Relegius Leaders
1 Moses ( 14th century BC ) Hebrew Prophet
2 Buddha ( 5 or 6 century BC ) Nepal
3 Jesus of Nazareth ( 6-4 BC ) Israel
4 Gregory the great ( 540 - 604 AD ) Italy
5 Muhammad ( 570 - 632 ) Western Arabia
6 St. Benedict ( c 480 - 547 ) Italy
7 Francis of Assisi ( c 1181 - 1226 ) Italy
8 Martin Luther ( 1483 - 1546 ) Germany
9 St. Ignatus of Loyala ( 1491 - 1556 ) Spain
10 John Calvin ( 1509 - 1564 ) France
11 John Wesley ( 1703 - 1791 ) England
12 Sir Ramakrishna ( 1836 - 1886 ) India
13 Pope John Paul II ( 1920 - ) Italy
14 The Dalai Lama ( 1935 - ) Tibet
Great Leaders
1.Queen Hatshesut ( c 1509 - c 1469 BC ) The First Queen of Egypt
2.Pericles ( c 495 - c 429 BC ) Athen, Greece
3.Ashoka ( c 300 - c 232 BC ) The Great Ruler of India
4.Qin Shi Huangdi ( c 259 - c 210 BC ) Founder of Chinese Empire and become the first Emperor
5.Augustus ( 63 BC - 14 AD ) The first Emperor of Roman
6.Constantine the great ( 280 - 337 AD ) Rome Emperor
7.Justinian ( 483 - 565 ) Byzantine Emperor
8.Charle Magne ( 742 - 814 ) The first ruler of Europe
9.Mehmed II ( 1432 - 1481 ) Sultan of Ottpman Turkey
10.Suleyman I ( 1494 - 1566 ) The greatest of Ottoman Sultans
11.Tokugawa Leyasu ( 1543 - 1616 ) Samurai War Lord, Japan
12.Charles V ( 1500 - 1558 ) King of Spain
13.Philip II ( 1527 - 1598 ) King of Spain
14.Elizabeth I ( 1533 - 1603 ) Queen of England
15.Oliver Cromwell ( 1599 - 1658 ) Lord protector of England
16.Louis XIV ( 1638 - 1715 ) Sun King and absolute ruler of France
17.Peter the great ( 1672 - 1725 ) European power, Russia
18.John Sobieski ( 1624 - 1696 ) The last great King of Poland
19.Cathrine the great ( 1729 - 1796 ) Russia
20.Frederick the great ( 1712 - 1786 ) King of Prussia
21.George Washington ( 1732 - 1799 ) The first President of United States
22.Abraham Lincoln ( 1809 - 1885 ) The 16th President of United States
23.Victoria ( 1819 - 1901 ) Queen Victoria, England
24.Ptto von Bismarck ( 1815 - 1898 ) Prusso-German
25.Winston Churchill ( 1874 - 1965 ) Britain
26.Charles de Gaulee ( 1890 - 1970 ) France
27.Franklin D. Roosvelt ( 1882 - 1945 ) US President
28.David Ben-Gurion ( 1886 - 1973 ) Founding father of Israel
29.Gamal Nasser ( 1918 - 1970 ) The first President of Egypt
30.Ronald Reagan ( 1911 - ) The 40th US President
31.Margaret Thatcher ( 1925 - ) British first woman Prime Minister
32.Mikhail Gorbachev ( 1931 - ) The Last Soviet Leader.
MILITARY COMMANDERS
1.Alexander the great ( 356 - 323 BC ) King of Macedonia
2.Hannibal ( 247 - 183 BC ) Carthaginian General
3.Julius Caesar ( 100 BC - 44 AD ) Roman General
4.Attilia the Hun ( 404 BC - 453 BC ) King of Spain
5.Genghis Khan ( 1167 - 1227 ) Mongol Leader, China
6.William the Conqueror ( 1027 - 1087 ) King of England
7.Saladin ( 1138 - 1193 ) Sultan of Egypt and Syria
8.St. Joan of Arc ( 1412 - 1431 ) France
9.Gustavus Adolphus ( 1594 - 1632 ) King of Gustav II of Sweden
10.Horatio Nelson ( 1758 - 1805 ) Britain
11.Napoleon Bonaparte ( 1769 - 1821 ) Emperor of France
12.Duke of Willington ( 1769 - 1852 ) Britain's Military Commander
13.Douglas MacArthur ( 1880 - 1964 ) One of US Army's most decorate Soldiers
14.William Slim ( 1891 - 1970 ) One of Britain's finest Generals
15.Dwight D. Eisenhower ( 1890 - 1969 ) US President
16.Erwin Rommel ( 1891 - 1944 ) German Commander.
