Despite conversion ban, Christianity spreads in Nepal
Annabel SYMINGTON Dec 22, 2017 Digital Journal
More than two years after an earthquake flattened the Nepali
village of Richet, most residents are still living in makeshift
shelters. Only the church has been rebuilt -- paid for by Christian
missionaries whose influence in the mainly Hindu country is
growing.
Despite strict laws that ban religious conversion, Christianity
has spread rapidly over the last two decades in Nepal, where many
see it as an escape from the deeply entrenched caste system.
The Himalayan nation was ruled by a Hindu monarchy for over two
centuries until the overthrow of the monarchy in 2008 and also has
a strong Buddhist tradition, particularly in the mountainous
north.
But the remote Lapa Valley where Richet is located is now
predominantly Christian.
Many residents are recent converts to the faith, among them Rika
Tamang, who became a Christian after his mother fell ill and the
family struggled to pay for the animal sacrifices a local shaman
encouraged them to make.
"Whatever I had, I had to offer as a sacrifice to god," said
Tamang, now the pastor of his village in the Lapa Valley.
"Once I converted to Christianity I didn't have to make
sacrifices. I was relieved of that burden."
According to the 2011 government census, Christians make up less
than 1.5 percent of Nepal's population of 29 million.
But Christian groups estimate the number at more than 3 million.
Locals said the census tended to classify people by the faith
associated with their family name, meaning many converts were
excluded.
Richet is in the northern district of Dhading, one of the first
areas where Christianity took hold. It has since spread throughout
the country through an active network of evangelical churches.
But some say well-funded foreign missionaries are using aid to
convert people in the impoverished country.
- Community tensions -
In Richet the dust had only just begun to settle from the
powerful earthquake in April 2015 when a group of South Korean and
Singaporean missionaries turned up.
They surveyed the damage and left. A few months later bags of
cement arrived to rebuild the village's church.
It was the same story in the nearby village of Kachet, where a
new church paid for by South Korean missionaries was nearing
completion when AFP visited recently.
"We are happy that we don't need to be under the sky when we go
to church for prayers," said Richet resident Aman Tamang.
"But we would be happier if we had got grants for rebuilding our
homes as well."
Prashant Tamang, a community leader in the nearby village of
Borang that has clung to its Buddhist heritage, said the selective
distribution of aid had created tensions between communities.
"Dispute arises sometimes when Christians pressure poor people
to adopt their religion by helping them in the time of need," he
told AFP.
- Jail for proselytising -
Proselytising has long been illegal in Nepal.
But a new criminal code that will come into force in August 2018
increases the potential jail sentence from three to five years and
states that foreigners sentenced of the crime will be deported
after serving their time.
Activists say it seeks to curb the rapidly growing Christian
community, and have drawn parallels with Pakistan's strict
blasphemy laws, which are often used to stir mob violence against
minority groups.
"We have seen how that has played out in Pakistan. If you have
inadequate safeguards then the laws in Nepal can be misused as
well," said Steven Selvaraj, South Asia expert with the UK-based
Christian Solidarity Worldwide advocacy group.
Nepal's growing network of evangelical churches continues to
draw people, and many are concerned that the new law could be used
against them.
"The church in Nepal is taught in a way that all believers are
taking the commandment of Jesus Christ to go out and tell others
about Jesus," said Tanka Subedi, a Kathmandu pastor.
"So there is quite a big risk that they may be arrested and
given trouble, put in jail and also fined."