THIMPHU, Bhutan — Christians in this Buddhist nation have been awaiting a decision on whether they will receive official recognition, but it appears they will first seek a measure against fraudulent conversion that the prime minister acknowledges is essentially designed to deter evangelism.
Prime Minister Jigme Yoser Thinley said the proposed clause in the penal code was “essentially … to deter conversion,” saying there was no reason why Christians should seek to induce others to join their faith.
“There are a few Christians and followers of other faiths as well (in Bhutan), and there is no difficulty with that,” Thinley said. “That is good. … We promote diversity of cultures. But then, when there are those who try to convert others without understanding the values, the principles and the essence of the other religion, we have here what constitutes the worst form of discrimination.”
In an exclusive interview in his office, Thinley said Christians seek to convert other Bhutanese citizens with the power of money and an attitude of spiritual superiority, accusations that Christian leaders in the country denied.
Church leaders said they were distressed with the government’s notion of Christians and Christianity, which they said is far from true. “No evidence of such allegations has come to our knowledge, but still we will never try to defend anyone who indulges in unethical conversions,” said a Christian leader from Thimphu on condition of anonymity.
Bhutan’s minister for home and culture, Minjur Dorji, said his department has yet to decide whether Christians could be recognized officially. “There is no legal provision for that,” he said. “It’s not in the constitution and not in the Religious Organizations Act.”
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