Buddhist-Christian Controversies and Comparative Religion in Siam, the 1850s-1980s.

Siam Society.  Bangkok, Thailand.  July 16, 2013.  Dr. Thongchai Winichakul, a Thai scholar who is now teaching at the University of Wisconsin, gave a lecture on a little known aspect of Thai history.  In 1958, the Catholic mission in Thailand, published a revised edition of the Butxa Visatxana, a tract promoting Catholicism as superior to Buddhism, which, charged the publication, is mere superstition.  In fact, this publication had its origins in the middle of the 19^th century, and had been reprinted in 1894, also creating controversy.  Upon the 1958 publication, the government organized a huge gathering in Bangkok, at Thailand’s leading university, against the “threat from Christianity.”  The Catholic church withdrew the publication and no copies of it can be found.  Dr. Thongchar’s lively lecture style and the inherent interest of the subject matter of his lecture, made this evening a highly informative one.