into the influence which they exercised or felt can be subdivided.
There is the question whether they owe anything to Christianity in
their later developments and also the question whether Christianity
has borrowed anything from them.[1072] Other questions to be
considered are the relations of Indian religions to Zoroastrianism in
ancient and to Islam in more recent times, which, if of less general
interest than problems involving Christianity, are easier to
investigate and of considerable importance.

Let us begin with the influence of Christianity on Indian religion.
For earlier periods the record of contact between Hindus and
Christians is fragmentary, but the evidence of the last two centuries
may give a significant indication as to the effect of early Christian
influence. In these two centuries Christianity has been presented to
the Hindus in the most favourable circumstances: it has come as the
religion of the governing power and associated with European
civilization: it has not, like Mohammedanism, been propagated by force
or accompanied by any intolerance which could awaken repugnance, but
its doctrines have been preached and expounded by private
missionaries, if not always with skill and sympathy, at least with
zeal and a desire to persuade. The result is that according to the
census of 1911 there are now 3,876,000 Christians including Europeans,
that is to say, a sect a little stronger than the Sikhs as against
more than sixty-six million Mohammedans. Of these 3,876,000 many are
drawn from the lowest castes or from tribes that are hardly considered
as Hindus. Some religious associations, generally known as Somaj, have
been founded under the influence of European philosophy as much as of
Christianity: imitation of European civilization (which is quite a
different thing from Christianity) is visible in the objects and
methods of religious and philanthropic institutions: some curious
mixed sects of small numerical strength have been formed by the fusion
of Christian with Hindu or Mohammedan elements or of all three
together. Yet the religious thought and customs of India in general
seem hardly conscious of contact with Christianity: there is no sign
that they have felt any fancy for the theology of the Athanasian
Creed or the ceremonies of the Roman Catholic Church which might have
interested speculative and ritualistic minds. Similarly, though
intellectual intercourse between India and China was long and fairl