Religion
Religiously, Asia occupies a special position, since all
the major world religions have emerged there: Hinduism,
Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism, Judaism, Christianity and
Islam. For the religious conditions of the Ancient Orient,
see Ancient Orient's religions. The role of Christianity in
Asia is discussed separately at the end of this section.
Among non-Christian religions, two types can be
distinguished: those that have been developed in
tribal-based societies and have been communicated for a long
time without writing, e.g. the religion of the Lamet people
in Laos, and those who belonged to early state education and
were trained with the help of scripture, e.g. Buddhism and
Confucianism. The first type, which comprises at least about
100 groups, is not dealt with in detail here. For Islam in
Middle East, follow
Countryaah.
South Asia
From about 3000 BC In the Indus valleys, there was a
chain of early state formations. The linguistic monuments
are few and difficult to interpret. However, there seems to
be a clear influence from the Mesopotamian cultures and
their religions. Vedic religion developed within states in
the Ganges Valley from about 1200 BC. During the so-called
Aryan immigration across northwestern India, it had come
into contact with Indus culture but retained clear features
from an Indo-Iranian community. From about the 400s BC the
Vedic religion was the most important element of Hinduism.
At the same time, Buddhism and Jainism also spread in the
North Indian state formations, in opposition to Hinduism but
also dependent on it. Buddhism was up to the 7th century AD
the dominant religion in India but was then pushed back by
Hinduism and from the 9th century also by Islam. In India,
where the Muslim empire arose during the Mughal period
(1526-1700), Islam took on special Indian forms; they are
therefore talking about "Indian Islam". In the encounter
between Hinduism and Islam, Sikhism arose in the 16th
century as a religion of its own.
In the Republic of India, over 3/4 of the population is
Hindu. In Nepal, Hinduism is state religion although there
is a majority of Buddhists. In Sri Lanka, 1/5 of the
population is Hindu. Also in Pakistan and Bangladesh there
is a minority of Hindus (1/5 of the population). Of the
inhabitants of India, 1/5 are Muslims. Buddhism predominates
in Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan (mahayana) and in Sri Lanka
(hinayana); in India, it constitutes a minority (5.5 million
in 1985). Significant minorities in South Asia are the
Christians (27 million) and the Sikhs (14 million), fewer
are the Jainists (3 million) and the Persians (100,000).
Some small groups of Jews have long been in Mumbai (Bombay)
and Kochi; however, most have emigrated to Israel.
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia was influenced by Indian and Chinese
culture from about 100 AD. Already in the 400s, Hinduism and
Buddhism were found in states on the mainland and in the
island world. Vietnam followed China's religious development
until the 9th century except in the southern parts, where
Hindu-pervaded states also emerged. The archipelago was
influenced by Islam from the 9th century, without its Indian
heritage being completely wiped out. Through a powerful
mission in Sri Lanka in the 12th century, Burma, Thailand,
Cambodia and Laos in the 12th-13th centuries became Hinayan
countries.
In the present, hinayana (theravada) dominates in Burma
and Thailand, and before 1970 it was the majority religion
in Cambodia and Laos. In Vietnam, mahayana dominates but, as
in China, has a close relationship with Confucian and Daoist
traditions. In Vietnam there are also new religious forms,
mainly Cao đai, a mixture of French spiritualism and
Catholic, Buddhist, Daoist and Confucian elements.
In Malaysia and in Asia.south island world, Sunni Islam
is predominant. In Malaysia, all Malays (just over half the
population) are considered Muslims; in Indonesia and Brunei,
90% are estimated to be Muslims. Muslim minorities are also
represented in Singapore, the Philippines and the mainland,
especially in Burma and Thailand. Immigrant Chinese make up
just over 1/3 of the population of Malaysia and are a large
majority in Singapore; they have brought with them Chinese
Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism. A small Buddhist minority
exists in Indonesia with a concentration to the province of
Dian. In Southeast Asia there are also many Hindus, in
Indonesia about 2%, in the province of Bali just over 90% of
the population. Malaysia has a significant minority of
Indian immigrants, mainly Hindus but also Muslims,
Christians and Sikhs.
