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Christians in
Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
account for 0.30% (roughly 500,000 believers) of the nation's population as of 2022 census. Together with
Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...
and
Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
(plus other minority religious groups such as
Atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no d ...
,
Sikhism Sikhism (), also known as Sikhi ( pa, ਸਿੱਖੀ ', , from pa, ਸਿੱਖ, lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner, translit=Sikh, label=none),''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes fro ...
, the Bahá’í Faith and others), they account for 1% of the population.
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
accounts for 91.04% of the country's religion, followed by
Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
at 7.95% as per 2022 census.


History

The introduction and development of Christianity in the
Indian Subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
can be traced back to several different periods, with the help of several different countries and denominations. The earliest connection to Christianity can be linked back to the arrival of the
Apostle Thomas Thomas the Apostle ( arc, 𐡀𐡌𐡅𐡕𐡌, hbo, תוֹמא הקדוש or תוֹמָא שליחא (''Toma HaKadosh'' "Thomas the Holy" or ''Toma Shlikha'' "Thomas the Messenger/Apostle" in Hebrew-Aramaic), syc, ܬܐܘܡܐ, , meaning "twi ...
to the
Malabar Coast The Malabar Coast is the southwestern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Geographically, it comprises the wettest regions of southern India, as the Western Ghats intercept the moisture-laden monsoon rains, especially on their westward-facing m ...
during the first century, in 52 A.D. In addition, the Apostle had managed to convert several thousands of Hindu Brahmins, as they were "attracted" to the lifestyle and were "impressed" by Jesus' sacrifice. Christianity did not have a presence in Bangladesh until the arrival of the Portuguese in 1510 with individuals like
Alfonso de Albuquerque Afonso de Albuquerque, 1st Duke of Goa (; – 16 December 1515) was a Portuguese general, admiral, and statesman. He served as viceroy of Portuguese India from 1509 to 1515, during which he expanded Portuguese influence across the Indian Ocean ...
and Portuguese missionaries. Albuquerque attempted to spread Christianity by encouraging inter-marriage with native Bengali women, therefore their descendants were the first generations of Christians. By 1514, the Portuguese had obtained the right to preach Christianity in Bengal, thanks to the agreement between the Catholic Pope and the King of Portugal. In 1672, Dome Antonio da Rozari, a young Bengali convert, had managed to convert 20,000 low-caste Hindus into Christianity. Afterwards, between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Portuguese missionaries were evangelising and preaching in the
Bengali language Bengali ( ), generally known by its endonym Bangla (, ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language native to the Bengal region of South Asia. It is the official, national, and most widely spoken language of Bangladesh and the second m ...
. Soon on, evangelical books and Christian theology were being written in Bengali. In 1740, the first Protestant, Reverend John Zachariah Kiernander, arrived in Bangladesh. In 1770, he funded and built a Protestant church called "Mission Church" in West Bengal. By the 18th century, British missionaries, such as William Carey, had built more churches, translated the
Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
and other Christian books, and had set up religious schools. British missionaries had also developed Christian newspapers (such as "''
Digdarshan ''Digdarshan'' ( bn, বাংলা) was the first periodical of Bengal in Bangla language. It was a monthly periodical published by the Srirampur (Serampore) Baptist Mission and edited by John Clark Marshman who was the son of missionary Josh ...
",'' "''The Gospel Magazine",'' and "''The Christian Mohila")'' in an effort to spread the gospel. In more recent times, the rise of Christianity in Bangladesh can be credited to Western NGOs and Christian charities, who provided humanitarian work after the
Liberation War Wars of national liberation or national liberation revolutions are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) to establish separat ...
in 1971. Since then, these NGOs and charities (see ''Contributions'') have not only assisted with support for emergency relief, healthcare, and education in Bangladesh, but they have also encouraged the practice of reading the Bible. Currently, it is estimated that there are approximately 17 000 to 23 000 NGOs in Bangladesh.


History of churches

During the month of January in 1600, the first church was officially inaugurated. The church was named "The Church of the Holy Name of Jesus" and was built by the Jesuits, who were not only given permission, but also financial support and land by the King of Jessore. The second church was financially supported by the Arakanese King and was built by Andre Boves on June 24, 1600. This church was built in Chittagong and was called "St. John the Baptist Church". In 1601, the third church was built by Dominicans in the south-east of Chittagong. Eventually these churches were burnt down from the attacks by the Arakanese.


