Compare and Contrast Hinduism and Christianity

The development, spread, and impact of Hinduism on India politically and idealistically is similar to the development, spread and impact of Christianity on Western Europe because politically, both religions were supported by their rulers and emperors; and idealistically because both Hinduism and Christianity share similar philosophies and beginnings which influenced major religious ideas and understandings. However, Hinduism in India and Christianity in Western Europe differed greatly on a social aspect because while India recognized and upheld the importance of an organized caste system in achieving religious salvation, Christianity viewed social classes as insignificant to core religious principals. This leads to the observation that societies are more often than not very similar, with few differences.
The spread of Hinduism in India can be most attributed to the Gupta Dynasty and their successors. The Gupta Dynasty spread Hinduism by making it the official religion of India, and zealously encouraged the practice of Hinduism to the people of India. Eventually, Hindu kingdoms began to independently rule Southern India under loosely administered states; Hinduism brought a sense of stability to Southern India by escaping from Islamic invasions, chronic war, and civil turmoil. Two of these regional states include the kingdom of Vijayanager and the kingdom of Chola. Both kingdoms spread Hinduism through political means such as building temples with authorities and land administrators that directly worked with guilds and invested in commercial and economic ventures. Similarly during the middle ages, Western Europe was run by Christian authorities and patriarchs called the Papacy. Pope Gregory I, also known as Gregory the Great, emphasized the importance of sacraments, which are a central belief in Christianity; this served as a major political influence of the spread of Christianity on Western Europe. The popes acted independently and devoted much of their efforts to