Uganda passing law that allows them to put homosexuals to death.

[The Grand Nudger]

Leprosy isn't the only illness in Nepal. Cripples are also completely outcast, and many patients at the hospital go on to have productive lives because there are support networks in place to empower people to do so. The church he attends in Nepal is entirely separate to the hospital, the hospital is largely funded by churches outside of Nepal. With that said, if I'm not mistaking the church there does run services inside the hospital as well - but again, nobody forces anyone to go to a church service, it's there for people who want to go.

Wait..wait..he isn't connected to the actual medical treatments? He's just there to give them the opportunity to discard one set of stigmas and prejudices for another? Might have to forget about what I said.

Incorrect. Care and compassion is part and parcel of the physical treatment and clinical care. He has reported the last two times to us that he has been in Canberra that their patients often ask why they are so caring to them because they're used to most Nepalese ignoring them (at best).

Unfortunate, but again, that your friend does not share the stigmas or prejudices of the average Joe Nepali doesn't mean he isn't there peddling his own.

The care starts with the physical, clinical side at the hospital. There is a real need, however, that these people have for care that goes well beyond this, to establish them as productive members of society - especially as they already see themselves as worthless because that's what their community at large think of them. If Paul's work was concerned solely with the clinical care then it wouldn't be addressing the problem of daemonization of disease. It doesn't stop at the clinical, people are cared for such that they are appreciated and valued.

I thought demons -did- cause diseases? Guessing he doesn't teach that part of the word? Is something about this caring intrinsically religious? Or is this yet another secular service being offered?

This is why the hospital is having an impact there. It doesn't change the attitudes of society at large, it simply changes the attitudes of those who suffer physical illnesses such that they are able to see they are valuable and capable.

I think the medicine at the hospital probably accounts for a larger majority of whatever impact they have. Sorry.

Now you can argue that secular non-religious people could well go and do exactly the same - and indeed they could. The operative word here being "could". We do it. We don't just know that we "could" do it, we Christians choose to make a difference.

LOL and indeed I did...and of course, secular charities do exactly this sort of thing. Here, in the US, they do it more than religious charities. Where you're from that might be different, I wouldn't know.

The services are there specifically designed to address the needs in that place for those people. They aren't a purely clinically designed structure, they're designed for the specific needs. When Paul started there the church was largely persecuted at the time - why do they have better recognition now do you think? Because the government can appreciate clearly the positive work they're doing. Only a tiny fraction of Nepalese are Christians, it wouldn't take much for them to overthrow the movement if they really thought we Christians were there for "our own agenda".

They -are- there for their own agenda (christ need not be mentioned otherwise...not to deliver treatment, not even in caring and befriending these people)..regardless of what good work might be done. Peddle the Mother T bit elsewhere. I'm sure the individuals treated appreciate the treatment, I'm sure they appreciate the care and kind words...but I'm not actually willing to swallow some selfless service line from the export arm of the christian machine. Sorry.