Reformers
1.William Wilberforce ( 1759 - 1833 ) England
2.Frederick Douglass ( 1818 - 1895 ) USA
3.Emmeline Pankhurst ( 1858 - 1928 ) England
4.Martin Luther King Jr. ( 1929 - 1968 ) USA
National Liberators
1.Thomas Jefferson ( 1743 - 1826 ) US President
2.Toussiant L'Ouverture ( 1743 - 1803 ) France
3.Jose De San Martin ( 1778 - 1850 ) Spain
4.Simon Boliver ( 1783 - 1830 ) Venezuela
5.Chief Joseph ( 1840 - 1904 ) Oregon Territory
6.Theodor Herzl ( 1860 - 1904 ) Vienna, Founder of Zionism
7.Kemal Ataturk ( 1881 - 1938 ) Turkey
8.Mahatma Gandhi ( 1869 - 1948 ) Nationalist Leader, India
9.Ho Chi Minh ( 1890 - 1969 ) Vietnamese Communist Leader
10.Mao Zedong ( 1893 - 1976 ) Chinese Querrilla Leader, China
11.Fidel Castro ( 1926 - ) Cuba
12.Nelson Mandela ( 1918 - ) South Africa
13.Shaka Zulu ( 1787 - 1828 ) Southern Africa's Zulu Empire
14.Chiang Kai-Shek ( 1887 - 1975 ) China
15.Aung San Suu Kyi ( 1945 - ) Myanmar
Revolutionaries
1.Spartacus ( c 120 - 71 BC ) Roman Slave and Gladiator
2.Maximilien Robespierre ( 1758 - 1794 ) France
3.Giuseppe Garibaldi ( 1807 - 1882 ) Italy
4.Vladmir Lenin ( 1870 - 1924 ) One of the World's greatest revolutionary leader, Soviet Union
5.Che Guevara ( 1928 - 1967 ) South American Revolutionary Leader, Argentina
6.Lech Walesa ( 1943 - ) Poland
Explorers
1.Marco Polo ( 1254 - 1324 ) Venice
2.Christopher Columbus ( 1451 - 1506 ) Portugal
3.Ferdinand Magellan ( 1480 - 1521 ) Portugal
4.Hernan Cortes ( 1485 - 1547 ) Spain
5.James Cook ( 1728 - 1779 ) Marton
6.Robert Peary ( 1856 - 1920 ) USA
7.Rolad Amundsen ( 1872 - 1928 ) Norway
8.Ernest Shackleton ( 1874 - 1922 ) Irish polar explorer
9.Andrew Carnegie ( 1836 - 1919 ) Scotland
10.John D. Rockefeller ( 1839 - 1937 ) USA
11.Henry Ford ( 1863 - 1947 ) Michigan
12.Akio Morita ( 1921 - 1999 ) Japan
13.Bill Gates ( 1955 - ) USA, One of the World's Richest Man
Friday, April 24, 2009
Number of adherents of world religions:
According to David Barrett et al, editors of the "World Christian Encyclopedia: A comparative survey of churches and religions - AD 30 to 2200," there are 19 major world religions which are subdivided into a total of 270 large religious groups, and many smaller ones. 34,000 separate Christian groups have been identified in the world. "Over half of them are independent churches that are not interested in linking with the big denominations." 13 Most people in the world follow one of the religions listed in the table below. Included is the name of the religion, the approximate date of its origin, its main sacred or ethical texts (if any) and its estimated numerical strength (both in absolute numbers and as a percentage of the world's population.)
These data are based on census or public opinion data.1Thus, a person is considered to be of a particular religion if they say that they are of that faith. Thus, about 75% of the adults in both the U.S. and Canada are Christians. Many individuals and religious groups have much more strict definitions for membership. Many conservative Christians believe that one has to be "born again" in order to be counted as a Christian. Using this definition, only about 35% of Americans would be counted as Christians. This difference in definitions between conservative Christians and the rest of the population causes much confusion. Some of the approximately 1,000 Christian faith groups in the U.S. and Canada believe themselves to be the only true Christian denomination. Thus, depending on the definition used, the percentage of Christians in the U.S. are between 0.1 and 75% of the total population.
