Hinduism as a missionary religion / Arvind Sharma.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sharma, Arvind.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Hinduism--Missions--Historiography.

Hinduism.

Hinduism--Influence.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (207 p.)

Place of Publication:

Albany : State University of New York Press, c2011.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Is Hinduism a missionary religion? Merely posing this question is a novel and provocative act. Popular and scholarly perception, both ancient and modern, puts Hinduism in the non-missionary category. In this intriguing book, Arvind Sharma re-opens the question. Examining the historical evidence from the major Hindu eras, the Vedic, classical, medieval, and modern periods, Sharma's investigation challenges the categories used in current scholarly discourse and finds them inadequate, emphasizing the need to distinguish between a missionary religion and a proselytizing one. A distinction rarely made, it is nevertheless an illuminating and fruitful one that resonates with insights from the comparative study of religion. Ultimately concluding that Hinduism is a missionary religion, but not a proselytizing one, Sharma's work provides us with new insights both on Hinduism and the consideration of religion itself.

Contents:

Front Matter

Contents

Preface

The Antiquity and Continuity of the Belief that Hinduism Is Not a Missionary Religion

The Neo-Hindu Conviction that Hinduism Is a Non-Missionary Religion

Hinduism as a Missionary Religion

Conclusions

Notes

Bibliography

Index of Terms

Index of Names

Index of Subjects

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

ISBN:

9781438432137

1438432135

OCLC:

794699035