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One final reason to study different religions and cultures is to see how distant peoples struggled with religious issues without the benefit of Christianity and came to certain conclusions about life, morals, and unseen truth.

One final reason to study different religions and cultures is to see how distant peoples struggled with religious issues without the benefit of Christianity and came to certain conclusions about life, morals, and unseen truth.

== India ==

== India ==

Later Alexander the Great invaded this region in 327 B.C., spreading [[Greeks|Greek]] influence.  The time Alexander's troops spent in India must have been a strange experience for them.  For example, they had never seen elephants.  Imagine their surprise when the Indians fought from atop these massive creatures during a battle on the banks of the river.  In that same battle, Alexander's favorite horse, Buchephalus, was injured and died.  After that, Alexander wanted to continue East, but his troops refused, and he was forced to leave India unconquered.  So only India was able to stop Alexander the Great, or at least survive his conquests.

Later Alexander the Great invaded this region in 327 B.C., spreading [[Greeks|Greek]] influence.  The time Alexander's troops spent in India must have been a strange experience for them.  For example, they had never seen elephants.  Imagine their surprise when the Indians fought from atop these massive creatures during a battle on the banks of the river.  In that same battle, Alexander's favorite horse, Buchephalus, was injured and died.  After that, Alexander wanted to continue East, but his troops refused, and he was forced to leave India unconquered.  So only India was able to stop Alexander the Great, or at least survive his conquests.

Afterward, in 322 B.C., Chandragupta Mauryan defeated the Greek general Seleucus, who ruled a large part of East Asia which Alexander the Great had conquered.  Chandragupta Mauryan became king of Seleucus' land, creating the largest Indian empire in India's history.  He built an elaborate capital city at Pataliputra, which surpassed even the splendor of the great Persian cities, and was the largest city in the world at that time, with over 150,000 inhabitants.<ref>http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0038472.html</ref> It was home to several Buddhist monasteries.   

Afterward, in 322 B.C., Chandragupta Mauryan defeated the Greek general Seleucus, who ruled a large part of Western Asia which Alexander the Great had conquered.  Chandragupta Mauryan became king of Seleucus' land, creating the largest Indian empire in India's history.  He built an elaborate capital city at Pataliputra, which surpassed even the splendor of the great Persian cities, and was the largest city in the world at that time, with over 150,000 inhabitants.<ref>http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0038472.html</ref> It was home to several Buddhist monasteries.   

Chandragupta Mauryan built a massive army of 500,000 soldiers and his adviser, Kautilya, wrote a book how to maintain political power entitled the "Arthashastra".  He wrote that punishment was the key to government.  In other words, Chandragupta was a tough dictator.  But his name is revered, as many Indians to this day bear the last name of "Chandra" or "Gupta".

Chandragupta Mauryan built a massive army of 500,000 soldiers and his adviser, Kautilya, wrote a book how to maintain political power entitled the "Arthashastra".  He wrote that punishment was the key to government.  In other words, Chandragupta was a tough dictator.  But his name is revered, as many Indians to this day bear the last name of "Chandra" or "Gupta".

|Christianity

|Christianity

|2.1 billion

|2.1 billion

|growing fastest in Africa, Asia; losing in Europe

|Includes Protestantism, Catholicism, Orthodox, etc

|-

|-

|Islam

|Islam

|1.5 billion

|1.5 billion

|threat of death if conversion to another religion

|Includes Sunni, Shite, etc

|-

|-

|Anti-religious

|Non-religious

|1.1 billion

|1.1 billion

|followers censor school prayer and promote evolution

|Does not follow any particular religion

|-

|-

|Hinduism

|Hinduism

|900 million

|900 million

|nearly all are in or from India

|mostly based in the Indian sub-continent

|-

|-

|Chinese religions

|Chinese religions

|Judaism

|Judaism

|14 million

|14 million

|mostly in Israel and the United States

|mostly in Israel, Europe, and the Americas

|-

|-

|Jainism

|Jainism

|Shinto

|Shinto

|4 million

|4 million

|the official religion of Japan, key in World War II

|native religion of Japan

|-

|-

|Zoroastrianism

|Zoroastrianism

== China ==

== China ==

[[Image:China rel01.jpg|450px|right]]

[[Image:China rel01.jpg|450px|right]]

China, like India, is significant partly because it has so many people.  Each has a population of about 1 billion persons today, and one third of the entire world now lives in China or India.  Most people in the world are Asian, which includes Japan, North and South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, Pakistan, and many other countries.

Each has a population of about 1 billion persons today, and one third of the entire world now lives in China or India.  Most people in the world are Asian, which includes Japan, North and South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, Pakistan, and many other countries.

But there the similarities between China and India end.  There is no Hinduism in China.  There is very little ethnic diversity in China, in contrast with India and many Western countries today. Christianity has struggled to convert China, and only about one out of nine Chinese are Christian.  And even that small number is due to courageous efforts in the face of much persecution of religion by the communist government that rules China.

China is very ethnically diverse, comprised of over 56 recognized ethnic groups with over 160 million people. Christianity has struggled to convert China, and only about one out of nine Chinese are Christian.  

China has always been isolated by geographic protections.  The highest mountains in the world, the Himalayas, separate it from India.  The Himalaya Mountain Range is famous for giants like Mount Everest and K2.  Vast amounts of semi-desert land known as the Gobi desert separate China from the Middle East and the area which was Mesopotamia in ancient times.   

The highest mountains in the world, the Himalayas, separate it from India.  The Himalaya Mountain Range is famous for giants like Mount Everest and K2.  Vast amounts of semi-desert land known as the Gobi desert separate China from the Middle East and the area which was Mesopotamia in ancient times.   

In the south of China, the Yangtze river flows for 3000 miles, navigable from the sea for half of its course.  In the north is the Yellow river (now called the Huang He), which runs westward from the Yellow Sea and then northward a bit before turning south (look on the map above).  The Yellow river obtained its original name from the murky tan color of its waters.  The Yellow River is known for its tendency to flood surrounding lands, often with disastrous results.  The silt and sand carried in the muddy water builds up on the bottom of the river until it blocks the water's flow and causes the river to divert its course, flooding into another area.  Floods like these make the course of the Yellow River change often.

In the south of China, the Yangtze river flows for 3000 miles, navigable from the sea for half of its course.  In the north is the Yellow river (now called the Huang He), which runs westward from the Yellow Sea and then northward a bit before turning south (look on the map above).  The Yellow river obtained its original name from the murky tan color of its waters.  The Yellow River is known for its tendency to flood surrounding lands, often with disastrous results.  The silt and sand carried in the muddy water builds up on the bottom of the river until it blocks the water's flow and causes the river to divert its course, flooding into another area.  Floods like these make the course of the Yellow River change often.