Christianity, Just One of Major Religions?
Christianity failed to prevail in some areas in the world: the Middle East, India, and most part of East Asia, especially China and Japan.
In other words, Christianity simply prevailed in Europe before Columbus or around 1500 and in some colonized regions by Europeans, namely Africa and America, after Columbus or around 1500.
The areas that did not accept Christianity had other religions deeply rooted (Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, etc.) or clearly competitive to Christianity (Islam and Judaism).
In this context, the religion Christianity cannot claim that it is the only right religion for the mankind, since there are so many religions whose followers have not accepted Christianity in these 2000 years. Indeed, in its process of development Christianity adopted many aspects of the ancient Greek and Roman Civilizations. As a result, Christianity became very European to the extent that other peoples in areas with very different cultural backgrounds from European's could not simply accept Christianity.
But it is strange that Christianity has become such a religion while Christ Jesus declared that He is the Son of God and He wished that His teaching would prevail in the world. So, we have to think that true Christianity is not what we see as Christianity today in the world. True Christianity must be obtained by subtracting European features from the present Christianity.
Especially the Vatican and other church systems reflect these European features that have been integrated into original Christianity. However, the Gospels seem to reflect original Christianity, since they were written in the first century. Later churches and the Vatican leaders made biased interpretation of the Gospels and especially the words of Christ Jesus, which became authentic teaching of Christianity. However, to find original Christianity, we must check the Gospels by ourselves with reference to our daily lives.
Anyway it is impossible that the Son of God came to this world 2000 years ago just to give one of several major religions in the world to the mankind. Or, we have to know why the religion the Son of God gave to the mankind could not prevail overwhelmingly as He wished.
And, if we could find how true Christianity was modified by Europeans and the Vatican to the extent that the European Christianity became critically different from true Christianity the Son of God intended, we cannot use the fact that Christianity has not overwhelmingly prevailed in the world as a proof that Christ Jesus was not the Son of God.
**** **** ****
Joh 7:23 If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day?