The Big Picture: Major Influences - Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East and Southeast Asia - page 11

CHRISTIANITY
The spread of Christianity from its hearth region in Israel/
Palestine is closely tied to European imperialism. Carried
by colonizers, administrators, soldiers, sailors, traders,
and missionaries, Christian doctrine arrived in Asia espe-
cially after the thirteenth century . It flourished in context
of colonization that began in earnest in the sixteenth
century , but competition with already established reli-
gions diminished its impact. Although Christians can be
found throughout Asia, the most significant concentrations
are in Timor-Leste, the Philippines, eastern Indonesia,
South Korea, and Vietnam.
Christianity is a monotheistic faith proclaiming the
idea of a single God. A Jewish man known as Jesus Christ
is believed to be the Son of God, the Messiah that had been
promised roughly 1,500 years earlier. The Messiah would
restore the relationship between God and humankind.
The teachings of Jesus and his disciples spread, as the
Word of God, via contact conversion. Numerous versions
of the Bible offer both a history of Judaism and early
Christianity in addition to the teachings of Jesus and his
followers. Many Jews and Christians believe that the Bible
is the Word of God. Missionizing continues to be a power-
ful force in the diffusion of Christianity (Figure 1-9).
Christians believe in salvation through faith in Jesus
Christ and adherence to the teachings of the Bible. His-
toric circumstance has seen the continual division of

Christianity . T Two major branches, Roman Catholicism
and Protestantism, with its multiple denominations,
have made the greatest headway in Asia. Christianity has
grown to the point that it is self-perpetuating. Jesus'
birthday (Christmas) is celebrated by close to 300 mil-
lion Christians in Asia with people of other faiths often
joining in the celebrations.
Saint Thomas came to the Malabar Coast of India
(southwest) in 52 AD. Many converts were gained from
the lowest classes of society attracted by human equality
offered by Christians. When the Portuguese arrived in
the sixteenth century , they passed anti-Hindu laws,
forced conversions, and even persecuted some converts
for not having enough fervor in their beliefs and prac-
tices. Many were tortured then burned at the stake.
The British arrived with their missionaries in the sev-
enteenth century . T To attract more Christian converts, they
built schools and handed out clothes and food to the
poor. Christianity remains a minority faith in India, but
even today , many Hindu Indians attend Christian schools,
especially Roman Catholic ones for girls. The largest pop-
ulations of Indian Christians are found in Mumbai
(Bombay), the former Portuguese colony of Goa on the
west coast, Kerala and Tamil Nadu states in the south, and
the northeastern tribal states of Manipur and Mizoram.
One famous Christian in India is Mother T eresa
(1910-1997). Mother T Teresa founded the Missionaries of
Charity organization in Kolkhata (Calcutta) where she
and her helpers tended to the diseased, dying, and desti-
tute for decades. Her organization now has more than
500 branches worldwide responsible for caring for
90,000 lepers and feeding 500,000 people a year. Mother
T Teresa was given many honors and was awarded the
Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
The Portuguese imposed Christianity in their colony of
Timor (now Timor-Leste), and the Philippines, which Is
80 percent Roman Catholic, adopted the faith when colo-
nized by Spain. Estimates of the size of Korea' s Christian
population range from 28 to 49 percent. Moreover, Korea
has the second largest Christian missionary force in the
world after the United States. There is only a small minority
of Christians in Japan, which is a largely secular country .
The Roman Catholic Jesuit Order brought Christianity
to Vietnam in the sixteenth century . As Communist forces
advanced from the north during the Vietnam War, Chris-
tians fled southward to escape persecution. Many Montag-
nards , tribal people of the western mountains who aided
U.S. forces in the war, are Christians. Although the Commu-
nist regime proclaims freedom of religion, Montagnards con-
tinue to be tortured and imprisoned as “Agents of America.”

Figure 1-9
I came across this Pentecostal mission in the remote Dayak com-
munity of Mencimai in Kalimantan on the island of Borneo. Most
of the people of this region follow folk belief systems or areMuslim.
Even Christian converts retain elements of their traditional beliefs.
There are not many converts in Muslim Indonesia. The church is
built on stilts because of the tropical rains and surface flooding.
Photograph courtesy of B. A. Weightman.