Major religious groups

The world's principal religions and spiritual traditions may be classified into a small number of major groups, though this is not a uniform practice. This theory began in the 18th century with the goal of recognizing the relative levels of civility in societies,[2] which in many modern cultures is considered offensive.

Worldwide percentage of adherents by religion, 2015[1]

  Christianity (31.2%)
  Islam (24.1%)
  No religion (16%)
  Hinduism (15.1%)
  Buddhism (6.9%)
  Folk religions (5.7%)
  Other religions (0.51%)
  Sikhism (0.29%)
  Judaism (0.2%)

History of religious categories

An 1821 map of the world, where "Christians, Mahometans, and Pagans" correspond to levels of civilization (the map makes no distinction between Buddhism and Hinduism).
An 1883 map of the world divided into colors representing "Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Mohammedans and Pagans".

In world cultures, there have traditionally been many different groupings of religious belief. In Indian culture, different religious philosophies were traditionally respected as academic differences in pursuit of the same truth. In Islam, the Quran mentions three different categories: Muslims, the People of the Book, and idol worshipers.

Christian categorizations

Initially, Christians had a simple dichotomy of world beliefs: Christian civility versus foreign heresy or barbarity. In the 18th century, "heresy" was clarified to mean Judaism and Islam;[3] along with paganism, this created a fourfold classification which spawned such works as John Toland's Nazarenus, or Jewish, Gentile, and Mahometan Christianity,[4] which represented the three Abrahamic religions as different "nations" or sects within religion itself, the "true monotheism."

Daniel Defoe described the original definition as follows: "Religion is properly the Worship given to God, but 'tis also applied to the Worship of Idols and false Deities."[5] At the turn of the 19th century, in between 1780 and 1810, the language dramatically changed: instead of "religion" being synonymous with spirituality, authors began using the plural, "religions," to refer to both Christianity and other forms of worship. Therefore, Hannah Adams's early encyclopedia, for example, had its name changed from An Alphabetical Compendium of the Various Sects... to A Dictionary of All Religions and Religious Denominations.[6][7]

In 1838, the four-way division of Christianity, Judaism, Mahommedanism (archaic terminology for Islam) and Paganism was multiplied considerably by Josiah Conder's Analytical and Comparative View of All Religions Now Extant among Mankind. Conder's work still adhered to the four-way classification, but in his eye for detail he puts together much historical work to create something resembling the modern Western image: he includes Druze, Yezidis, Mandeans, and Elamites[8] under a list of possibly monotheistic groups, and under the final category, of "polytheism and pantheism," he listed Zoroastrianism, "Vedas, Puranas, Tantras, Reformed sects" of India as well as "Brahminical idolatry," Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Lamaism, "religion of China and Japan," and "illiterate superstitions" as others.[9][10]

The modern meaning of the phrase "world religion," putting non-Christians at the same level as Christians, began with the 1893 Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago. The Parliament spurred the creation of a dozen privately funded lectures with the intent of informing people of the diversity of religious experience: these lectures funded researchers such as William James, D. T. Suzuki, and Alan Watts, who greatly influenced the public conception of world religions.[11]

In the latter half of the 20th century, the category of "world religion" fell into serious question, especially for drawing parallels between vastly different cultures, and thereby creating an arbitrary separation between the religious and the secular.[12] Even history professors have now taken note of these complications and advise against teaching "world religions" in schools.[13] Others see the shaping of religions in the context of the nation-state as the "invention of traditions."

Classification

Religious traditions fall into super-groups in comparative religion, arranged by historical origin and mutual influence. Abrahamic religions originate in West Asia,[14][15] Indian religions in the Indian subcontinent (South Asia)[16] and East Asian religions in East Asia.[17] Another group with supra-regional influence are Afro-American religion,[18] which have their origins in Central and West Africa.

