Christians

The roots of Christianity in India are rooted at various times in the History of India from the time of the Crusification to the present time.

India had trade communication with Egypt, Mesopotamia, Rome and Greece since the pre-Christian time. Some connections were older than that as well. From the stories of Bidapey the early name for the Aesop's fables we can say that India had some connection with the Greece Roman and Egyptian Persian culture. Bidape is the European name for the Indian wise man called Vishnu Sharma who wrote those stories first time.

It is also said that Jesus Christ had some twelve years of mysterious absence. During this period many believed that Christ visited India. The introduction of washing the feet and some other rituals are very similar to those in Hindu religion.

Christ had 12 apostles. One of the apostle was Thomas. Some said that he was brother of Christ. Some said that he was the twin brother of Christ. Whatever it was he was later on known as Doubting Thomas because he did not believe that Christ was resurrected. But when he touched the wounds of resurrected Christ, his hand was full of blood of Christ. Then he became believer.

It is believed that when the Roman persecution of the apostles became sever, he left the holy land and arrived in South India what is called modern day Kerala. There the local king gave him land to follow his religion. He built the Church and that was called St Thomas cult. However when he started to preach and spread outside his given area, the local king got angry and killed him. After his death his cult remained restricted to that particular area. But during the British rule it spread a little more.

So this is the first experience of Christianity in India.

The second wave came along with the arrival of Vasco de Gama, Portuguese explorer in the fifteen century who acquired the land portions like Bombay and GAO and established the colonies for the Portuguese. He made the Roman Catholicism compulsory for all those people who lived in the Portuguese colonies.

Later on these place became very easy for all European travelers and much later when they had armies to visit these places for leisure activities in the style of European way of life.

So these colonies flourished and became larger than the original small town places and Christianity spread through these Euros ian people who were not exactly like European but of mixed blood.

Later arrival were the Dutch, Danish, English and French who also had their trading posts and with them came their own priests as well.

During the time of British Raj American Presbatarian Church people came to spread their messages as well.

So the Charting religion in present day has all denomination of European Christian Church. many times these denominations show clear cut influences of the native religion of the people.

By practice the one denomination of the people do not mix with the other denomination. Again the converted people often keep their original root culture. So many times that all Christians have not a common language. Many keep their original language.

So when the disorder is being treated modern allopathic is always accompanied by the local and traditional methods as well.

Christianity has firm belief in the divinity of Christ plus it is believed that his mother Mary or Mari am or generally known as Santa Maria have curing power.

People with physical or mental disorders seek advice of Church and do worship of Santa Maria and Jujus Christ the same way as a Hindu would do the worship. Exorcism is firmly believed by Christian people and people who live near around the Christian Church town, may they be Hindus or Muslims or any other faith.

Some of the Churches in India are believed that they had very curing and powerful effect on people. So once in a year people travel to these place. The churches in Goa and St Thomas in Kerala are believed miracle maker churches. All kinds of relics and icons and talisman etc are bought by the people who have disorders and also by healthy people to ward of evil.