The development of Christianity in Sri Lanka and its political implications, AD 50 - AD 2005

Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Topic: Miscellaneous, grade: A, Concordia University Montreal, course: BA Politics, language: English, abstract: The development of Christianity in Sri Lanka has been a long and complex process. Christianity has been instrumental in the development of modern Sri Lankan politics and culture. In this paper I will attempt to map the development of Christianity on the island and assess its resultant political implications. I will also attempt to prove that Christianity has played a major role in the political development of present day Sri Lankan democracy.

I. Background

Christian development in Sri Lanka could have started as early as AD c.50 when, according to legend, St. Thomas the Apostle set foot upon the island to preach the message of the gospels.1 Since then, Sri Lanka has experienced several stages of Christian development- which can be loosely mapped as a transition from Roman Catholicism to Modern Denominationalism- primarily orchestrated by the ruling power that happened to be enjoying occupation of the island at the time. Because each of these powers (namely the Portuguese, Dutch and British) attempted to impose their own brand of Christianity on the region and met with varying degrees of success, modern Sri Lankan Christianity is a rich tapestry of denominational beliefs including, in order of primacy, Catholicism (over 85%), Anglicanism, Dutch Reformism and Non- Conformism (including Baptists and American Congregationalists).2 The number of Christians in Sri Lanka is considerable; of 20,064,776 residents, 6.2% (roughly 1.25 million) consider themselves Christian (2001 census data).3 Furthermore, Christians comprised over 10.6% of the population during the high British colonial period (c.1900). Thus, as a large minority group, Christian development inherently affected- and still affects- the development of Sri Lankan politics as a whole. The study of such development is thus important in order to better understand the evolution of Sri Lankan society and politics, and the present political situation of Sri Lanka and its¿ people.

II. Study

It is possible that St. Thomas the Apostle did actually preach in Sri Lanka. By tradition, it is alleged that he was killed in India, stabbed with a spear sometime around AD 72.4

1 Jones

2 De Sampayo

3 CIA World Factbook

4 Jones