orient Longman, 1991),
(^4) a dictionary of asian Christianity
a. The Ancient History of Nepal In the earliest around 500 B.C, there were many smaller kingdoms in Nepal. Among them, were the dynasty from where Gautama Budhha came; Later the Maurya and Ashoka came and then Kirat Dynasty was founded. Kirat were known as Mongolian background, who arrived in Nepal in about 7th^ century BC. After that, the Kirat kings were replaced by the Lichchhavis then Lichchhavi were conquered by Thakuris. And later they reconquered by introducing them as Malla, until the Shah king from Gorkha came to the valley and invaded them in 1769. b. The Modern History of Nepal In 18th^ century, the Gorkha king Prithvi Narayan Shah (c. 1768-1775) started unifying the little kingdoms into an independent Himalayan kingdom of Nepal. He was extensively successful in invading and bringing all divided political units under one umbrella, as the mighty Shah dynasty. His successors carried the vision further and were able to expand the territories in the east, south and west The National Unification attempt somehow continued till the Anglo-Nepalese war ended with a treaty in 1816. The British were victorious and ceded some Nepalese territory. Later the Monarchy was abolished in June 2006 and Nepal became a federal republic on 28 May 2008 and was formally renamed the 'Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal' ending the 200-year-old reign of the Shah monarchs. Entry of Christianity The earliest account of Christian missionary works in Nepal took place in 1662 and is credited to the Italian capuchin fathers and the work extended to the three-city kingdoms kathmand, bhadgaon and patan around the next 50 years, during which two churches were built.^5 They sought permission to stay for a brief period in the valley and after several requests, the kings granted permission to stay and propagate the Gospel with necessary provisions. The missionaries under the capuchin order of the Roman Catholic Church were able to win a handful number of native Newars in Bhadgaon during their stay and services for more than 55 years But the mission did not continue for long. Shortly after King Prithvi Narayan Shah occupied Kathmandu valley in 1768, his royal officers expelled 57 native Newari Christians of 14 families from Bhadgaon (present-day Bhaktapur). From then a firm policy excluded all foreigners and Christians mainly due to two reasons. The first is, maintaining independence and protecting from invasion and occupation from foreigners. Second, the Hindu kingdom had to be kept undefiled and the Hindu structure of society intact.^6 Later on, the Rana autocratic rulers, who had been raised themselves as Neo-Kshetriyas from a tribal ethnic groups called Magars ruled more than hundred years since 1848. Those rulers fearing of losing control over the majority people did not allow foreigners to visit this country until 1951.^7 Since the country observed a closed policy in terms of religion and cultural exchanges, excluding other faiths and officially marginalizing all practices except Hinduism.Christianity was totally banned. Missionary attempts like sharing the Gospel and distributing the Bible were threatened. Nobody was allowed to accept new faiths (^5) a dictionary of asian christianity edited by scott w. sunquist william b. publishing company cambridge U.K pg 593 (^6) (Hoke, Donald E. The Church in Asia. Chicago: Moody Press. pg462) (^7) Shah, Introduction, 84.
which they were connected, they were to travel and live only as their visas allowed, but they were not to propagate their religion or convert the people^16. The first resident missionary of the modern era who took advantage of the new opportunity in Nepal were the Catholic Jesuit father Marshall Moral^17 , who moved to Kathmandu in January 1951 and started St. Xavier's School by the following July, an English boys' boarding school following it with a similar school for girls later. In the early 1930s Dr. Lilly O'Hanlon and a Christian friend in England felt strongly called of God to work in Nepal Amidst of closed doors and discouragements, they left England in 1936 and began a small dispensary in the Indian border town of Nautanwa, they later studied the Nepalese language and operated a dispensary. And finally in 1951, Nepal was opened to the foreign entrepreneurs for the first time in two hundred years. Dr. O'Hanlon was invited by the first British ambassador to visit the capital city. They have waited and prayed for these sixteen years. It was during this vist that God confirmed the place where they had to minister, Pokhara.^18 And finally, in November 1952, they were given permission to proceed to Pokhara and build a hospital. The work has continued until today and is currently called the International Nepal Fellowship. Associated with the mission is a group of Nepali Christian workers, through whom a church has been formed with a national pastor. The Protestant mission towards Nepal began in 1953. The largest foreign mission to enter Nepal was the United Mission to Nepal , formed in 1954. And since 1954 the Protestant Churches, service organisations and other institutions are working together under the umbrella organisation "United Mission to Nepal", which at the beginning of the 3rd millennium had more than 40 members. There have been more than 50 Protestant foreign missionary societies involved in education, medical and community development work since the 1950s.^19 The Protestant missionaries are less hesitant to undertake direct and public missionary activities than is the case with the Catholic Church. With their evangelistic zeal and other often spectacular activities, the Protestant missionaries have been successful, on the one hand, in increasing the number of conversions and baptisms among the Hindus. On the other hand, however, they have aroused the resistance and opposition among the Hindus who feel attacked and threatened by these often-aggressive missionary activities. The life and work of Sundar Thapa, the founder-director of the "Evangelical Christian Fellowship", can be seen as a prominent example of Protestant missionary activities in Nepal.^20 The first church in Nepal (1955) was built at Ram Ghat, Pokhara, by the Nepal members of the NEB under the leadership of Pastor David Mukhia, and on the land of one of their early evangelists, Buddhi Sagar Gautam Col Nararaj Shamsher, who had been converted and baptized across the border in Raxaul. Two significant events marked the turning of the first decade of the church in Nepal: in 1959, the first meeting of what became the Nepal Christian Fellowship (NCF) brought together the few Christians scattered across (^16) Hoke, Op cit., 463 (^17) The dictionary of asia (^18) Hoke, Op cit., 464 (^19) K. M. George, Development of Christianity through the Centuries: Tradition and Discovery (Tiruvalla: Christava Sahitya Samithi, 2005), 26 7. (^20) The churches in asia, georg evers: ispck, 2005 delhi.
