Kathmandu (AsiaNews) - A digitally recorded "audio-Bible" to bring the Christian message as many people as possible and "protect them from false religious practices". This is the initiative of World Mission, a Protestant Christian organization, which is engaged an extensive tour of Nepal in order to distribute "to those who are interested," a copy of the holy book recorded in the local language.
Greg Kelly, president of the organization, decided to visit Nepal after studying the economic and social situation of the country: "For the last several days I've been with a group traveling through Nepal and the contrast of the beauty of the country with the spiritual condition is just alarming. We had the opportunity to visit villages that are majority Buddhist or Hindu, and we were well received".
Despite the religious history of Nepal, ruled for centuries by a Hindu royal dynasty, religious tolerance is now quite common. The digital audio player - titled "The Treasure" - has had some success: "A lot of people here have never heard of Jesus, and now we are getting closer., We can say that it is a kind of 'new church', which is established through the message of the Bible".
The main condition is not to exert exaggerated pressure on the locals' freedom of conscience: "We only ask people to listen to those who want to, to pray. Sharing the Gospel with friends and family comes later, but that is the way it should be".