India

Buddha was born in Nepal but achieved enlightenment in India. In the midst of a morally strict Hindu society, he preached “the Middle Way” in an effort to find common ground between the extreme ascetic wing of Hinduism and the more common practices that resulted in greed and exploitation on the other.

Some have called Buddhism a reform movement of Hinduism. Now, over 2,600 years later, Hindus in India are finding Buddha’s teaching attractive and are converting again. This is caused by the caste system that still governs the society.

The Dalits, also known as the Scheduled Castes, and the Adivasis/indigenous people, also known as the Scheduled Tribes, comprise 25% of the population. These groups have been oppressed for thousands of years due to the caste system. Women and children suffer the most. Estimates are that 35 million children are orphans, 11 million are abandoned (90% of these are girls), and 3 million live on the streets.

The Church in India is highly diverse. Orthodox churches trace their heritage to the Apostle Thomas. Catholics represent the largest group in India with 20 million believers and are respected for their work with the poor. In the last 15 years evangelical and Pentecostal denominations have seen explosive growth.

At the same time, persecution of the Christian church has been steadily increasing in recent years. In parts of India, Hindu mobs have burned churches and killed Jesus followers. There have been few repercussions, however, since 80% of believers are from the lower castes.