Asian Christianity in its Interaction with Asian religious traditions – 3

Conclusion

In conclusion, we would say that a person, in the course of their life, looks for the divine and creates religion, which is colored according to specific elements.  All religions and cultures are different if they are compared with each other.  The issue is the way one religion survives in a country where another religion dominates.  Although Christianity is a religion with the largest percentage of followers (believers) on earth, it has not become completely acceptable in Asia.  Some may agree and others may disagree with the teachings of Christianity.  Some researchers considered Christianity to be equal to other religions, others considered Christianity as something special and others believe that Christianity is superior to other religions.  The dialogues (communication) may help in the improvement of the relationship of Christianity with other religions of the East.  The main thing is that people should live harmoniously so that there is peace[1].

Asia-Pacific [2]

“The Asia-Pacific region includes 13% of the world’s Christians. The region’s largest Christian population in absolute numbers is in the Philippines, a country that is overwhelmingly Christian (93%). Christians make up a minority of the population in China (5%), India (3%) and Indonesia (9%), but because these countries have very large populations, their Christian minorities are large in number. Collectively, the 10 countries with the largest Christian populations in the region are home to 12% of all Christians worldwide”.

Religion [3]

“Religion has also divided the people of South Asia. The major religions in the subcontinent are Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Christianity. The chart below shows the different religions in South Asia and the percent of the more than 1.29 billion people who practice each of them. The majority of the people in South Asia practice Hinduism. Hindus have many representations of God from which they choose to worship. They also have many holy scriptures and prophets. There is no single path to salvation for Hindus. Hindus believe that one’s soul might be reborn several times before gaining enlightenment, at which time one’s soul is merged with the cosmic forces and is eliminated. Through its doctrine of karma and the caste system, Hinduism explains the inequalities in human society”.

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[1] Gregory D. Ziakas, Dialogues between people of different religions, (supervision) Panagiotis Pachis, vol. Α’, edit. Pournaras, Thessaloniki, 2010 p. 63-64 όπου: «Το ζήτημα της Ειρήνης απασχολεί ανέκαθεν όλες τις θρησκείες και όλες τις φιλοσοφίες του κόσμου. Στις θρησκευτικές παραδόσεις του κόσμου, η ειρήνη δηλώνεται με δύο έννοιες, μιαν αποφατική (αρνητική) και μια θετική. Με την αποφατική της έννοια, η ειρήνη είναι ελευθερία από τον πόλεμο και την ανησυχία. Με τη θετική της έννοια, η ειρήνη είναι η ευημερία και η ελεύθερη εκπλήρωση των σκοπών της θρησκευτικής και κοινωνικής ζωής».

[2] http://www.pewforum.org

[3] http://www.cotf.edu