ASIA

ABRAHAMIC

2008-07-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

Abrahamic religions of Judaism ,Christianity and Islam originated in West Asia . The world's largest Muslim community (within the bounds of one nation) is in Indonesia. South Asia (mainly Pakistan ,India and Bangladesh ) holds 30% of Muslims. There are also significant Muslim populations in China, Iran , Malaysia , the Philippines, Russia and most of West Asia and Central Asia . In the Philippines and East Timor , Roman Chatholicism is the predominant religion; it was introduced by the Spaniards and the Portuguese , respectively. In Armenia , Eastern Orthodoxy is the predominant religion. Various Christian denominations have adherents in portions of the Middle East, as well as China and India. Judaism, one of the smaller yet oldest of the Abrahamic faiths, is practiced primarily in Israel (which has either the largest or second largest Jewish population in the world), though small communities exist in other countries, such as the Bene Israel in India.

2008-07-01T10:46:00.000-07:00

Mythology

Asian mythology is diverse. The story is first found in Mesopotamian Mythology , in the Epic of Gilgamesh . Hindu mythology tells about an avatar of God Vishnu the form of a fish who warned Manu of a terrible flood. In ancient Chinese mythology , Shan Hai Jing , the Chinese ruler Da Yu , had to spend 10 years to control a deluge which swept out most of ancient China and was aided by the goddess Nuwa who literally fixed the broken sky through which huge rains were pouring. The story is also found in the Bible and Quran .

RELIGION

2008-07-01T10:28:00.000-07:00

Asian philosophical traditions originated in India and China and cover a large spectrum of philosophical thoughts and writings. Indian philosophy includes Hindu philosophy and Buddhist philosophy . They include elements of nonmaterial pursuits, whereas another school of thought from India, Carvaka , preached the enjoyment of material world. Also Methidistism and protestism is popular among Koreans