What if Europe was able to rapidly industrialize before the Mughal Empire colonized them? Could they have pulled this off like Meiji Japan? Britain probably had the best chance since it was an isolated island kingdom just like Japan.
Sometimes I think we're being too hard on the Christians. After all, the Muslims did pull it off, and from what I understand the two religions aren't that far apart. At least they share the same creation myths, and their dogmas overlap to a large extent.Moreover, to industrialize you need a dynamic commercial sector. Yet Christianity forbids interest! How can you modernize with a religion that basically bans banking?