East Asia
East Asia, ie China, Japan and Korea are marked by the
meeting between domestic religion and Buddhism. In the
earliest state formations at Huang He occurred about 1500 BC
an archaic culture. Here both Confucianism and Daoism
emerged in the 500s BC. Buddhism was brought to northern and
southern China from the 10th century AD along the trade
routes from Central Asia as well as by sea. Only after
severe conflicts was it accepted as part of the Chinese
religion along with Confucianism and Daoism. Buddhism in
China belongs to Mahayana; its two major directions are the
clean country school and the meditation school ( chan).
In Japan, there was an ancient cult called shinto, which
is often perceived as Japan's national religion. The second
main element of Japanese religion is Mahayana Buddhism,
which was brought to Japan via Korea in the 500s AD. and
then gradually adapted to the requirements of Japanese
culture. Among other things, the Chinese meditation school
won entry into Japan and was organized there during the 13th
century. Under its Japanese name zen, it has become
a significant feature of Japanese culture.
In Japan, religions are classified into four main groups:
Shinto, Buddhism, Christianity, and "other religions." The
last group includes: Islam. This includes the large number
of new religions that emerged as early as the 19th century
(eg Tenri-kyo), but especially after the Second World War;
they are usually based on Shinto and Buddhism, more recently
Christianity and Hinduism..
Korea's domestic religion came through Chinese influence
to be mixed with Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism; during
the 1300s, shinto also came from Japan to Korea. Korea today
exhibits a mix of domestic, Chinese and Japanese religion.
There are also new religions here, one of which (the Tongan
movement) has also reached the West.
Following the religious persecution of the Cultural
Revolution, the People's Republic of China today recognizes
the practice of Buddhism (which before 1949 was the largest
religion there, calculated by the number of monasteries and
monks), as well as by Daoism, Islam and Christianity.
Confucianism is not considered a religion, which, however,
runs counter to older Chinese ways of thinking. The accepted
religions are organized into national associations, which
operate under the control of the state. While Buddhists,
Daoists and Confucians are scattered throughout the country,
there is a certain concentration of Muslims in Chinese
Central Asia. Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, is regarded in
China as a Chinese religion and has been represented in
Beijing by the Panchen lama (death in 1989).
Central Asia
Central Asia was in the first centuries AD a
culture-mediating region between Iran, India and China. One
result of the contact with South Asia is the rise of Lamaism
in Tibet in the 7th century. It is a special Tibetan form of
Mahayana Buddhism with tantric elements. In addition to
Tibet, Lamaism is also found in other Central Asian peoples.
At the beginning of the 7th century, Islam spread to
Central Asia, to Sogdiana, present-day Uzbekistan, with its
two major commercial centers Buchara and Samarkand.
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and
Uzbekistan, as well as to some extent the southernmost part
of the Russian Federation, are also today fully
characterized by Islam. Central Asia can also be counted as
Afghanistan, where the population consists of Sunni Muslims.
Present problems
Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam in Asia today have several
problems to contend with. The first is the internal split.
Although the Buddhists have a world organization, the World
Fellowship of Buddhists, since 1950, but with its seat in
Sri Lanka, it is difficult to get a general hearing. Tibetan
Buddhism is strongly associated with Tibetan nationalism,
and there are contradictions between mainland Chinese
Buddhism and that in Taiwan. Hinduism has a strong
nationalism but also an interest in world missions. Within
Islam, Sunnis stand against Shiites, with different national
interests.
Another problem is the lack of peaceful cohabitation. In
Ancient India, Islam and Hinduism represent different ethnic
identities, which have been politically exploited to divide
this peninsula into India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. In Sri
Lanka, the conflict between Buddhist Sinhalese and Hindu
Tamils has religious overtones. In Malaysia, different
ethnic groups are defined by their religious affiliation.
