Hinduism in India: An Odd Religion

What is Hinduism? One of the world's oldest religions with a pantheon of gods, colorful festivals and nearly 1 billion adherents.  But that's not all. "Hinduism is an odd religion. It works very well as a way of life but no longer works as a faith. It's too old, too corrupt, has moved too far from its raison d'être. For the educated urban Indian, Hinduism is a cultural rather than religious identity. ... But there is the 'other' Hinduism thriving in the small towns and villages of India, a harsh, religion that oppresses women and the 'lower castes'. ..."

Read more about Hinduism in this article by Shreya Sen-Handley in the UK's Guardian newspaper.  a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2013/jan/26/republic-day-india-two-hinduisms" target="_blank">http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2013/jan/26/republic... >

Christianity in India

• There are between 25 and 30 million Christians in India.  About one in 40 of India's 1.2 billion people are reportedly Christians. [1]  
• Although India, the world's most populous nation, is officially a secular and democratic, Christians in rural areas face widespread persecution, vandalism and destruction of their property, and even death, unless they renounce Jesus Christ and convert to Hinduism.  [2] [3]  
• Yet, in spite of this, missionaries continue to share the Gospel and Christianity is gaining converts in India.

[1] CIA World Factbook

[2] Christian Persecution India 

[3] Google search results: "Christian persecution India"