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Christianity and Islam: Conversion in India
Author(s) -
Howard Joseph G.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
religion compass
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.113
H-Index - 1
ISSN - 1749-8171
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-8171.2010.00231.x
Subject(s) - christianity , islam , buddhism , anachronism , religious studies , dharma , meaning (existential) , hinduism , history , religious conversion , sociology , social science , philosophy , political science , theology , law , epistemology , politics
The study of India is a very rich field, not least because of the religious diversity present in India. India has not only exported Buddhism to the rest of Asia but has also received religious traditions from the West (of India), notably Christianity – in the first century AD – and Islam – in the eighth century AD. How do scholars explain this importation of foreign religion? Some argue that ‘religion’ is an anachronistic term to use in the study of India, as Indian languages generally lack a word for ‘religion’, with the closest term, dharma , meaning ‘way of life’ rather than ‘religion’. If this is so, then how can we understand Indians who converted to monotheistic faiths that claim universal truth when we cannot even say for sure from what they ‘converted’? Not all of these questions have answers, but this article will explore the historiography of conversion to Christianity and Islam in India to try to get a sense of what the scholarly community has to say about conversion in India and also to see what this same group conspicuously chooses to ignore. It will focus on Christianity and will explore Islam to the extent that the comparison can further elucidate an understanding of Christianity in India.