How often do missionaries report encounters with demonic activity while deployed to countries belonging to the 10/40 Window?

Question

According to Wikipedia:

The 10/40 Window is a term coined by Christian missionary strategist and Partners International CEO Luis Bush in 1990 to refer to those regions of the eastern hemisphere, plus the European and African part of the western hemisphere, located between 10 and 40 degrees north of the equator, a general area that was purported to have the highest level of socioeconomic challenges and least access to the Christian message and Christian resources on the planet.

Recently someone told me about the prevalence of the belief in demons and ghosts in countries pertaining to this troublesome region. I did a quick search and indeed was able to find several anecdotal reports suggesting that this appears to be the case. Two examples below:

1) Defining Missions – A Tibetan Testimony (Illustrating the 10/40 Window):

[...] By the string of Hollywood movies in recent decades focusing on Tibetan culture one would get the impression that they have much wisdom and light to offer the West in terms of spirituality. This is a satanically inspired fabrication, and couldn’t be further from the truth. Tibet is a dark place filled with demon possession, witchcraft, poverty, brutality and fearful superstition. Over every mountain pass you will find prayer flags waving in the wind. With each gust of wind it is believed that one more prayer has ascended to the demonic forces of fear that control their lives. And with every prayer it is hoped, more than believed, that somehow the brutal spirits ruling their land will be, to some small degree, appeased with this fruitless tradition.

2) 4 Reasons to Evangelize the 10/40 Window Before Anywhere Else:

In the 10/40 Window, most people live in deep fear of evil spirits (a few atheistic nations excepted). They offer daily sacrifices to appease their ancestors, avoiding retribution, and seeking blessing. Statues of demons and spirits adorn almost every street. Reports of ghost encounters abound. Many cultures regularly seek out witch doctors, psychics, spiritists, blessings, spells, and potions, and fear curses and omens.

The 10/40 Window’s demonic fears aren’t baseless. Inhabitants of the 10/40 Window fear evil spirits because they’ve lived under evil’s vicious taunt. Demonic forces work out in the open there, spreading torment, confusion, rage, and addiction. Our partners regularly tell us stories of the most shocking demonic attacks.

I’ll only give one example.

A 19-year old Burmese man lived under severe demonization since age 15. Demonic illness, madness, and rage constantly plagued him and often drove him running into the jungle. He soon became so violent that his teachers had to remove him from school, and his own parents locked him in his room and chained him to his bed. They sought every cure possible, but neither medicine nor monks nor mysticism could turn the tide. Soon, the parents met our partner, Pastor J, and asked him to pray for their son.

What happened next should blow us away. Our partner prayed for the young man in the name of Jesus, and the tormenting spirit left immediately. In a matter of seconds, Jesus had delivered the young man from insanity which four years of Asia’s best cures could not heal! Can you imagine the joy and relief His family experienced? He soon received Christ, and today he would rather die than reject Jesus. Who could blame him?

Our partners tell us similar testimonies regularly. Jesus is setting the 10/40 Window free, person by person, soul by soul. He longs to liberate every unreached captive, for He is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9 NKJV). What keeps this great deliverance from the pages of history? “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few” (Luke 10:2 NKJV).

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Question: Can someone more knowledgeable on the topic confirm whether this is true? Does demonic activity abound in many of the countries belonging to the 10/40 Window and how often do Christian missionaries encounter demonic activity while on duty in these countries?

Answer 1

How often do missionaries report encounters with demonic activity while deployed to countries belonging to the 10/40 Window?

Here follows a map displaying the nations in the 10/40 Window:

I rather doubt there is sufficient data to make an accurate response to establish how often do missionaries report encounters with demonic activity while deployed to countries belonging to the 10/40 Window? Some missionaries simply do not report such things. In general, I believe that such occurrences are not uncommon in this region. I have read enough missionary lives to believe it to be true.

This region of the world was previously known to Christians as the "resistant belt", By missionaries trying to make headway into these countries.

As I have already stated not all missionaries report publicly their encounters with the demonic. Many a catholic missionary will inform their superiors and/or bishop, while others are quite at ease about talking about it publicly. I imagine this is somewhat true in other denominations as well.

Certainly some countries are more affected by the demonic then others. Once again data is lacking in this domain.

The lives of missionary life that I have read about or have had personal contact indicate that among the countries more affected are Tibet (China), Nigeria, Bhutan and Burkina Faso.

Brazil, Peru and Haiti are technically not part of the nations in the 10/40 Window, but have greater levels of demonic activity than most countries.

The amount of native religions that invoke evil through their pagan beliefs and witchcraft are an open recipe for possible demonic possession.

Father Giovanni Salerno, the founder of The Servants of the Poor In Peru freely recounts how the Devil often hindered his missionary activities, especially in the higher and more remote villages.

• On Mission with God in the Andes - The Servants of the Poor of the Third World

Tibet has a phenomenal intense historical reputation for missionaries encounter the forces of evil amongst the native populations. The lives of the the German missionary Fr. Biet and his successor the Swiss Fr. Maurice Tornay bare this out.

Blessed Maurice Tornay was eventually martyr by four armed lamas that burst from the bush in the Tothong forest which prompted the priest to speak with them: "Don't shoot! Let's talk!" but two shots rang out and Doci was shot dead. More shots killed the priest on 11 August 1949. His remains were buried though transferred in 1985. He was beatified on 16 May 1993, after Pope John Paul II confirmed that the late priest had been killed "in odium fidei" ('in hatred of the faith').

Often Fr. Biet would instruct catechumens for the reception for the grace of baptism. Many became possessed by the Devil just prior to baptism. But once the saving waters of baptism touched the individual, the Devil left for good.

Fr. Évariste Régis Huc, C.M. and Fr. Joseph Gabet, C. M. Made the historic voyage through Mongolia and Tibet from 1844-1846. Fr. Huc accounts of this were recorded in his book Remembrances of a Journey in Tartary, Tibet, and China during the Years 1844, 1845, and 1846. It is an eye opener to how both good and evil exists in Tibet. Possession was not rare.

Vajrayana and Tibetan Buddhism

Vajrayana Buddhism is a smaller sect and is practiced in Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia, Tibet, and Inner Mongolia. It focuses more on the demonic realm and occult-like texts, called tantras.

You may have heard of Tibetan Buddhism, which incorporates elements of the Vajrayana and Mahayana sects. Prayer habits in these sects can be more ritualistic and robust.

In Vajrayana Buddhism, some worshipers meditate on tantras or on mandalas—spiritual, circular, and geometric patterns—that they believe will lead to out-of-body experiences.

I could go on about other countries, but these suffice to get my point across.