The French Internet site "Aide à l'Eglise en détresse" puts the figure of Christians in Bhutan at 12,255, with 1,000 Roman Catholics. 0.5% of the population with 74% Buddhists, 20.5% Hindus, 3.8% Animists and 1.2% uncategorized.

The 2008 Constitution

Article 3 of the 2008 constitution guarantees religious freedom, but also forbids conversion 'by means of coercion or inducement'. According to Open Doors

Open Doors

Open Doors is a non-denominational mission supporting persecuted Christians in more than 50 countries where Christianity is socially or legally discouraged or oppressed...

, to many Bhutanese this rules out sharing the gospel.

Roman Catholics

Territorially, Roman Catholics in Bhutan belong to the Diocese of Darjeeling

Diocese of Darjeeling

The Diocese of Darjeeling is a Roman Catholic Diocese situated in the north east of India. It includes within its territory the independent Himalayan state of Bhutan, where Christianity is practiced by a tiny minority and proselytism is forbidden. The current bishop is Stephen Lepcha. There are...

 in India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

.

Mahayana Buddhism as state religion

Mahayana

Mahayana

Mahāyāna is one of the two main existing branches of Buddhism and a term for classification of Buddhist philosophies and practice...

 Buddhism is the State religion

State religion

A state religion is a religious body or creed officially endorsed by the state...

 of Bhutan. Bhutan is the last remaining country in which Buddhism in its tantric, vajrayana form, also called lamaism, is the state religion.

According to Article 3 of the 2008 Constitution, "Budddhism is the spiritual heritage of Bhutan, which promotes the principles and values of peace, non-violence, compassion and tolerance". "The Druk Gyalpo [or King] is the protector of all religions in Bhutan". Article 3 stipulates that "It shall be the responsibility of religious institutions and personalities to promote the spiritual heritage of the country while also ensuring that religion remains separate from politics in Bhutan. Religious institutions and personalities shall remain above politics."

Before 2008

• In 2002 : According to a 2002 report cited by the Bhutanese Christians Services Centre NGO, "the 65,000 Christians [in the country] have only one church at their disposal."

• In 2006 : According to Mission Network News
  Mission Network News
  Mission Network News , a broadcast ministry of Cornerstone University, reports on the work on mission agencies and relief organizations around the world....
  
  , "it's illegal for a Buddhist to become a Christian and church buildings are forbidden. (...) Christians in Bhutan are only allowed to practice their faith at home. Those who openly choose to follow Christ can be expelled from Bhutan and stripped of their citizenship."

• In 2007 : According to Gospel for Asia
  Gospel for Asia
  In 1978 K P Yohannan, a native of India working as a pastor in the USA, was financially supporting ten pastors in India. He founded Gospel in Asia, with a professed goal to support indigenous missions, opposing direct mission work by western churches, which it sees as religious neo-colonialism. It...
  
  , "the government has recently begun clamping down on Christians by barring some congregations from meeting for worship. This has caused at least two Gospel for Asia-affiliated churches to temporarily close their doors. (...) Under Bhutan law, it is illegal to attempt to convert people from the country’s two predominant religions [Buddhism and Hinduism]."

After 2008

According to the "Open Doors" ONG, "Persecution in Buddhist Bhutan mainly comes from the family, the community, and the monks who yield a strong influence in the society. Cases of atrocities (i.e. beatings) have been decreasing in number; this may continue as a result of major changes in the country, including the implementation of a new constitution guaranteeing greater religious liberty."

Proselytizing

According to the U. S. State Department's 2007 Report on International Religious Freedom no forced religious conversion has been known.

Christian media

The Bhutanese Christians Services Centre is an NGO informing on persecution of Christians in Bhutan.
The Gospel for Asia

Gospel for Asia

In 1978 K P Yohannan, a native of India working as a pastor in the USA, was financially supporting ten pastors in India. He founded Gospel in Asia, with a professed goal to support indigenous missions, opposing direct mission work by western churches, which it sees as religious neo-colonialism. It...

 radio broadcasts in five languages reaching Bhutan.

See also

• Freedom of religion in Bhutan
  Freedom of religion in Bhutan
  The Bhutanese Constitution of 2008 and previous law provide for freedom of religion in Bhutan, however the government has limited non-Buddhist missionary activity, barring non-Buddhist missionaries from entering the country, limiting construction of non-Buddhist religious buildings, and restricting...
  
  
• Roman Catholicism in Bhutan
  Roman Catholicism in Bhutan
  The Roman Catholic Church in Bhutan is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome.-Origins:...
  
  
• Persecution of Christians
  Persecution of Christians
  Persecution of Christians as a consequence of professing their faith can be traced both historically and in the current era. Early Christians were persecuted for their faith, at the hands of both Jews from whose religion Christianity arose, and the Roman Empire which controlled much of the land...