RELIGION: A BRIEF STUDY OF INDIA'S SECULARITY AND THE GROWTH OF CHRISTIANITY
Religion: A brief study of India 's secularity and the growth of Christianity
ABSTRACT
This essay emphasizes on the advent, development, and propagation of Christianity in India. The paper will also look at the assimilation of Christianity into mainstream Indian life, and how it established itself as one of the most important minority religions in India. The issues faced by Christianity in India at present will also be analyzed. In addition to this, the essay will address the debate of India 's secularity. A brief history of Religion will be addressed, with reference to the work of E.B. Tylor, Emile Durkheim and Karl Marx. Some other questions which will be answered are 'why do sociologists study Religion ', 'What role does Religion Play in the society ', and 'How does religion work to maintain solidarity among members of a society. '
INTRODUCTION
"Religion has convinced people that there 's an invisible man ... living in the sky. Who watches everything you do every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a list of ten specific things he doesn 't want you to do. And if you do any of these things, he will send you to a special place, of burning and fire and smoke and torture and anguish for you to live forever, and suffer, and suffer, and burn, and scream, until the end of time" (Carlin, n.d.). Haralambos and Heald, in Sociology: Themes and Perspectives, have explicitly stated that supernatural beliefs exist in all societies, including the primitive societies. Robertson states that religion "refers to the existence of supernatural beings which have a governing effect on life." This definition takes into account the fact that religion is not only a belief in the existence of supernatural elements, but also that these elements exert some degree of control over the lives of the people. The nineteenth century saw a rise in the study of religion as scholars began to question the origin and evolution of the
ABSTRACT
This essay emphasizes on the advent, development, and propagation of Christianity in India. The paper will also look at the assimilation of Christianity into mainstream Indian life, and how it established itself as one of the most important minority religions in India. The issues faced by Christianity in India at present will also be analyzed. In addition to this, the essay will address the debate of India 's secularity. A brief history of Religion will be addressed, with reference to the work of E.B. Tylor, Emile Durkheim and Karl Marx. Some other questions which will be answered are 'why do sociologists study Religion ', 'What role does Religion Play in the society ', and 'How does religion work to maintain solidarity among members of a society. '
INTRODUCTION
"Religion has convinced people that there 's an invisible man ... living in the sky. Who watches everything you do every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a list of ten specific things he doesn 't want you to do. And if you do any of these things, he will send you to a special place, of burning and fire and smoke and torture and anguish for you to live forever, and suffer, and suffer, and burn, and scream, until the end of time" (Carlin, n.d.). Haralambos and Heald, in Sociology: Themes and Perspectives, have explicitly stated that supernatural beliefs exist in all societies, including the primitive societies. Robertson states that religion "refers to the existence of supernatural beings which have a governing effect on life." This definition takes into account the fact that religion is not only a belief in the existence of supernatural elements, but also that these elements exert some degree of control over the lives of the people. The nineteenth century saw a rise in the study of religion as scholars began to question the origin and evolution of the
References: Act 25. (1955, May 18). Retrieved from http://bokakhat.gov.in/pdf/The_hindu_marriage_act.pdf Carlin, G CensusIndia. (2011). Distribution of Population by Religions. Retrieved October 29, 2013, from http://censusindia.gov.in/Ad_Campaign/drop_in_articles/04-Distribution_by_Religion.pdf Clothey, F IANS. (2013, October 11). No room for religious politics in India: Meira Kumar. Retrieved from http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-no-room-for-religious-politics-in-india-meira-kumar-1902283 India, C India, T. i. (n.d.). Retrieved 10 29, 2013, from Anthropology Guide: http://anthropologyguide.blogspot.in/2012/02/totemism-in-tribal-india.html Khalidi, O Neill, S. (1984). A History of Christianity in India: The Beginnings to AD 1707. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. PTI. (2012, December 19). Hinduism third largest religion of world: Pew research. Deccan Herald. Scott, J., & Marshall, G. (1994). Dictionary of Sociology (Third Edition Revised ed.). New York: Oxford University Press Inc. UNI. (2007, October 20). One India News. Retrieved from http://news.oneindia.in/2007/10/20/politicisation-of-religion-caste-a-threat-to-integration-1192887499.html Vadakkekara, B