Evangelistic Indian Religion?

Islam and Christianity both have more than a billion adherents today, with countries with majorities of one of those religions numbering in the scores. Both these religions seem to have become so successful on the world stage because of their inherent evangelism, the concept of spreading the Word of God to the non-believers. What would be the effect of India having developed a similar religion which has a core tenet of proselytizing like Christianity and Islam? Would it have to be monotheistic?
 
Buddhism tried that in the Hellenistic world. It was really nothing more than an oddity for many though some say it influenced the development of Christianity.
 

Keenir

Banned
Islam and Christianity both have more than a billion adherents today, with countries with majorities of one of those religions numbering in the scores. Both these religions seem to have become so successful on the world stage because of their inherent evangelism, the concept of spreading the Word of God to the non-believers. What would be the effect of India having developed a similar religion which has a core tenet of proselytizing like Christianity and Islam? Would it have to be monotheistic?

do the Sikhs count? or the Parsis?
 
Islam and Christianity both have more than a billion adherents today, with countries with majorities of one of those religions numbering in the scores. Both these religions seem to have become so successful on the world stage because of their inherent evangelism, the concept of spreading the Word of God to the non-believers. What would be the effect of India having developed a similar religion which has a core tenet of proselytizing like Christianity and Islam? Would it have to be monotheistic?

There already is one in OTL, and it has hundreds of millions of followers worldwide.

EDIT: At least, historically it was evangelistic.
 
I would agree that Buddhism has been extremely evangelistic. They proselytized all the way to Japan one way and Greece the other.
 
Islam and Christianity both have more than a billion adherents today, with countries with majorities of one of those religions numbering in the scores. Both these religions seem to have become so successful on the world stage because of their inherent evangelism, the concept of spreading the Word of God to the non-believers. What would be the effect of India having developed a similar religion which has a core tenet of proselytizing like Christianity and Islam? Would it have to be monotheistic?

As others have said, it did. It's called Buddhism.
 
do the Sikhs count? or the Parsis?

I always thought the Parsis were the opposite - that they were very exclusive.
Anyway, that's not an "Indian" religion.

Oh and don't forget the Hare Krishnas (most Hindus actually consider them to be a different religion).
 
Then the obvious answer is to avert whatever caused Buddhism to cease being an evangelizing religion.

I have an idea- in it's heyday, have Buddhism spread into and dominate Arabia as well. Then have the Arabian tribes eventually unite like they did OTL but under a (presumably very distinct branch) of Buddhism rather then Islam, and conquer territories comparable to those taken by the Caliphate in OTL. So even if their more easterly forms lose their missionary edge the Arabianized form can compensate. Probably give it a boost in the East as well similar to how Islam spread in India and Indonesia. Such a Buddhism would outnumber even Christians.
 
There were, are and likely will be quite a few. If you want something specific we'd be more than happy to help you out, just let it be known precisely what you're looking for!
 
I always thought the Parsis were the opposite - that they were very exclusive.
Anyway, that's not an "Indian" religion.

Oh and don't forget the Hare Krishnas (most Hindus actually consider them to be a different religion).

Actually they've picked up enough cultural differences from mainstream Zoroastrianism that their variety could indeed be considered an Indian religion- at least as Indian as the Syrian Orthodox are.

Parsees are indeed extremely exclusive. You can't convert and to be considered a Parsee both your parents must have been Parsees. Technically this is also true of Hinduism- you can't convert.
 
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