Pie-chart
Image from the U.S. Center for World Mission
Basic information on various religions:
Religion
Date Founded
Sacred Texts
Membership 5
% of World 6
Christianity
30 CE
The Bible
2,039 million
32% (dropping)
Islam
622 CE
Qur'an & Hadith
1,226 million
19% (growing)
Hinduism
1500 BCE with truly ancient roots
Bhagavad-Gita, Upanishads, & Rig Veda
828 million
13% (stable)
No religion(Note 1)
-
None
775 million
12% (dropping)
Chinese folk rel.
270 BCE
None
390 million
6%
Buddhism
523 BCE
The Tripitaka & Sutras
364 million
6% (stable)
Tribal Religions, Shamanism, Animism
Prehistory
Oral tradition
232 million
4%
Atheists
No date
None
150 million
2%
New religions.
Various
Various
103 million
2%
Sikhism
1500 CE
Guru Granth Sahib
23.8 million
<1%
Judaism
Note 3
Torah, Tanach, & Talmud
14.5 million
<1%
Spiritism
12.6 million
<1%
Baha'i Faith
1863 CE
Alkitab Alaqdas
7.4 million
<1%
Confucianism
520 BCE
Lun Yu
6.3 million
<1%
Jainism
570 BCE
Siddhanta, Pakrit
4.3 million
<1%
Zoroastrianism
600 to 6000 BCE
Avesta
2.7 million
<1%
Shinto
500 CE
Kojiki, Nohon Shoki
2.7 million
<1%
Taoism
550 BCE
Tao-te-Ching
2.7 million
<1%
Other
Various
Various
1.1 million
<1%
Wicca
800 BCE, 1940 CE
None
0.5 million?
<1%
Notes:
Note 1: Persons with no formal, organized religion include agnostics, freethinkers, humanists, secularists, etc.
Note 2: We have included Wicca even though their numbers are small because such a large percentage of our site's visitors are of that faith. There is no reliable measure of their numbers. Some Wiccans believe that their faith can be traced back to the origins of the Celtic people; other suggest it is a recently created religion.
Note 3: There is no consensus on the data of founding of Judaism. Some claim that Adam and Eve were the first Jews, and lived circa 4000 BCE; others suggest that they never existed. Some would place the date at the time of Abraham, circa 1900 BCE; others consider Abraham to be a mythical character. Some date it to the Exodus from Egypt circa 1490 BCE; others say that no Exodus happened, and the ancient Hebrews were originally a group that gradually separated from the main body of Canaanites and developed a different culture.
Names of the places of worship and English titles by which local leaders are called:
Religion
Place of worship
Title of local leader
Christianity
Church, Cathedral, Temple, Mission
Pastor, priest, minister
Islam
Mosque
Imam
No religion *
None
None
Hinduism
Mandir, Mandira, Temple, and other names
Priest
Buddhism
Pagoda, Stupa, Temple
Monk
Atheists
None
None
New Asian religion
Various
Various
Tribal Religions, Animism
In nature
Shaman
Judaism
Synagogue
Rabbi
Sikhism
Gurdwaras
Granthi (professional reader)
Shamanists
In nature
Shaman
Confucianism
Temple, Shrine, Seowon
Unknown
Baha'i Faith
House of worship
Usually a lay leader
Jainism
Temple
Priest, Pandit
Shinto
Temple
Priest
Wicca
Circle, Grove
Priestess, Priest, Wiccan
Zoroastrianism
Atash Behram, Agiyari, Prayer rooms
Mobed, Dastur
Sponsored link:
document.write('');
Accuracy of the data:
We receive many Emails from visitors to this web site about the above data; some are quite irate.
Many Emails come from Christians who have the impression that Christianity is rapidly growing around the world and that the number of Christian adherents is steadily growing as a percentage of the world's total population. Christianity certainly is growing. Noted Christian author George Weigel notes that: "There were only 558 million Christians in the world in 1900 and there will be approximately 2 billion Christians by the middle of this year [2002], a huge increase." However, Christianity has been in a very slow decline for years as a percentage of world population. Weigel states: "...Christians were 34.5 percent of world population in 1900, and will be 33.1 percent in 2002." 6
We receive many Emails from Muslims and Hindus who honestly believe that their religion is the largest in the world. The available data seems to indicate that they are wrong. However, at current rates of change, Islam will overtake Christianity as the world's dominant religion later in the 21st century.
