Answer: Christianity
Explanation: The spread of Christianity came about through two primary means: trade and conquest. As the New World was being discovered, it was common for Catholic priests to go along on the voyages. Their purpose was to evangelize the indigenous, or native, populations. Unfortunately, the purpose of many explorers was not quite as noble; they were eager to gain riches and prestige. The two goals did not go hand-in-hand very well. Invariably, the explorers proved to be very harsh and treated the indigenous populations poorly. In some cases, the native people were challenged to accept the Christian faith or die.
In this manner, Christianity grew very quickly, particularly in the New World countries of Brazil, Peru, and Mexico. Catholic missions sprang up all over the continent.
The spread of Christianity in North America was no less brutal. Again, many people tried to win converts by peaceful means, but in many cases religious differences were used to justify mistreatment.
When trade relations opened up in India, China, and Japan, Christian leaders saw another opportunity to spread the religion. This time, very little blood was shed for the spreading of the faith. Missionaries set up in the trading posts and evangelized from there. It was a slow process, for Hinduism in India, Buddhism in China, and Confucianism in Japan were firmly entrenched.
