As an Indian I am frequently asked of how many Gods and Goddesses or trees or animals I worship and my reply to this question every single time is that my last name is Joseph. Even when I tell people that my last name is Joseph they look at me waiting for me to elaborate. As a Catholic it is very frustrating how almost everyone assumes that all Indians are Hindu's. Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism Christianity and Buddhism are some of the major
religions that are present in India.
Hinduism can be considered as one of the oldest religions in the world. There is no founder or origin to this religion and it developed over a period of four thousand years. Hindus do not believe in just one God, there are many Gods and Goddesses they worship. On the other extreme side of Hinduism there are people who also worship trees, animals and spirits.
The
Islamic religion was originally brought to India in the 8th century by the Arab traders. The invasion of Mugals in the 12th century lead to the spread of Islam in India.
Sikhism was found about 500 years ago by Guru Nanak Dev, who was born in the year 1469. The religion originated in the state of Punjab, India. The word "Sikh" in Punjabi language mean 'disciple' and it is built around the concept of equality and the devotion and remembrance of God.
Christianity in India is said to have originated from the missionary activity of Saint Thomas, one of Jesus' disciples. Western missionary activity took place in the 1500's with missionaries who arrived along with Vasco de Gama, until the 1970's.
Although Hinduism is one of the major religions in India this brief summary of the religions and how it came about indicates that not all Indians are Hindus. India bieng a secular country, any one is free to practice the religion of his or her choice.
Wow do i feel ignorant. Usually when I meet an Indian person I usually assume they're either Sikh, Hindu or Muslim. I had no idea that some Indian people are Catholic, maybe because I have never met a Catholic Indian person before. This was very interesting to read, I really liked how you briefly described each religion.
ReplyDeleteIn India there is a province by the name kerala. The population of kerala is nearly 33 million. Over there nearly one third of the population is christian. That is nearly one third of the population of Canada are christians.
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