Various information sources are in general agreement that the three largest religions in the world are currently, in order, Christianity, Islam and Hinduism.
Numbers of adherent, in billions, are listed as:
Data Source
Christianity
Islam
Hinduism
Adherents.com 10
2.1
1.3
0.9
British Broadcasting Corp. 9
2.0
1.2
0.75
Encyclopedia Britannica Book of the Year (1966) 12
1.9
1.1
0.78
Encyclopedia Britannica Book of the Year (2003) 5
2.0
1.2
0.8
International Bulletin of Missionary Research 11
2.0
1.2
-
Wikipedia Encyclopedia 13
2.1
1.3
0.9
There is reasonable agreement among information sources about the total number of adherents of the world's largest religions. However, the data should not be considered precise.
Rate of change of Christians and Muslims:
Of the two largest religions, the "market share" of Christianity appears to be fairly constant:
U.S. Center for World Mission estimated in 1997 that the percentage of humans who regard themselves as Christians rose from 33.7% in 1970 to 33.9% in 1996. 2 Its total number of adherents is growing at about 2.3% annually. This is approximately equal to the growth rate of the world's population. Islam is growing faster: about 2.9% and is thus increasing its market share.
"World Christian Encyclopedia: A comparative survey of churches and religions - AD 30 to 2200," estimates that as of 2000, Christians make up 33% of the world's population, with close to two billion followers.
Author Samuel Huntington disagrees: "The percentage of Christians in the world peaked at about 30 % in the 1980s, leveled off, is now declining, and will probably approximate to about 25% of the world's population by 2025. As a result of their extremely high rates of population growth, the proportion of Muslims in the world will continue to increase dramatically, amounting to 20 percent of the world's population about the turn of the century, surpassing the number of Christians some years later, and probably accounting for about 30 percent of the world's population by 2025." 3
The UK Christian Handbook has lower figures. They estimate that 28.3% of the world's population identified themselves as Christians in 1990. They expect this to drop to 27.7% by the year 2000, and to 27.1 in 2010. 4 They attribute the drop to the lower birth rate among Christians compared to followers of other religions.
Within Christianity, not all denominations have the same growth rate. Some annual growth rates are:
Pentecostals: 8.1%
Evangelicals: 5.4%;
All Protestants: 3.3%
Roman Catholics and Others: 1.3%
Since the growth rate of humanity is above 1.4%, the "market share" of Roman Catholicism and others appears to be slowly dropping.
Missiologist Ralph Winter estimated in early 2001 that there are 680 million "born again" Christians in the world, and that they are growing at about 7% a year. This represents about 11% of the world's population and 33% of the total number of Christians. 6
Reference books on world religion:
The ultimate reference book is the two volume monumental set, World Christian Encyclopedia, released in mid-2001, by Oxford University Press. It contains 1699 pages with information about religion in the 238 countries of the world:
David Barrett et al, "World Christian Encyclopedia: A comparative survey of churches and religions - AD 30 to 2200," Oxford University Press, (2001). Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
Related essay and menu on this web site:
Descriptions of dozens of religions and ethical systems
The religious makeup of each country in the world
References used in the above essay:
J.W. Wright, Editor, "The Universal Almanac, 1996", Andrews & McMeel, Kansas City.
Greg H. Parsons, Executive Director, "U.S. Center for World Mission," Pasadena, CA; quoted in Zondervan News Service, 1997-FEB-21.
Samuel Huntington, "The Clash of Civilizations and the remaking of world order," Touchstone Books, (1998), Pages 65 to 66. Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store. This is a controversial book which argues that world divisions and conflicts in the future will be based on culture, ethnicity and religion.
Quoted in Religion Today's Current News Summary for 1999-OCT-19.
Data from the World Almanac and Book of Facts, 2004, Page 612. Derived from the "Encyclopedia Britannica Book of the Year, 2003.
Based on the UN projected world population of 6.301 billion for mid-2003.