William Carey and missionaries

According to Sufia M. Uddin, William Carey can be seen as "one of the most important early Christian missionary figures". Carey had arrived in Bangladesh in 1773, where he was financially supported by the Baptist Missionary Society to carry out missionary work. Carey believed his success as a missionary, was due him learning the Bengali language and therefore being able to translate the gospel. In 1801, he was able to publish a translation of
The New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christi ...
, which was the first translation in any South Asian language. Carey then published a Bengali dictionary ("''A Dictionary of the Bengali language")'' that same year and was also appointed as a professor at
Fort William College Fort William College (also known as the College of Fort William) was an academy of oriental studies and a centre of learning, founded on 18 August 1800 by Lord Wellesley, then Governor-General of British India, located within the Fort William co ...
. Carey, with the assistance of Joshua Marshman and William Ward created
Serampore College , founders = William Ward, William Carey, & Joshua Marshman , religious_affiliation = Baptist , rector = , location = 8, William Carey RoadSerampore – 712201West Bengal, India , established = , principal = Vansanglura Va ...
. Carey's colleagues and missionary team built a Bengali boys' school and by 1817, they were operating 45 boys' schools. As for girls, in 1818 they opened their first Bengali girls' school and by 1824, they were running 6 girls' schools. These mission-run schools would often attract students with scholarships and accommodation. Carey also oversaw the works the Bible being translated into more than 34 Indian languages, while the missionaries wrote books and tracts favouring the Christian lifestyle. These books and tracts (such as "Prophet's Testimony in Christ", "God's Punishment of Sin", and "Krishna and Christ Compared") not only emphasised the benefits of Christian life, but reportedly condemned Hindu and Islamic beliefs.


Female missionaries

In 1822, Miss Mary Anne Cooke was one of the first English female missionaries. Prior to this in 1820, missionary William Ward had encouraged for English women to preach Christianity, in order to connect more with Bengali women. With help from the Christian Missionary Society, Cooke founded 15 girls' schools with around 300 students within the Calcutta area. Sister Argerita Bellasiny, Sister Brigida Janella, and Sister Agostina Bigo from Italy were called upon Father Marietti on 17 May 1868 to help with missionary outreach. The three would spread Christianity by going door to door, particularly focusing on poor and vulnerable widows.


First Christian martyr

Father Francisco Fernandez was the first martyr in Bangladesh; he died on 14 November 1602. He was led to his death because he had attempted to save Christian women and children from being captured and used as slaves by the Arakanese who are
Buddhists Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
. He was detained, chained, and beaten to death.


Contributions

Christians have greatly served the education and health sectors. This tiny community has some 1000 schools and about 100 health care centers and hospitals. In Bangladesh, the Christian community runs the country's largest cooperative bank in Dhaka. Having worked in Bangladesh as a missionary since 1952, Father
Richard William Timm Richard William Timm (March 2, 1923 – September 11, 2020) was a Catholic Priest, educator, zoologist, and development worker. He was the Superior of the Congregation of Holy Cross in Dhaka and a member of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Province. H ...
, C.S.C. won the
Ramon Magsaysay Award The Ramon Magsaysay Award (Filipino: ''Gawad Ramon Magsaysay'') is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in governance, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealis ...
for Peace and International Understanding, the Asian Nobel Prize, in 1987 in recognition of his work as a teacher, as a biologist studying plant-parasitic worms, and with Caritas on relief efforts. In the 1990s, many people opposed the aid of Christian NGOs, and therefore there was a spike in the number of protests and violence opposing the religious influence of Christian NGOs. Up to 52 NGOs were considered to be "anti-Islamic", with the intentions of "proselytising" the Islamic nation to Christianity, targeting the vulnerable; the outcasts, the uneducated, and the poor.


Persecution

Given the country's Islamic culture, Christians in Bangladesh often face the pressure from radical Islamic groups or threats (such as
persecution Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group. The most common forms are religious persecution, racism, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these term ...
and harassment) from the wider community. In 2019, several churches, such as Mohandi Assemblies of God church, were either burnt down or destroyed. To combat this, Christians would gather in secret or in small houses to practice their religion. Additionally, in 2020, it's alleged that several Christians have been detained by police for "unlawful conversion". Conditions have improved in recent years as Bangladesh moved from place 35 on the World Watch List of Christian persecution in 2015 to place 48 in 2019. However, a sharp rise of violence against Christians in 2019 sent the country back to number 38 on the list.


