Editing Apologetics (section)

===Hinduism===
Hindu apologetics began developing during the British colonial period.  A number of Indian intellectuals had become critical of the British tendency to devalue the Hindu religious tradition. As a result, these Indian intellectuals, as well as a handful of British [[Indology|Indologists]], were galvanized to examine the roots of the religion as well as to study its vast arcana and corpus in an analytical fashion. This endeavor drove the deciphering and preservation of [[Sanskrit]]. Many translations of Hindu texts were produced which made them accessible to a broader reading audience.

In the early 18th century, Christian missionary [[Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg]] engaged in dialogues with several [[Tamil language|Tamil]]-speaking [[Malabars|Malabarian]] Hindu priests, and recorded arguments of these Hindu apologists. These records include German-language reports submitted to the Lutheran headquarters in [[Halle (Saale)|Halle]], and 99 letters written by the Hindu priests to him (later translated into German under the title ''Malabarische Korrespondenz'' from 1718 onwards).{{sfn|Richard F. Young|1981|pp=22-23}}

During 1830–1831, missionary [[John Wilson (Scottish missionary)|John Wilson]] engaged in debates with Hindu apologists in [[Bombay Presidency|Bombay]].{{sfn|Richard F. Young|1981|p=25}} In 1830, his protege Ram Chandra, a Hindu convert to Christianity, debated with several Hindu [[Brahmin]] apologists in public. Hindu [[pandit]] [[Morobhatt Dandekar]] summarized his arguments from his 1831 debate with Wilson in a Marathi-language work titled ''Shri-Hindu-dharma-sthapana''.{{sfn|Richard F. Young|1981|p=26}} Narayana Rao, another Hindu apologist, wrote ''[[Svadesha-dharmabhimani|Svadesha-dharma-abhimani]]'' in response to Wilson.{{sfn|Richard F. Young|1981|p=28}}

In the mid-19th century, several Hindu apologist works were written in response to [[John Muir (indologist)|John Muir]]'s ''[[Mataparīkṣā]]''. These include ''[[Mata-parīkṣā-śikṣā]]'' (1839) by [[Subaji Bapu|Somanatha]] of [[Central India Agency|Central India]], ''[[Mataparīkṣottara]]'' (1840) by Harachandra Tarkapanchanan of [[Calcutta]], ''[[Śāstra-tattva-vinirṇaya]]'' (1844-1845) by [[Nilakantha Gore]] of [[Benares]],{{sfn|Richard F. Young|1981|p=15}} and a critique (published later in 1861 as part of ''Dharmādharma-parīkṣā-patra'') by an unknown [[Vaishnava]] writer.{{sfn|Richard F. Young|1981|p=177}}

A range of Indian philosophers, including [[Swami Vivekananda]] and [[Aurobindo Ghose]], have written rational explanations regarding the values of the Hindu religious tradition. More modern proponents such as the [[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]] have also tried to correlate recent developments from [[quantum physics]] and [[consciousness]] research with Hindu concepts. The late Reverend [[Pandurang Shastri Athavale]] has given a plethora of discourses regarding the symbolism and rational basis for many principles in the [[Veda|Vedic tradition]]. In his book ''The Cradle of Civilization'', David Frawley, an American who has embraced the Vedic tradition, has characterized the ancient texts of the Hindu heritage as being like "pyramids of the spirit".