Church in Nepal: An Introduction


Nepal Church 

Created by: Pabitra Mani Bhandari & Shin Sung Im (Eunice)       On: April 27, 2004
Torch Trinity Graduate School of Theology, Seoul, South Korea

Full country name: Kingdom of Nepal
Area: 140,800 sq km
Population: 26.46 million
People: Newars, Thakalis, Tibetans, Gurungs, Magars, Tamangs, Bhotias, Rais, Limbus, Sherpas, Bahuns, Chhetris, Tharus and many others.
Language: Nepali,
The Number of Languagesis121; Major languages are Nepali, Maithili, Bhojpuri; Gurung; Rai; Awadi; etc.
Religion: 90% Hindu, 5% Buddhist, 3% Muslim, 2% other
Government: parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy
Head of State: King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Deva
Head of Government: Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa


Government:
  • The country does not have an official state religion, but it declares Nepal to be a Hindu Kingdom.
  • While the Constitution supposedly provides religious freedom, conversion and proselytizing are prohibited and can be punished by fines or imprisonment. Foreigners found guilty of proselytizing can be expelled from the country.
Extremist Groups:
  • Various Hindu extremist groups exist.
Nepal: Chronology of Important Events
Period
Description
ca. 563 B.C.
Buddha born in Lumbini;
1100-1484
Khasa Mall kings rule in western Nepal
1484
Malla kingdom divided; three kingdoms of Kathmandu, Bhadgaon, and Patan established.
1768-90
Gorkha conquers Kathmandu and Patan, Bhadgaon, eastern Nepal, and western Nepal.
1814-1816
The Anglo-Nepalese War and the resulting Treaty of Sagauli reduces the territory of Nepal.
1846
Jang Bahadur Rana takes over as prime minister and establishes hereditary Rana rule.
1950
Ranas were over thrown from the Power, and a new beginning was given to the people
1959
New constitution is promulgated, superseding Constitution of 1951;
1960
B.P. Koirala heads first popular government;
1961
Kind proclaims guided democracy; Boundary treaty with China renewed.
1989
Failure to renegotiate trade and transit treaties with India disrupts economy.
1990
Demonstrations for the restoration of democracy;
Sources: The Third World Encyclopedia; Nepal and Bhutan, Country Studies.