Religious demographics

World map color-coded to denote the main religion in each country (as of 2020)

One way to define a major religion is by the number of current adherents. The population numbers by religion are computed by a combination of census reports and population surveys (in countries where religion data is not collected in census, for example the United States or France), but results can vary widely depending on the way questions are phrased, the definitions of religion used and the bias of the agencies or organizations conducting the survey. Informal or unorganized religions are especially difficult to count.

There is no consensus among researchers as to the best methodology for determining the religiosity profile of the world's population. A number of fundamental aspects are unresolved:

  • Whether to count "historically predominant religious culture[s]"[24]
  • Whether to count only those who actively "practice" a particular religion[25]
  • Whether to count based on a concept of "adherence"[26]
  • Whether to count only those who expressly self-identify with a particular denomination[27]
  • Whether to count only adults, or to include children as well.
  • Whether to rely only on official government-provided statistics[28]
  • Whether to use multiple sources and ranges or single "best source(s)"

Largest religious groups

ReligionFollowers
(billions)
Cultural traditionFoundedReferences
Christianity2.4Abrahamic religionsMiddle East[29][30]
Islam1.8Abrahamic religionsMiddle East[31][32]
Hinduism1.2Indian religionsIndian subcontinent[29]
Buddhism0.5Indian religionsIndian subcontinent[30]
Folk religion0.4Depends on the regionWorldwide[33]

Medium-sized religions

ReligionFollowers
(millions)
Cultural traditionFoundedReferences
Taoism12–173Chinese religionsChina[34]
Sikhism30-140Indian religionsIndian subcontinent, 15th century[35][36] [37]
Shinto100Japanese religionsJapan[38][39]
Falun Gong80–100Chinese religionsChina, 20th century[40]
Judaism14.5Abrahamic religionsLevant (Middle East)[29][41]
Confucianism6–7Chinese religionsChina[42]
Spiritism5-15New religious movementsFrance[43]
Korean shamanism5–15Korean religionsKorea[44]
Caodaism5–9Vietnamese religionsVietnam, 20th century[45]
Baháʼí Faith5–7.3Abrahamic religionsIran, 19th century[46][47][nb 1]
Jainism4–5Indian religionsIndian subcontinent, 7th to 9th century BC[48][49]
Cheondoism3–4Korean religionsKorea, 19th century[50]
Hoahaoism1.5–3Vietnamese religionsVietnam, 20th century[51]
Tenriism1.2Japanese religionsJapan, 19th century[52]

By region

World Christian Encyclopedia

Following is some available data based on the work of the World Christian Encyclopedia:[54]

Trends in annual growth of adherence
1970–1985[55] 1990–2000[56][57] 2000–2005[58] % change 1970–2010 (40 yrs)[47]
3.65%: Baháʼí Faith 2.65%: Zoroastrianism 1.84%: Islam 9.85%: Daoism
2.74%: Islam 2.28%: Baháʼí Faith 1.70%: Baháʼí Faith 4.26%: Baháʼí Faith
2.34%: Hinduism 2.13%: Islam 1.62%: Sikhism 4.23%: Islam
1.67%: Buddhism 1.87%: Sikhism 1.57%: Hinduism 3.08%: Sikhism
1.64%: Christianity 1.69%: Hinduism 1.32%: Christianity 2.76%: Buddhism
1.09%: Judaism 1.36%: Christianity 2.62%: Hinduism
1.09%: Buddhism 2.60%: Jainism
2.50%: Zoroastrianism
across 40 yrs, world total 2.16%
2.10%: Christianity
0.83%: Confucianism
0.37%: unaffiliated (inc. atheists, agnostics, religious but not affiliated)
-0.03%: Judaism
-0.83%: Shintoism

Maps of self-reported adherence

See also

Notes

  1. Historically, the Baháʼí Faith arose in 19th-century Persia, in the context of Shia Islam, and thus may be classed on this basis as a divergent strand of Islam, placing it in the Abrahamic tradition. However, the Baháʼí Faith considers itself an independent religious tradition, which draws from Islam but also other traditions. The Baháʼí Faith may also be classed as a new religious movement, due to its comparatively recent origin, or may be considered sufficiently old and established for such classification to not be applicable.

