Southeast Asia or Southeastern Asia, sometimes abbreviated to SEA, is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies near the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic and volcanic activity. Southeast Asia consists of two geographic regions: Maritime Southeast Asia and Mainland Southeast Asia.
There are nearly over 800 native languages in Southeast Asia. Each of the languages have been influenced by cultural pressures due to trade, immigration, and historical colonization as well.
New religions appeared in Southeast Asia, accompanying the currents of trade and often entwined with social changes already underway. Gradually, in most areas, these religions filled the gaps left by weakening local Hindu-Buddhist establishments and beliefs, and by the mid-18th century the region had assumed something much like its modern religious configuration. Now The major religions are Islam, Buddhism and Christianity. However, a wide variety of religions are found throughout the region, including Hinduism and many animist-influenced practices.
Christianity made its appearance in the early 16th century, brought by the Portuguese, Spanish, and, somewhat later, the French, and it formally spread in connection with European colonial powers. It was not until the latter part of the twentieth century that churches transitioned from European colonial control to a new Asian identity under indigenous leadership, discovering their own mission among other religions and cultures. Now Christianity has manifested major trends in the Southeast Asian scene, including independent Asian church movements, Christianity’s relationship with other religions, and the growing awareness within the Asian church of its missionary responsibility as well as the continual impact of the Asian church on its societies and cultures.
Bibliography:
Wikipedia, Southeast Asia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southeast_Asia. Retrieved April 10, 2020
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