TRS

The connection between colonial powers, Christian missionaries, and the Indian society before India’s independence has been debated, particularly regarding the unfavourable responses towards missionaries. It is important to note that Christianity was not introduced to India through colonization but came into the country during the first century CE. The presence of the Syrian Christians in South India and the Armenian Christians in North India and their peaceful coexistence with the local Hindu and Muslim population denoted cultural and religious interaction and harmony. The entry of the Portuguese in the fifteenth century disrupted this state of equilibrium. The Portuguese authorities were assertive in enforcing Catholicism as the exclusive and genuine form of Christianity, resulting in the Syrian Christians being labelled as ‘heretics’ and subjected to the atrocities of the Inquisition. The Portuguese dominance in India was of brief duration (1498-1580); they relinquished control of their settlements to Indian monarchs. The advent of commercial powers such as the Danish, Dutch, and English introduced a distinct form of Christianity. These powers exhibited hostility towards missionaries, and being commercial organizations, they preferred to keep religion separate from commerce.

In light of this background, this paper aims to elucidate the activities of Canadian Baptism Women Missionaries in India and their motivations to establish that they were only focused on missionary work and not driven by any colonial purpose.