References

  1. Hackett, Conrad; Mcclendon, David (2015). "Christians remain world's largest religious group, but they are declining in Europe". Pew Research Center.
  2. Masuzawa, Tomoko (2005). The Invention of World Religions. Chicago University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-50989-1.
  3. Glaser, Daryl; Walker, David M. (12 September 2007). Twentieth-Century Marxism: A Global Introduction. Routledge. ISBN 9781135979744.
  4. Toland, John; La Monnoye, Bernard de (1 January 1718). Nazarenus, or, Jewish, gentile, and Mahometan Christianity : containing the history of the antient Gospel of Barnabas, and the modern Gospel of the Mahometans ... also the original plan of Christianity explain'd in the history of the Nazarens ... with the relation of an Irish manuscript of the four Gospels, as likewise a summary of the antient Irish Christianity. London : J. Brotherton, J. Roberts and A. Dodd.
  5. Masuzawa, Tomoko (26 April 2012). The Invention of World Religions: Or, How European Universalism Was Preserved in the Language of Pluralism. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226922621.
  6. Masuzawa 2005. pp. 49–61
  7. Masuzawa, Tomoko (26 April 2012). The Invention of World Religions: Or, How European Universalism Was Preserved in the Language of Pluralism. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226922621.
  8. Masuzawa, Tomoko (26 April 2012). The Invention of World Religions: Or, How European Universalism Was Preserved in the Language of Pluralism. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226922621.
  9. Masuzawa 2005, pp. 65–6
  10. Masuzawa, Tomoko (26 April 2012). The Invention of World Religions: Or, How European Universalism Was Preserved in the Language of Pluralism. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226922621.
  11. Masuzawa 2005, 270–281
  12. Stephen R. L. Clark. "World Religions and World Orders". Religious studies 26.1 (1990).
  13. Joel E. Tishken. "Ethnic vs. Evangelical Religions: Beyond Teaching the World Religion Approach". The History Teacher 33.3 (2000).
  14. Spirituality and Psychiatry - Page 236, Chris Cook, Andrew Powell, A. C. P. Sims - 2009
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  16. "The Religions of the Indian Subcontinent Stretch Back for Millennia". About.com Education. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
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  27. worldvaluessurvey.org (28 June 2005). "World Values Survey". worldvaluessurvey.org. Retrieved 12 October 2006.
  28. unstats.un.org (6 January 2007). "United Nations Statistics Division - Demographic and Social Statistics". United Nations Statistics Division. Retrieved 6 January 2007.
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  44. Self-reported figures from 1999; North Korea only (South Korean followers are minimal according to census). In The A to Z of New Religious Movements by George D. Chryssides. ISBN 0-8108-5588-7.
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  48. Voorst 2014, p. 96.
  49. "Jainism". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  50. Self-reported figures from North Korea (South Korean followers are minimal according to census): "Religious Intelligence UK report". Religious Intelligence. Religious Intelligence. Archived from the original on 13 October 2007. Retrieved 4 July 2009.
  51. Janet Alison Hoskins. What Are Vietnam's Indigenous Religions?. Center for Southeast Asian Studies Kyoto University.
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  54. The results have been studied and found "highly correlated with other sources of data", but "consistently gave a higher estimate for percent Christian in comparison to other cross-national data sets." Hsu, Becky; Reynolds, Amy; Hackett, Conrad; Gibbon, James (9 July 2008). "Estimating the Religious Composition of All Nations". Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. 47 (4): 678. doi:10.1111/j.1468-5906.2008.00435.x.
  55. International Community, Baháʼí (1992). "How many Baháʼís are there?". The Baháʼís. p. 14..
  56. Barrett, David A. (2001). World Christian Encyclopedia. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-19-507963-0.
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Sources

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