The Mongolians' belief system is Lama Buddhism, a mixture of Buddhism and the primitive aboriginal Bonpo religion. Diverse practices vary from simple folk beliefs to do with religious merit-making and the pacification of a terrifying spirit world to the ascetic meditations of hermits for whom all "gods" are illusory.
Population and Location
The Mongolians (or Mongols) are one of the 55 minority people groups of mainland China. There are about 4.8 million Mongolians in China, mainly in the northwestern provinces. About 3.4 million Mongolians are found in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, where they are overshadowed by over 18 million Han Chinese.
Mongolians are also distributed in many other provinces, primarily in Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Qinghai, Xinjiang, and Gansu. Surprisingly, there are far more Mongolians in China than in the independent republic of Mongolia to the north.
Language
The Mongolian language belongs to the Ural-Altaic group and there are 12 main dialects. Different Mongolian groups are distinguished primarily by their dialects. In China, many Mongolians still use their traditional downward Mongolian script, but the written Chinese script is commonly used. There are six sub-groups of Mongolians. In Xinjiang, Mongolians are known as "Oirat," which is the name of the largest sub-group. These 166,000 Oirat Mongolians have their own script, distinct from other Mongolian.
Livelihood
In former times, the Mongolians were a pastoral, nomadic people, but in modern times many have settled into agriculture. Much of Inner Mongolia is grassland where the Mongolians still herd cattle, horses and sheep. Hohhot, the bustling provincial capital of Inner Mongolia, has over 1 million inhabitants. Some Mongolians have settled into city life here and all public buildings have signs written in the graceful Mongolian script as well as in Chinese characters.
Religion
Most Mongolians are Lama Buddhists, with similar beliefs to the Tibetans. Lama Buddhism is a mixture of Buddhism and the primitive aboriginal Bonpo religion. It is the product of centuries of sharp and intense conflict between two religions.
There are diverse sects and many layers of practice. These vary from simple folk beliefs to do with religious merit-earning and the pacification of a terrifying spirit world of thousands of gods and demons, to the ascetic meditations of hermits for whom all "gods" are illusory. Lamas are regarded as special teachers, and believed to be reincarnations of former Buddhist holy men who have reached a high stage of "enlightenment." Their blessings and teachings are sought by the lay people who revere them as divine.
Christianity
Efforts by various mission agencies including the China Inland Mission in the 19th century did not produce a permanent church. The New Testament was translated in 1952, but this is in an obsolete Mongolian script. Today the church in Inner Mongolia is growing steadily, with an estimated 100,000 Chinese Christians in the region in 1993. In Hohhot, there are three TSPM (state-controlled) churches, with the main one having regular congregations of over 2,000. In recent years, this church has been baptizing several hundred people each year. In Baotou, Inner Mongolia’s other chief city, there are five TSPM churches with at least 10,000 believers.
There are also more than 200,000 Catholics in Inner Mongolia. The Roman Catholic church has a history of over 120 years. There are at least 32 Catholic churches and 100 home meetings.
The Mongolians, however, have remained impervious to the gospel’s influence. There are very few Christians among the Mongolians in Inner Mongolia. In one town, there are reportedly 2,000 Mongolian Catholics and two Mongolian priests but there are only scattered Protestants. Some Chinese Christians are reaching out to the Mongolians and have requested Scriptures in Mongolian to help them in evangelism. In most cases, Mongol converts attend Chinese churches or house churches. There are no churches of any kind in the eastern part of the province where many Mongolians live, nor any roads. So it is very difficult for Chinese Christians to reach them with the gospel.
In 1990 Far East Broadcasting Company began to broadcast the gospel in Mongolian. In 1991 it was reported that a version of the Bible in the Mongolian script is being prepared. Let us pray for all literature and broadcasting efforts to reach the Mongolians, and pray that Chinese Christians will catch the vision to reach their neighbors.