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Missionaries In Thailand
By Barry Hooper
Thailand prides itself in the fact that it is the only country in Southeast Asia that has never been a colony of another country. It also prides itself in its strong Buddhist tradition. Although Christianity was introduced to by European missionaries in the 16th century, Christians constituted only 0.7 percent (438,600) of the population by the year 2001.
Portugal was the first country to send Christian missionaries to Thailand, in 1554. The French followed in 1660. Most of the early missionaries were Catholic, and by 1908, had approximately 50 Catholic schools with nearly 4,000 pupils. Today, approximately 25 percent of the Christian population is Roman Catholic. Almost half of the Christian population lives in Chiang Mai province. Most of the remainder lives in the Bangkok area and in the northeastern provinces.
Christian missionaries have made substantial contributions to Thailand's development. They introduced the printing press and Western surgery, made the first smallpox vaccinations, and wrote the first Thai-English dictionaries. King Mongkut (Rama IV) learned English and Latin from Christian missionaries, although he reportedly told one of his missionary friends, "What you teach us to do is admirable, but what you teach us to believe is foolish."
Most of the early converts to Christianity in were ethnic minorities such as the Chinese immigrants. Today, the majority of Christians are Thai, but missionaries are also actively working with many of the country's more than 30 ethnic tribal groups, which range in size from the Yellow Leaf with just a few hundred members to the Pwo Karen with almost half a million members. Most of these ethnic groups live in northern or northeastern Thailand. They are primarily animistic, and are constantly making offerings to the myriad spirits that they believe inhabit just about everything from their village and their house to the trees and the mountain paths.
Several evangelical agencies such as the New Tribes Mission (NTM) and Overseas Missionary Fellowship (OMF) have been working with the tribal groups for 20 years or more. Because many of the tribes don't speak Thai, the missionaries have found that they must learn to speak not only Thai, but also the indigenous languages of the tribes. For the same reason, they are finding that it is critical to translate the Bible into the tribe's own language.
In Thailand, foreign missionaries of all faiths are required to register with the government. In May 2001, approximately 2,000 foreign missionaries were reportedly registered legally, including 418 Roman Catholic, 996 Protestant, 150 Mormon, and 6 Muslim missionaries.
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Rahasta Lähimmäistäsi - Neil Hutchison
<P class=producthead>Rahasta Lähimmäistäsi</p><P class=productheadtwo>Poliittisesti korrekti sinkkumiehen selviytymisopas</p><p><B>Pattayan aikuisviihteen maailmaan Thaimaassa</B></p><p>"Niin jumalattoman totta ja hauskasti kirjoitettu." <B>Veikko Laine (Thaimaansuomalainen)</B></p><p>"Pakollista luettavaa kaikille Hymyjen Maahan matkaaville miehille." <B>Bernard Trink (Bangkok Post)</B></p><p>"Hauskalla kirjalla on tärkeä sanoma …suosittelisin jokaiselle palavasilmäiselle sinkkumiehelle, jonka sydän sykki thai-tytöille, että lukevat tämän ennen ensimmäistäkään olutta. Siinä säätää enemman kuin kirjan hinnan……pitäisi sisällyttää jokaisen Thaimaahan ostetun lentolipun hintaan ja määrätä pakolliseksi lukemiseksi." <B>Lang Reid (Pattaya Mail)</B></p><p>Paperback<br>Pattaya 2008<br>Pananen<br>192 pages<br>ISBN 9780975695074</p>
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