"Jesus Christ known to 11% of world's population," Religion Today, 2001-JAN-25, at: http://news.crosswalk.com/religion/item/
George Weigel, "World religions by the numbers," Catholic Educator's Resource Center, 2002-MAR-08, at: http://www.catholiceducation.org/
"Your guide to the religions of the world," BBC World Service, at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/
"Major Religions of the World Ranked by Number of Adherents," Adherents.com, at: http://www.adherents.com/
"Statistical Table on Global Mission," International Bulletin of Missionary Research, discussed at: http://www.the-tidings.com/2002/0308/difference.htm
"Encyclopedia Britannica Book of the Year, 1966," cited in many Internet web sites, including http://religion-cults.com/ and http://tangents.home.att.net/
David B. Barrett, et al., "World Christian Encyclopedia : A Comparative Survey of Churches and Religions in the Modern World," Oxford University Press, (2001). Read reviews or order this book
These data are based on census or public opinion data.1Thus, a person is considered to be of a particular religion if they say that they are of that faith. Thus, about 75% of the adults in both the U.S. and Canada are Christians. Many individuals and religious groups have much more strict definitions for membership. Many conservative Christians believe that one has to be "born again" in order to be counted as a Christian. Using this definition, only about 35% of Americans would be counted as Christians. This difference in definitions between conservative Christians and the rest of the population causes much confusion. Some of the approximately 1,000 Christian faith groups in the U.S. and Canada believe themselves to be the only true Christian denomination. Thus, depending on the definition used, the percentage of Christians in the U.S. are between 0.1 and 75% of the total population.
Pie-chart
Image from the U.S. Center for World Mission
Basic information on various religions:
Religion
Date Founded
Sacred Texts
Membership 5
% of World 6
Christianity
30 CE
The Bible
2,039 million
32% (dropping)
Islam
622 CE
Qur'an & Hadith
1,226 million
19% (growing)
Hinduism
1500 BCE with truly ancient roots
Bhagavad-Gita, Upanishads, & Rig Veda
828 million
13% (stable)
No religion(Note 1)
-
None
775 million
12% (dropping)
Chinese folk rel.
270 BCE
None
390 million
6%
Buddhism
523 BCE
The Tripitaka & Sutras
364 million
6% (stable)
Tribal Religions, Shamanism, Animism
Prehistory
Oral tradition
232 million
4%
Atheists
No date
None
150 million
2%
New religions.
Various
Various
103 million
2%
Sikhism
1500 CE
Guru Granth Sahib
23.8 million
<1%
Judaism
Note 3
Torah, Tanach, & Talmud
14.5 million
<1%
Spiritism
12.6 million
<1%
Baha'i Faith
1863 CE
Alkitab Alaqdas
7.4 million
<1%
Confucianism
520 BCE
Lun Yu
6.3 million
<1%
Jainism
570 BCE
Siddhanta, Pakrit
4.3 million
<1%
Zoroastrianism
600 to 6000 BCE
Avesta
2.7 million
<1%
Shinto
500 CE
Kojiki, Nohon Shoki
2.7 million
<1%
Taoism
550 BCE
Tao-te-Ching
2.7 million
<1%
Other
Various
Various
1.1 million
<1%
Wicca
800 BCE, 1940 CE
None
0.5 million?
<1%
Notes:
Note 1: Persons with no formal, organized religion include agnostics, freethinkers, humanists, secularists, etc.
Note 2: We have included Wicca even though their numbers are small because such a large percentage of our site's visitors are of that faith. There is no reliable measure of their numbers. Some Wiccans believe that their faith can be traced back to the origins of the Celtic people; other suggest it is a recently created religion.
Note 3: There is no consensus on the data of founding of Judaism. Some claim that Adam and Eve were the first Jews, and lived circa 4000 BCE; others suggest that they never existed. Some would place the date at the time of Abraham, circa 1900 BCE; others consider Abraham to be a mythical character. Some date it to the Exodus from Egypt circa 1490 BCE; others say that no Exodus happened, and the ancient Hebrews were originally a group that gradually separated from the main body of Canaanites and developed a different culture.