Other attacks on Christians

On 3 June 2001, there was a bomb attack during mass in a Catholic church located in Baniarchor; the attack had killed nine people. An Italian aid worker, Cesare Tavella was shot and killed in 2015. Parolari Piero, an Italian priest and doctor was shot several times in 2015. In 2016, a Christian businessman named Sunil Gomes was hacked to death. On 1 July 2016, 20 hostages were massacred by a group of Islamic militants. Pastor Luke Sarkar of Faith Bible Church was attacked on 5 October 2015 and his throat was cut with a sharp knife but he survived.


Dioceses

There are two Catholic archdioceses and six Catholic
diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...
s in Bangladesh with some 400,000 Catholics. Each diocese is led by its own local bishop. Cardinal
Patrick D'Rozario Patrick D'Rozario, CSC ( bn, প্যাট্রিক ডি'রোজারিও, translit=Pyaṭrik ḍi'rojario; born 1 October 1943) is a Bangladeshi prelate of the Catholic Church who was Archbishop of Dhaka from 2011 to 2020. He becam ...
is the highest Catholic official. The Archdiocese of
Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...
comprises: * The diocese of
Dinajpur Dinajpur ( bn, দিনাজপুর ) is a city and the District headquarters of Dinajpur district situated in Rangpur Division, Bangladesh. It was founded in 1786. It is located 413 km north-west of Dhaka in Bangladesh. It is bounde ...
* The diocese of Mymesnisingh * The diocese of
Rajshahi Rajshahi ( bn, রাজশাহী, ) is a metropolis, metropolitan city and a major urban, commercial and educational centre of Bangladesh. It is also the administrative seat of the eponymous Rajshahi Division, division and Rajshahi District ...
* The diocese of
Sylhet Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট) is a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative seat of the Sylhet Division. Located on the north bank of the Surma River at the eastern tip of Bengal, Sylhet has a subtropical climate an ...

The archdiocese of
Chittagong Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...
comprises: * The diocese of
Barisal Barisal ( or ; bn, বরিশাল, ), officially known as Barishal, is a major city that lies on the banks of the Kirtankhola river in south-central Bangladesh. It is the largest city and the administrative headquarter of both Barisal Dist ...
* The diocese of
Khulna Khulna ( bn, খুলনা, ) is the third-largest city in Bangladesh, after Dhaka and Chittagong. It is the administrative centre of Khulna District and Khulna Division. Khulna's economy is the third-largest in Bangladesh, contributing $53 b ...
The diocese of Dhaka was created in 1952 and Rev. James D. Blair was assigned as the first Bishop (Markham, Hawkins IV, Terry & Steffensen, 2013). Following Blair, the first indigenous Bishop of the Diocese of Dhaka was assigned to Rev. B.D. Mondal. By the late 1980s, it was decided that a second diocese was needed, and this was established in Kusthia (Markham et al., 2013).


List of Protestant denominations

*
Assemblies of God The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches that together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination."Assemblies of God". ...
* Bangladesh Baptist Sangha *
Bangladesh Lutheran Church Christians in Bangladesh account for 0.30% (roughly 500,000 believers) of the nation's population as of 2022 census. Together with Judaism and Buddhism (plus other minority religious groups such as Atheism, Sikhism, the Bahá’í Faith and ot ...
*
Christian Brethren The Open Brethren, sometimes called Christian Brethren, are a group of Evangelicalism, Evangelical Christianity, Christian churches that arose in the late 1820s as part of the Assembly Movement within the Plymouth Brethren tradition. They origina ...
*
Church of Bangladesh The Church of Bangladesh is a United and uniting churches, united Protestant church formed by the union of various Protestantism, Protestant churches in Bangladesh, principally the Anglican and Presbyterian denominations. The Church of Bangladesh i ...
(united church of Anglicans, Presbyterians, and others; member of the Anglican Communion) *
Church of God (Anderson) Church of God is a name used by numerous denominational bodies. The largest denomination with this name is the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) Adventist Churches of God * Church of God General Conference (Church of God of the Ab ...
*
Garo Baptist Convention Garo Baptist Convention is a Baptist Christian denomination of India and Bangladesh. It is named after the ethnic group of the name Garo. Most members of this church are in Meghalaya. In Bangladesh the central office of the GBC is located in Bir ...
*
Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath, and ...
*
Church of the Nazarene The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged in North America from the 19th-century Wesleyan-Holiness movement within Methodism. It is headquartered in Lenexa within Johnson County, Kansas. With its members co ...
*
Presbyterian Church of Bangladesh The Presbyterian Church of Bangladesh (PCB) is a Reformed Churches conservative and evangelical in Bangladesh. Formed in 1995 by Rev. Edward Ayub, a former Muslim convert to Christianity, with the assistance of Presbyterian Church in America. Hi ...
* Isa-e Church


List of Baptist Churches

*
Bangladesh Baptist Church Sangha The Bangladesh Baptist Church Sangha is a Baptist Christian denomination in Bangladesh. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarters is in Dhaka. History The Bangladesh Baptist Church Sangha has its origins in a British mis ...
* Bangladesh Baptist Fellowship *
Garo Baptist Convention Garo Baptist Convention is a Baptist Christian denomination of India and Bangladesh. It is named after the ethnic group of the name Garo. Most members of this church are in Meghalaya. In Bangladesh the central office of the GBC is located in Bir ...


