CHRISTIANITY
 Some of the churches owe their origin either to the modern missionary movement of the late 18th century onwards, or to the colonial presence of the European powers. There are 4 major Christians sects in India.
Thomas Christians in Kerala it is believed that one of the Christ’s Apostles, Thomas reached India in 52 AD, and settled in Malabar. He expanded the missionary work to China. A church still exists of Thomas Christian in Kerala. The Syrian church - The Syrian Christians embarked on a major missionary movement in the sixth century AD. The Thomas Christians have forms of worship that show very strong influence of the Syrian Church. They are mostly located in Kerala. Roman Catholicism - The Jesuit St. Francis Xavier landed in Goa in 1542 and Goa was made an Archbishopric, and is still bears rich testimony to the Portuguese influence on community life and on church in India. Northern missions - There are far fewer Christians in North India than in the south, but Protestant missions in Bengal from the end of the 18th century had a profound influence on cultural and religious development. Many Hindus from backward castes and in the tribal areas converted to Christianity. The Christian populations of the tribal hill areas of Nagaland and Assam stem from such late missionary efforts. The northern Christian mission contributed a major effort towards education and medical services. Some of the Christian-run hospitals, such as that at Vellore, continued to provide high class medical care. |