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF NEPAL
First Christian penetration of Nepal
→   Before 1600s, none knew the name of Jesus in whole Kingdom.
→   The location between India and Tibet was used by Jesuit missionaries but they over looked Nepal as a mission field.
→   At least three of them they had vision for the country and his invitation to the fathers
→   A few Nepalese got conversion in Lhasa and got baptized.
→   A first Mission order established in Nepal was 1715. for 54 years until they were forced to live in 1769.
→   The fiftly year gap was during the Malla Dynasty, the door for the Gospel was opened
→   Two Catholic churches were built about 80 converts were gained
→   During this time Nepalese living in Tibet got converted
From 1769-1950s
→   But Shah Dynasty took over and the door for the Gospel was shut.
→   Prithvi Narayan shah founded the only Hindu Kingdom in Nepal.
→   He saw the British colonialism in India and determined to preserve Nepal's sovereignty
→   The reasons for the band of Christianity
n  Political reason
n  Hindu Society
n  Brahmins (priest) rose against the Christianity
→   Anglo Nepalese war of 1814-1816 gave more credibility to the band of Christianity
→    Nepal resisted the British invasion and gain respect from neighbors (India and Tibet)
→   The treaty of Sugauli also gave British resident in Kathmandu for the first time
→   1846 Janga Bahadur Rana took the power he preserved the previous policy but he was in e good relation with British
→   British controlled the foreign relation of Nepal and forbade any other foreigners to enter into Nepal.
→   This policy persisted through out the Rana Dynasty until king Tribhuwan regained the power in 1951
→   There was also band of conversion to any other foreign religion, i.e. Christianity and Islam
→   There was band for sale and distribution of any Christian books and literatures
→   During this period one Newar young girl in Eastern Nepal was forced to escape the country after believing Christ. the mission is unclear and it proves that there were some attempts of preaching the gospel
→   1931, Alexander Mcleish wrote of Christian communities in India but were not allowed to settle in Nepal
Chandra Leela daughter of high priest to the Royal family in KTM- brought up in a fundamental Hindu family 17 years roamed around India and search of people. She was called to become family priest by one local Raja in Calcutta. After his death she left Calcutta and start roaming India she met Christianity and become Christians Daughter of Hindu priest became ambassador for the gospel. She returned to Nepal and shared the good news. Her father's high position protected her. She witnessed her brother and baptized him, herself. Her brother died and she struggle at his cremation. After that she left Nepal and moved to India
A preparation in Darjeeling
→   An Anglo Indian with Rev. JC. Page worked in Darjeeling among Nepali in 1868.
→   1870 eastern Himalayan Mission of the church of Scotland established
n  language learning
n  direct preaching the gospel
n  produce literatures
→   No opposition of preaching and they started Bible study groups and many attended
→   Bhim Dal Dewan was the first convert in Darjeeling started fellowship of three families near the boarder of Nepal
→   Baptism was opposed by many people and looked as disgracing by many others.
→   75 years before the door was opened in Nepal 1000 of Nepalese heard the gospel in Darjeeling. Gospel was preached among workers traders and students
→   Efforts to reach Nepal
n  Shadu Sunder Singh 1914 went to Nepal though Darjeeling but was arrested and persecuted
n  Gorkha Mission was formed to preach King in 1891, but the result is unknown
n  From 1900-1920, Nirmal Limbu, an immigrant from Nepal went back to his birth place and preached the gospel but the result is unknown.
The Bible Translated into Nepal
→   Williams carry's colleagues of Serampore college in India began some of the earliest work in Nepali, and it centered on the Bible. They used Nepali Pandits to translate from a Sanskrit text; it was started 1812 and completed in 1821. They used Vakeel of King (layer of Kings Court) to test the accuracy. However, the language of this book was heavily influenced by many other local languages. But its distribution is not known inside the kingdom of Nepal.
→   By 1852, first missionaries and Nepali converts attempted to translate portions of the Bible, 1852-1861, i.e. book of Luke and Acts.
→   In 1894, Ganga Prasad Pradhan was appointed by the Bible Society as their official Nepali translator by British Bible society, 1902 the New Testament was completed and in 1914 the first whole Bible in Nepali was published and 4500 copies were printed. 1930 they did publish the revised version of the Nepali Bible.
After opening the door in 1950s
→   In 1940 a few missionaries started the Nepal Boarder Fellowship at Raxual.
→   Following the revolution during the winter of 1950-51, the way was open for Nepali Christians to live in Nepal for the first time in almost 200 years. There also opened a door for the missionaries
→   During this decade there were three main centers of church development where infant churches began to grow up almost simultaneously, in Kathmandu, Pokhara and Nepalganj.
→   Indian and Nepali Christians also took up residence in three other places during this decade, but churches did not develop until later, in butwal, tansen and Amp pital.
→   Nepali Christians experienced relative freedom in the expression of their faith and planting of the church, but the freedom was suspended by King Mahendra.
→   In 1990, the democracy was regained, Nepali Christians got freedom to live, and still evangelism was prohibited.
→   Recent persecution:
o   Churches are destroyed
o   Believers and leaders are arrested
o   Believers are persecuted
Recent Actions:
·        June 2002 - Christian Aid Mission reported that Kirat believers are being threatened by non-Christian members of their own community. The Kirat belong to a Shamanistic faith which is neither Hindu nor Buddhist. Some members of the community have joined a movement known as the Khambuwan. The Khambuwan, which has been siding with Maoist rebels, has threatened to kill believers and destroy their church if they don't discontinue practicing their faith.
·        February 11, 2001 – All charges were dismissed against the four Christians arrested on October 31, 2000 when witnesses to their "crime" failed to appear in court. A judge in Rajbiraj ordered that all four be released on February 15th.
·        January 2001 – Timothy Rai, Devi Prasad Bhattarai, and Prem Bahadur Rai remained imprisoned in Rajbiraj while Trond Berg has been transferred to Kathmandu Central Jail. The Nepal Supreme Court refused to hear Mr. Berg’s case and denied a petition that would allow the other three Christians to return to the capital for trial.
·        November 1, 2000 – The four men arrested on October 31st were imprisoned in Rajbiraj after a judge relented under strong pressure from Hindu sadhus (holy men) to imprison the Christians
·        October 31, 2000 -- Four Christians were arrested on during a meeting organized by Campus Crusade for Christ in Saptari. Trond Berg, a missionary from Norway, and native Christians Timothy Rai, Devi Prasad Bhattarai, and Prem Bahadur Rai attended the meeting where a so-called Christian claimed he had been given money to renounce Hinduism and become a Christian. A riot broke out, leading to the arrest of the Christians as local Hindus claimed that were using bribes of money and jobs to produce converts.
·        October 2000 - An Indian Christian group visiting Tikapur for a church conference was detained and police officers confiscated their van. Several officers then used the van for a personal trip. Unbeknownst to the police officers, a group of robbers was lying in wait for the van, which they expected to be full of Christians. However, instead of robbing and killing the Christians, the robbers were attacked by the police officers.
·        August 28, 1999 - Hindus angered by the desecration of their temple retaliated against local Christians by destroying their church. A Hindu temple in Janakpur was vandalized on August 22nd by a man who claimed Jesus had told him to do it. Although local Christians assured Hindu leaders that the man was not a member of any local church, an extremist Hindu group stirred up local Hindus to attack a Christian church and leper colony.
·        April 2, 1999 - Christians seeking to hold a Good Friday service were beaten in Patan. Church leaders planning to hold the service at a local sports club were denied permission by Chief District Officer (CDO). When over 500 Christians gathered at the CDO's office to find out why permission was denied, riot police attacked the group with truncheons, injuring at least 28 people. The Christians had already paid the sports club for the use of the facility and had widely advertised the event. Thus, it seems there was no just reason the meeting should not have been held.
·        1998 - A pastor and an elder of a church in Rukum were killed by police. Both Sukram Magar and Gobal Buddha were shot to death after holding a prayer meeting. The two were apparently caught in the crossfire of fighting between the government and Maoist forces in Rukum.