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The Tenth Lesson: The Religions of India. Part II1313
The Tenth Lesson: The Religions of India. Part II
From the sources mentioned in the preceding lesson, the Religions of
India of to-day have arisen, subject to the mellowing influence of time,
and the inevitable blending and mutual modification and influence of
each upon the others. The old lines are maintained, but the doctrines have
modified each other, and the lines are softened and blended until often it
is difficult to point out the exact distinctions between some of the many
cults of the several schools, the shading being so gradual. At the present
time the three hundred millions (300,000,000) and over, of the Hindu
people, are divided into several great divisions, with the numerical strength
approximately stated as follows:
Orthodox Hindu Faiths 225,000,000
Mahommedans 63,000,000
Buddhists (in Burmah, etc.) 10,000,000
Animistic Religions 3,000,000
Christians 3,000,000
Sikhs 2,500,000
Jains 1,500,000
Jews 25,000
Parsees 100,000