Theworld's principalreligions 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 degrees ofcivility in different societies,[2] but this concept of a ranking order has since fallen into disrepute in many contemporary cultures.
A map of major denominations and religions according to the Pew Research Center's 2010 studyThe Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050
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. 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]".[3]
Whether to count only those who actively "practice" a particular religion.[4]
Whether to count based on a concept of "self-identification as adherents".[5]
Whether to count only those who expressly self-identify with a particular denomination.[6]
Whether to count only adults, or to include children as well.
The religions of the tribal peoples of Sub-Saharan Africa, but excludingancient Egyptian religion, which is considered to belong to the ancient Middle East;[44]
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 (Muslims), andFetishists
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 meanJudaism andIslam;[52] along withpaganism, this created a fourfold classification which spawned such works asJohn Toland'sNazarenus, or Jewish, Gentile, and Mahometan Christianity,[53] which represented the threeAbrahamic religions as different "nations" or sects withinreligion itself, the "truemonotheism."
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."[54] 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 fromAn Alphabetical Compendium of the Various Sects... toA Dictionary of All Religions and Religious Denominations.[55][56]
In 1838, the four-way division of Christianity, Judaism,Mahommedanism (archaic terminology forIslam) and paganism was multiplied considerably byJosiah Conder'sAnalytical 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 includesDruze,Yazidis,Mandaeans, andElamites[clarification needed][57] under a list of possibly monotheistic groups, and under the final category, of "polytheism and pantheism", he listedZoroastrianism, "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.[58][59]
The modern meaning of the phrase "world religion", putting non-Christians at the same level as Christians, began with the 1893Parliament of the World's Religions inChicago. 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 asWilliam James,D. T. Suzuki, andAlan Watts, who greatly influenced the public conception of world religions.[60]
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.[61]
^Historically, the Baháʼí Faith arose in 19th-century Persia, in the context ofShia 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.
^worldvaluessurvey.org (28 June 2005)."World Values Survey". worldvaluessurvey.org.Archived from the original on 14 April 2014. Retrieved12 October 2006.
^ab"The Global Religious Landscape".The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Pew Research center. 18 December 2012.Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved18 March 2013.
^Olupona, Jacob Kẹhinde; Rey, Terry.Òrìşà Devotion as World Religion: The Globalization of Yorùbá Religious Culture, p. 23. Univ of Wisconsin Press, 2008. - "...more than 70 million African and New World peoples participate in or are closely familiar with, religious systems that include Ogun."
^Lugo, Luis; Cooperman, Alan (18 December 2012).Other Religions (Report). Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. p. 9. Retrieved3 October 2023.
^Self-reported figures from North Korea (South Korean followers are minimal according to census):"Religious Intelligence UK report".Religious Intelligence. Archived fromthe original on 13 October 2007. Retrieved4 July 2009.
^Blagov, Sergei (31 July 1999).Religion vs Restrictions and Persecution (Speech). International Association for Religious Freedom World Congress. Vancouver. Archived fromthe original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved3 October 2023.
^"宗教年鑑" [Yearly Report on Religion](PDF) (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. 2019.Archived(PDF) from the original on 25 December 2020. Retrieved2 December 2020.
^"Druze".Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved16 June 2021.
^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.
^Salem, Mohamed Omar; Foskett, John (January 2018) [Published in print in 2009]. "Religion and religious experiences". In Cook, Chris; Powell, Andrew; Sims, Andrew (eds.).Spirituality and psychiatry. Cambridge: Royal College of Psychiatrists. p. 236.ISBN9781108609074. Retrieved3 October 2023.
^Statistician, Howard Steven Friedman; Teacher, health economist for the United Nations; University, Columbia (25 April 2011)."5 Religions with the Most Followers".The Huffington Post.Archived from the original on 8 December 2016. Retrieved8 November 2016.
^Brodd, Jeffrey (2003).World Religions. Winona, Minnesota: Saint Mary's Press.ISBN978-0-88489-725-5.
Anthony, David W. (2007).The Horse, the Wheel and Language: how Bronze-Age riders from the Eurasian Steppes shaped the modern world. Princeton University Press.
Animated history of World Religions—from the "Religion & Ethics" part of the BBC website, interactive animated view of the spread of world religions (requires Flash plug-in).
