Mormons in India

India's vast population of over 1.15 billion people claims a rich religious heritage, having been the birthplace of Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism and having a long history with Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. And now, within the Christian population, there is a growing segment of Mormons or members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). O.K., so the numbers are small--7,500. If they add another 1,142,500 members, they'll have 1/10th of 1% of the population, so it's not much of a threat to the established religions. Indians are generally unwelcoming of proselyting, thus making it a challenge for those churches that are not firmly established in India. (As for why the picture of the butterfly is here, you'll have to read down to the end.)


The Mormons weren't much of a threat in 1885, either. According to the New York Times on October 4, 1885, two Mormon missionaries had been commissioned to India: "The Indian authorities stated that the harm done by the Mormons had been inappreciable, and that, in the opinion of the Government, no special measures were at present necessary, but that in case of unlawful recruiting of men or women the provisions of the Penal Code would apply." But, alas, they didn't need to worry: "The Mormons made no converts in Calcutta," and reportedly made only two or three converts in the country, "but finally became so much reduced in finances that they were compelled to seek help, and one or more of them left India in a state of destitution."

As an aside, I was helping an Indian friend who was visiting the U.S. find where the Mormon congregation was in Kolkata (Calcutta) near where he lived and noted that it is in the Salt Lake City district of Kolkata. Go figure.

Although it has taken a long time to progress much, the Mormon Church is experiencing some modest growth, as recent news accounts have stated. Mormons expanding in India, by Babu Thomas, Christian Today. (I see that they appear to have taken the article off the internet, so I linked to the cached version.) Church grows as two districts grow to five in India, by Elder Charles W. Kewish and Sister Carol Ann Kewish, Mormon Times. Church in New Delhi moving forward, by Jamshid Askar, LDS Church News.

This article, originally published in The Global Post, shares the conversion experience of an Indian family: Mormons in India, by Sonya Fatah. The comments are rather interesting, demonstrating the resistance that the Mormons face.

Other links: Latter-day Saints make sacrifices to relieve flood victims: Some Mormon volunteers travel four hours to help distribute supplies, by Elder Charles Kewish and Sister Carol Kewish, LDS Church News. Here is the LDS Church's country profile for India. Finally, here is a blog that includes information and experiences about the LDS Church in India, among other places: mormonworld.org.

Oh, and there this is this. I came across a reference to the Blue Mormon butterfly that is indigenous to India and wondered how on earth it got its name. From wikipedia:

The common name is an allusion to the polygamy formerly practiced by members of the Mormon sect according to Harish Gaonkar, of the Natural History Museum in London:

...the origins of giving common English names to organisms, particularly butterflies for tropical species started in India around the mid 19th century ... The naming of Mormons evolved slowly. I think the first to get such a name was the Common Mormon (Papilio polytes), because it had three different females, a fact that could only have been observed in the field, and this they did in India. The name obviously reflected the ... Mormon sect in America, which as we know, practiced polygamy." It should be noted that this butterfly is no longer affilated with the Mormon Church after the Mormon Church disavowed polygamy in the late 19th Century. The butterfly is now to be referred to as the "Blue Mormon-offshoot Butterfly That is No Longer Affiliated with the Mormon Church."

There is also the Blue Mormon Jungle Holiday Resort in Bhimashankar, Pune, India. I'll have to check it out someday.