In Nepal Christian population shot up by 68%: How missionaries converted at a parasitic pace

When Nepal was hit by an earthquake in 2015, Christian missionaries flooded the country, lured the Hindus with wealth in exchange for their religion

New Delhi, Jan 16: In a shocking report it has come to light that the Christian population in Nepal has possibly increased by 68 per cent in less than a decade thanks to Christian missionaries.

The BBC published a report titled Christian missionaries target birthplace of Buddha in Nepal speaks about how South Korea in particular has been sending scores of evangelists to Nepal.

As per the report Nepal had 3,76,000 Christians in 2011, which has increased to approximately 5,45,000, which is a jump of 68 per cent. The Hindu constitute 80 per cent of the population, the Buddhists 9 per cent and the Christians 2 per cent. In 1951 there was not a single Christian in Nepal. In the next decade, their population grew to 458. The report said that in 2008 the 240-year old Hindu monarchy came to an end and Nepal became secular. The change in the country's religious status helped in increasing the Christian population the report also said.

South Korea and its role in conversions:

The Christian missionaries from South Korea began visiting Nepal 20 years back. Around 20,000 Korean missionaries have joined the movement to convert Hindus to Christianity. The BBC while quoting a Korean missionary couple said that they are converting village after village to Christianity. Pang Chang, a Korean Pastor said that after watching a single alleged miracle, the entire village converted to Christianity.

He also noted that despite the anti-conversion law in the country, the missionaries are covering Hindus at a rapid pace. In the last 20 years, Pang alone has seen the construction of over 70 Churches and most of these are located I the Dhading district, which is 2 hours away from Nepal's capital Kathmandu.

The latest data suggests that there are around 7,758 Churches in Nepal. This clearly shows that Nepal which had in the 1950s did not have a single Christian has now witnessed their growth at a parasitic pace. According to Pang's wife, Lee Jeong-Hee, they are always working with anxiety and nervousness that they feel from the anti-conversion law. But we cannot stop the spread of the gospel because of this fear. We will not stop saving souls, she said.

Before they turned evangelists, the couple were working as bankers. Pang first came to Nepal in 2003 and he said that he was shocked to see the country's idols being worshiped in such a large scale. The Christians themselves worship and idol of Jesus Christ, Mother Mary and the Cross. It was at that time did I feel that Nepal was desperately in need of a gospel. The end of the Hindu monarchy was the beginning of the golden age for missionary work he said. His statements are a clear indicator the secular government has been blind eyed on this menace that is Christian conversion.

The BCC could interview only Pang as the rest remained away. There are 300 Korean families in Nepal who indulge in large scale conversion.

Sanatan Dharma in crisis:

According to former deputy prime minister of Nepal, Kamal Thapa the Sanatan Dharma culture and tradition is in crisis. In a tweet posted on January 14, he said, 'I have been saying repeatedly ‍ Sanatan Dharma culture and tradition have been in crisis due to organized religious conversion. However, our attention has not gone. We are united to control organized proselytism and protect Sanatan Dharma culture and tradition.' Thapa has been lobbying for Nepal to become a Hindu state.

He told the BBC that missionaries are working behind the scenes and exploiting the poor and ignorant people and encouraging them to embrace Christianity. This is a case of exploitation in the name of religious freedom and not religious freedom, he added.

No convictions:

There is a law in place against conversions. However no convictions have taken place. Currently there are five active cases in the country. Four cases against the Koreans have been dropped, including two nuns last year.

UCA news said that the two nuns were held under charges of converting Hindus. They were in detention for six weeks before they were formally arrested in October 2021. While they were granted bail in November 2021, charges against them were dropped the following year.

It must be noted that the devastating earthquake of 2015 was taken full advantage of by these missionaries who lured people with money in exchange for their religion.