the country and aided in the formation of churches, and in 1960 the first major court case was brought against Christians, as a result of which Pastor Prem Pradhan was imprisoned for his faith. NCF took the lead in providing short-term Bible teaching, leadership training, formation of the Bible Society", and the first Bible school in Nepal. And in 1969 UMN had grown and their work embraces medical, public health, education, agriculture, industrial development, and training projects. By 1985 the number of Christians had increased, mostly being the Protestants, but also with a growing Catholic community under Nepali leadership. However, the restoration of democracy in 1990 ushered in a new period of relative religious freedom and emphasis rights of all religious prisoners were granted amnesty, and pending cases were dismissed. Nepal's 1991 census figures numbered Nepali Christians at over 30,000, but current estimates by church leaders place the figure at over 330,000. The largest numbers are among tribal groups such as the Rai and Tamang, although Christians can now be found among each of the more than 60 language groups of Nepal and in each of the 75 districts. The church today In the capital city of Kathmandu there are three church buildings, with a possible total membership exceeding 150. One pastor estimate that there are at least 150 baptized Christians from the Santali tribal group. Wherever Christians live, they form themselves into small groups or congregations and carry out the normal activities of the church. There is no official national church body or denomination. However, Christians have formed the Nepal Christian Fellowship, to which both groups and individuals may belong. The Fellowship has officers and holds an annual. conference, seeking to foster unity, prayer, and cooperative work. It sponsors short-term Bible schools in different places.^21 It is illegal for anyone, Nepali or foreigner, to do overt Christian evangelism. But leaders and members of the churches continue with effective colportage ministries-occasional preaching tours to outlying towns and villages, where the home of a Christian family becomes the center and gathering place for people interested in hearing the gospel. So, the church continues to grow slowly under for pressure and prays the day when the law will be changed to allow full religious liberty. Nepal. after all, is a member of the United Nations and subscribes to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Thus Christians are being baptized every few months, and always several are preparing for baptism in the little congregations scattered across the country. The tiny churches carry on in New Testament fashion. Pastors of congregations have gone out with small teams during the winter months, encouraging isolated Christian groups and individual believers. Christians are nevertheless witnessing and seeing fruit in Nepal today. The missionary organizations which have entered Nepal since the revolution are not intentionally creating or building the church in the traditional missionary pattern, for they are forbidden to do so. Missionaries as individuals join the local church group and function as members. 22 (^21) Hoke, Op cit., 452- 455 (^22) Ibid., 453
Bibliography Evers, Georg. The Churches in Asia. Delhi: Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2005. Fox, Thomas C. Pentecost in Asia: A New Way of Being Church. Claretian Publications, 2004. George, K. M. Development of Christianity through the Centuries: Tradition and Discovery. Tiruvalla: Christava Sahitya Samithi, 2005. Hoke, Donald E. The Church in Asia. Chicago: Moody Press, 1975. Spickard, Paul R., Kevin M. Cragg, and G. William Carlson. A Global History of Christians: How Everyday Believers Experienced Their World. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2008. Sunquist, Scott, Chew John Hiang Chea, and Wu David Chu Sing. In A Dictionary of Asian Christianity. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 2001. Bista, Dor Bahadur. Fatalism and Development: Nepal's Struggle for Modernization. Kolkata: Orient Longman, 2008.
