King Mongkut's Interactions with Christianity
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KING MONGKUT’S INTERACTIONS WITH CHRISTIANITY AND THE FAILURE OF EARLY PROTESTANT MISSIONARY EFFORTS TO CONVERT THE SIAMESE BY DOUGLAS MARTIN HILLS BA, Simon Fraser University, 1994 MCS, Regent College, 2008 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF THEOLOGY with a concentration in CHURCH HISTORY ________________________________ Supervisor: Dr. Donald M. Lewis ________________________________ Second Reader: Dr. Michael W. Goheen REGENT COLLEGE Vancouver, British Columbia April 2009 Douglas Martin Hills In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirement for an advanced degree at Regent College, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree that permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be permitted by the Librarian. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. __________________________ i ABSTRACT Thailand, formerly known as Siam, has proven resistant to Christianity. Despite faithful work from Catholic missionaries since the 1500s, and from Protestant missionaries since 1828, the number of Thai who have become Christians is minimal. This thesis will examine the first forty years of Protestant missionary work in Siam, from 1828 to 1868. One of the prominent figures in Siam at this time was Mongkut, who became king in 1851, and reigned until his death in 1868. Because of his prominence in the society, Mongkut is one of the few Siamese of that time whose interactions with missionaries can be traced over an extended period. This paper will investigate his relationship to Christianity, and it will be seen that while Mongkut had a cautiously open attitude to western influences and was eager to accept certain elements of western civilization, he emphatically rejected Christianity throughout his life, as did most of the Siamese that the missionaries encountered. The thesis will then investigate considerations which help explain the failure of the missionary efforts to convert the Siamese, examining both factors which were outside the control of the missionaries and those which were within their control. Finally, an attempt will be made to apply what we have learned to contemporary situations. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT........................................................................................................................ ii TABLE OF CONTENTS...................................................................................................iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................................ v INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 Introductory Matters ....................................................................................................... 1 Statement of Purpose................................................................................................... 1 Importance of the Subject ........................................................................................... 6 Previous Research.......................................................................................................7 Method and Sources.................................................................................................. 10 Limitations ................................................................................................................ 15 Terminology............................................................................................................... 17 Before Mongkut: The Context...................................................................................... 20 Background of Siam .................................................................................................. 20 Background of Christianity in Siam.......................................................................... 24 MONK MONGKUT: CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE AND BUDDHIST REFORM............27 Overview of the Period (1804–1851) ........................................................................... 27 Mongkut .................................................................................................................... 27 Missions .................................................................................................................... 32 Mongkut’s Interactions with Christians........................................................................ 39 Bishop Pallegoix .......................................................................................................39 Jesse Caswell ............................................................................................................ 41 Mongkut’s Response..................................................................................................... 45 Acceptance of Western Learning............................................................................... 45 Rejection of Christianity ........................................................................................... 47 Reform of Buddhism.................................................................................................. 50 KING MONGKUT: DECIDING A NATION’S POLICIES ............................................ 57 Overview of the Period (1851–1868) ........................................................................... 57 Mongkut .................................................................................................................... 57 Missions .................................................................................................................... 58 Mongkut’s Interactions with Christians........................................................................ 64 Dan Beach Bradley ................................................................................................... 64 Missionary Women .................................................................................................... 67 Anna Leonowens .......................................................................................................70 Mongkut’s Response..................................................................................................... 74 Freedom of Religion.................................................................................................. 74 Rejection of Christianity ........................................................................................... 78 iii EVALUATION: FACTORS WITHIN MISSIONARY RESPONSIBILITY.................... 81 Introduction................................................................................................................... 81 Characteristics of the Missionaries............................................................................... 83 Sense of Superiority .................................................................................................. 83 Rationalism ............................................................................................................... 88 Noncooperation......................................................................................................... 90 Attacking Buddhism .................................................................................................. 95 Attacking the King..................................................................................................... 99 Cultural Insensitivity............................................................................................... 101 Summary..................................................................................................................... 105 EVALUATION: FACTORS OUTSIDE MISSIONARY RESPONSIBILITY ............... 107 Introduction................................................................................................................. 107 Setting ......................................................................................................................... 108 Physical Setting.......................................................................................................108 Health...................................................................................................................... 109 Language..................................................................................................................110 Resources .................................................................................................................111 The Intertwining of Culture and Religion....................................................................112 Characteristics of the Siamese .....................................................................................118 Cultural Differences.................................................................................................118 Intellectual Difficulties............................................................................................ 120 Sense of Superiority ................................................................................................ 126 Lack of Felt Needs .................................................................................................. 128 Summary..................................................................................................................... 129 SINCE MONGKUT: THE RESULTS OF MONGKUT’S INTERACTIONS