True stories from the frontlines of missions in Nepal and India: What an irony that today, as we are preparing this post, we got an urgent prayer request from a pastor in India as their nation’s Supreme Court considers whether or not to mandate anti-conversion laws from the current 11 states in India to the entire nation. Anti-conversion laws are exactly what they imply in both India and Nepal: it is illegal for Hindus to convert to Christianity. (Of course, Christians are welcome to convert to Hinduism.). Today (April 16) in India, the Alliance for Defending Freedom (ADF) is fighting a case against these laws. Christian pastors have been waiting one and a half years for this hearing, and so now we must pray! Pray also for the Christian pastors to have the monetary funds for their attorney. India is a notoriously poor nation, and, at this point they need more money from local churches as they can only pay for one hearing!
At roughly the same time, Christianity in Nepal is growing in this Hindu nation. Thus persecution is on the upswing. An article last November in the “Global Press Journal” highlighted the plight of one pastor who faced false charges of child trafficking and attempted conversions after offering shelter to children from a closing facility. While the trafficking charges were eventually dropped, the pastor continues to face charges of trying to convert the children.
Nepal’s laws permit the free practice of religion but prohibit converting others, creating societal tensions. The Christian community in Nepal maintains that sharing their faith aligns with Christ’s teachings, emphasizing that conversion is a personal choice and not to be imposed. Despite this, accusations of forceful conversions persist. The growth of Christianity in Nepal has been rapid, with estimates suggesting there are now between 2 to 3 million Christian’s and 10-12,000 churches nationwide.
For a quick refresher on the beliefs of Hinduism, please check out this video from thewaitingworld.net