There is no indication that the videos will be allowed to remain in Mongolia because, according to Mr Badral, experts felt they suggested that Christianity was “better than Buddhism”, the traditional religion of Mongolia. Mr Badral made clear that the release of the books was a one-off gesture in view of the international response to the case.
 

There is no guarantee that further Scripture imports will be allowed into Mongolia. Importing Scriptures is seen as spreading religion in an organised way using funds from abroad and this is against the law, according to the Ministry of Justice.

At the press conference Mr Badral said that following “hundreds, maybe thousands” of letters received from around the world requesting the release of the Scripture materials, the Mongolian authorities decided to avoid ‘conflict’ and appease what they interpreted as a clamour of international outrage blown out of proportion. Mr Badral read one of the letters, which all had a “similar message concerning the confiscation of the 10,000 Bible Books and 600 videos.”

He stated that democratic changes in 1990 restored freedom of religion in Mongolia. “Our Constitution gives Mongolian citizens the right to religious freedom plus the right to non-religious belief,” he said, and strongly denied that there had been or was any persecution of religion (more precisely Christianity) in Mongolia.

This statement comes against a background of events which concern the Christian minority. There have been threats of closure against some Christian groups, difficulties for foreign Christians in obtaining visas, and the government has demanded the re-registration of all Christian bodies including the BSM. The confiscation of Scriptures appears to be just one of the many signs that the 1993 law restricting the activities of other religions was now being fully implemented.

Still unresolved is the question of the Bible Society’s registration, which is key to its continued operation here. Despite official registration in 1991, the BSM was advised to re-register, but there is disagreement as to what the BSM should be registered as: a religious body or a non-governmental organisation (NGO). 

She was pleased that the books had been released but hoped that the whole issue of the BSM operation would soon be cleared up. Mrs Gibbens said that the illustrated Bible books were especially popular with children, and because there was so little material available, these books were welcomed by parents, no matter what religion they adhered to. In addition, the books taught sound moral practices which were important for Mongolian society at this stage in its growth.

The Rev Fergus Macdonald, General Secretary of the United Bible Societies, said that the release of the Bible Story Books showed a willingness on the behalf of the Mongolian government to understand the Christian tradition.

“We are pleased that these Scriptures have been released,” he said. “Christians are a people of the Word, and wherever there is a Christian community, that community will need Scriptures. But we are also aware that many people outside the Christian community are eager to read biblical materials. National Bible Societies work within the laws of the nation. We hope that the Mongolian Government will soon address and resolve the issue of the Bible Society’s registration so that we can continue to supply the people of Mongolia with copies of the Scriptures they require.”
  

Representations have been made to the Mongolian authorities on behalf of the BSM by national Bible Societies, by Christian lobbying organisations, specifically, the UK-based Jubilee Campaign, and by representatives from at least three foreign governments.

At the press conference, Mr Badral expressed concern that certain coercive groups would interfere with the freedom of ‘non-belief’. “Every country has to establish a mechanism for the relationship of State and Religion,” he said, “not to restrict but to stop any group from domineering any other. We should tolerate and respect each other and each other’s rights.” Closer examination of the government’s position seems to indicate that it believes that freedom of religion has to be restricted for the good of the people and that this would include the future importation of religious books.

There are 248 religious organisations operating in Mongolia of which only 71 have so far registered: 50 Buddhist groups, one Muslim mosque and 20 churches (17 Protestant, one Roman Catholic, one Mormon and one Russian Orthodox).

The country is traditionally Buddhist and Shamanist, with a small Muslim minority in the west, although all religion was persecuted during communist rule until 1990. The Christian groups have grown since 1991 with the influx of foreign Christians and particularly with the availability of the New Testament in modern Mongolian. Some 3,000 Mongolians now regularly take part in Christian services. (WR 328/13 - 2.98)