A third problem is to regulate the relationships of these
great religions to the "tribes" (whose social organization
is kinship-based), which have differing local traditions. In
India, Hindus strive to incorporate them, and on the
Southeast Asian mainland, the Buddhists and in the Asian
island world, Muslims have similar ambitions.
A fourth problem is to find ideal relationships with
Christianity, which many people perceive as a threat, and a
fifth to reconcile Western ideas of democracy and free
societies with traditional ideals. The encounter with the
West has led to polarizations such as "modernism",
"traditionalism" and "fundamentalism".
Christianity
Christianity spread very early to Central Asia, China and
India along the Silk Road and across the Indian Ocean. There
were several bishops in India as early as the 300s.
Especially the East Syrian (Nestorian) church proved very
expansive. It reached China's capital as early as 635 and
flourished there until 845, when the church in China was
virtually wiped out. In the 13th century, there were many
Nestorians among the Mongols, even within the Genghis Khan
family. In Central Asia, ruled by the Muslim caliphate since
the 6th century, the church lived relatively securely,
before the Crusades destroyed the relations between
Christians and Muslims and the massacre of Timur Lenk
suffered in the 13th century. In India, the East Syrian
Church has survived as a minority, especially in Kerala
(Toma Christians). The majority are today Catholics
(Syro-Malabars and Syro-Malankars),
In the 13th century, Asia was reached by a Western
Catholic mission, especially through the Franciscans, both
along the Silk Road to China and across the Persian Gulf to
India. But it was not until the beginning of the 16th
century, when the sea route was found around Africa, that
the mission became extensive. Portugal's strongholds in Goa,
Malacca and Macao became the starting points for the
mission. Spain colonized the Philippines, which soon became
Christian, and remained Asia's only Christian country. The
Jesuits had great successes in India, Japan and China, but
their adaptation to Asian cultures was subjected to church
restrictions (see ritual struggle). During the 17th century,
the mission was met with a strong reaction. In Japan, the
church was crushed under cruel circumstances, and in China
its activities became more difficult. By the mid-18th
century, the mission of the Jesuits had lost its importance.
The Protestant naval powers of the Netherlands and
Britain gained control of the East Asian trade routes. Thus,
Protestant churches began to be established in Asia. The
missionary movement grew avalanche throughout the 19th
century. Everywhere, churches were established that had
strong ties with the colonial powers and gained a
distinctive Western feel. The Taiping movement, which was
also an expression of a domestic form of Christianity in
China, was crushed with the help of the British military.
After World War II, many of the churches became independent
with their own pastorate and native leaders. New Protestant
communities are growing strongly. Especially in the big
cities, there are para-church organizations, often
originating in the United States, that particularly attract
young people. The emphasis is thus shifted from the Roman
Catholic Church, through the large Protestant communities,
Less known in the West is Christianity in the Asian part
of the Russian Federation. During the 15th-16th centuries,
the Russian tsar empire expanded eastwards to the Pacific.
It was accompanied by a Russian Orthodox mission, especially
during the 19th century, and the liturgy was translated into
a wide variety of Asian languages. In the Asian part of the
Russian Federation, which also had a strong Russian
immigration, Christianity is the dominant religion.
Although the number of Christians in Asia (outside the
Russian Federation) now reaches 200 million, they are
usually in a minority position. However, through education
and medical care, they have played a certain role in the
general development. In the Philippines, more than 90% of
the population is Christian, mainly Roman Catholics. In
South Korea, Christianity is growing very fast and already
in the 1990s has a closure of close to 40% of the
population. In Taiwan and Singapore, too, the number of
Christians is increasing. In China, Christianity has again
become a permitted and rapidly growing religion. Large
Christian groups are found in Indonesia, India and Burma,
especially among minority peoples (batak, naga, karen).
As an intellectually and politically conscious minority,
in various Asian countries, Christians have rarely had
difficulties in their relations with the state. Relations
with the western countries also play a role. Dialogue and
peaceful coexistence with other religions is a condition of
life. In the ecumenical movement, the Asian churches play a
prominent role. They have given Christianity some of its
greatest leaders during the 20th century.
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