Christian theological education

There are 16 Christian theological institutions in Bangladesh. * A G Bible College (Assemblies of God) was created in 1995. * Agape College (Baptist) was created in 2003. * Bangladesh Institution of Christian Theology (inter-denominational) was created in 1996. * Bangladesh Theological Seminary (inter-denominational) was created in 1989. * Center for Religious Studies (Presbyterian) was created in 2004. * Christian Discipleship Centre (inter-denominational) was created in 1979. * College of Christian Theology in Bangladesh (inter-denominational) was created in 1968. * Faith Bible School was created in 2002. * Gloria Theological Seminary (inter-denominational) was created in 1996. * Grace Presbyterian Theological Seminary (inter-denominational) was created in 2004. * Holy Spirit Major Seminary (Catholic) was created in 1973. * Isa-e Training Institute (Protestant) was created in 2006. * Methodist Theological Seminary (Methodist) was created in 1992. * St. Andrews Theological Seminary (Anglican) was created in 1978. * St. Joseph Seminary (Roman Catholic) was created in 1948. * The Salvation Army Officer Training College was created in 1993.


Christian media

The Catholic weekly magazine, ''Pratibeshi'', was founded in 1941 as ''Ranikhong Mission Chithi'', a monthly parish bulletin. In the mid 1940s, it took its present name and moved to Dhaka. The magazine is one of the oldest Bengali and Catholic newspapers. In 2013, ''Pratibeshi'' launched an online news site with a focus on broad news coverage.
Radio Veritas Asia Radio Veritas Asia was the non-commercial Catholic shortwave station broadcasting to Asia. It is based in Quezon City, Philippines, and is owned by the Philippine Radio Educational and Information Center, which previously owned the original Rad ...
began their Bengali service in 1980. It is jointly produced in Dhaka and Kolkata.


Culture adoptions

The Catholic community have adopted the Hindu use of the sindhur.


Christian Education in Bangladesh

*
Notre Dame University Bangladesh Notre Dame University Bangladesh or NDUB ( bn, নটর ডেম বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় বাংলাদেশ) is a private Catholic research university in Bangladesh. Located in Motijheel, Dhaka, the university was fo ...
*
Notre Dame College, Dhaka Notre Dame College, Dhaka ( bn, নটর ডেম কলেজ, ঢাকা), also known as NDC, is a Catholic higher secondary school (in the Indian subcontinent, as in the United Kingdom, higher secondary schools comprising the 11th and 12 ...
*
Notre Dame College, Mymensingh Notre Dame College, Mymensingh ( bn, নটর ডেম কলেজ, ময়মনসিংহ), is a Catholic Church, Catholic higher secondary school in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. It was founded on 1 July 2014, and is named after Mother Mary. ...
*
St. Joseph Higher Secondary School St. Joseph Higher Secondary School ( bn, সেন্ট যোসেফ উচ্চ মাধ্যমিক বিদ্যালয়) is a Catholic higher secondary school in 97 Asad Avenue Mohammadpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is a mono-e ...
*
YWCA Higher Secondary Girls School The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...
* A. G. Church School


See also

* National Council of Churches in Bangladesh *
Buddhism in Bangladesh Buddhism is the third-largest religious affiliation and formed about 0.63% of the population of Bangladesh. It is said that Buddha once in his life came to this region of East Bengal to spread his teachings and he was successful in converting th ...
*
Hinduism in Bangladesh Hinduism is the second largest religious affiliation in People's Republic of Bangladesh, as according to the Official 2022 Census of Bangladesh, approximately just 13.1 million people responded that they were Hindus, constituting 7.95% out of ...
*
Islam in Bangladesh Islam is the state religion of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. According to the 2022 census, Bangladesh had a population of about 150 million Muslims, or 91.04% of its total population of million. The majority of Bangladeshis are Sunni, an ...


References


Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Christianity In Bangladesh