Names of the places of worship and English titles by which local leaders are called:
Religion
Place of worship
Title of local leader
Christianity
Church, Cathedral, Temple, Mission
Pastor, priest, minister
Islam
Mosque
Imam
No religion *
None
None
Hinduism
Mandir, Mandira, Temple, and other names
Priest
Buddhism
Pagoda, Stupa, Temple
Monk
Atheists
None
None
New Asian religion
Various
Various
Tribal Religions, Animism
In nature
Shaman
Judaism
Synagogue
Rabbi
Sikhism
Gurdwaras
Granthi (professional reader)
Shamanists
In nature
Shaman
Confucianism
Temple, Shrine, Seowon
Unknown
Baha'i Faith
House of worship
Usually a lay leader
Jainism
Temple
Priest, Pandit
Shinto
Temple
Priest
Wicca
Circle, Grove
Priestess, Priest, Wiccan
Zoroastrianism
Atash Behram, Agiyari, Prayer rooms
Mobed, Dastur
Sponsored link:
document.write('');
Accuracy of the data:
We receive many Emails from visitors to this web site about the above data; some are quite irate.
Many Emails come from Christians who have the impression that Christianity is rapidly growing around the world and that the number of Christian adherents is steadily growing as a percentage of the world's total population. Christianity certainly is growing. Noted Christian author George Weigel notes that: "There were only 558 million Christians in the world in 1900 and there will be approximately 2 billion Christians by the middle of this year [2002], a huge increase." However, Christianity has been in a very slow decline for years as a percentage of world population. Weigel states: "...Christians were 34.5 percent of world population in 1900, and will be 33.1 percent in 2002." 6
We receive many Emails from Muslims and Hindus who honestly believe that their religion is the largest in the world. The available data seems to indicate that they are wrong. However, at current rates of change, Islam will overtake Christianity as the world's dominant religion later in the 21st century.
Various information sources are in general agreement that the three largest religions in the world are currently, in order, Christianity, Islam and Hinduism.
Numbers of adherent, in billions, are listed as:
Data Source
Christianity
Islam
Hinduism
Adherents.com 10
2.1
1.3
0.9
British Broadcasting Corp. 9
2.0
1.2
0.75
Encyclopedia Britannica Book of the Year (1966) 12
1.9
1.1
0.78
Encyclopedia Britannica Book of the Year (2003) 5
2.0
1.2
0.8
International Bulletin of Missionary Research 11
2.0
1.2
-
Wikipedia Encyclopedia 13
2.1
1.3
0.9
There is reasonable agreement among information sources about the total number of adherents of the world's largest religions. However, the data should not be considered precise.
Rate of change of Christians and Muslims:
Of the two largest religions, the "market share" of Christianity appears to be fairly constant:
U.S. Center for World Mission estimated in 1997 that the percentage of humans who regard themselves as Christians rose from 33.7% in 1970 to 33.9% in 1996. 2 Its total number of adherents is growing at about 2.3% annually. This is approximately equal to the growth rate of the world's population. Islam is growing faster: about 2.9% and is thus increasing its market share.
"World Christian Encyclopedia: A comparative survey of churches and religions - AD 30 to 2200," estimates that as of 2000, Christians make up 33% of the world's population, with close to two billion followers.
Author Samuel Huntington disagrees: "The percentage of Christians in the world peaked at about 30 % in the 1980s, leveled off, is now declining, and will probably approximate to about 25% of the world's population by 2025. As a result of their extremely high rates of population growth, the proportion of Muslims in the world will continue to increase dramatically, amounting to 20 percent of the world's population about the turn of the century, surpassing the number of Christians some years later, and probably accounting for about 30 percent of the world's population by 2025." 3
The UK Christian Handbook has lower figures. They estimate that 28.3% of the world's population identified themselves as Christians in 1990. They expect this to drop to 27.7% by the year 2000, and to 27.1 in 2010. 4 They attribute the drop to the lower birth rate among Christians compared to followers of other religions.
Within Christianity, not all denominations have the same growth rate. Some annual growth rates are:
Pentecostals: 8.1%
Evangelicals: 5.4%;
All Protestants: 3.3%
Roman Catholics and Others: 1.3%
Since the growth rate of humanity is above 1.4%, the "market share" of Roman Catholicism and others appears to be slowly dropping.
Missiologist Ralph Winter estimated in early 2001 that there are 680 million "born again" Christians in the world, and that they are growing at about 7% a year. This represents about 11% of the world's population and 33% of the total number of Christians. 6
Reference books on world religion:
The ultimate reference book is the two volume monumental set, World Christian Encyclopedia, released in mid-2001, by Oxford University Press. It contains 1699 pages with information about religion in the 238 countries of the world:
David Barrett et al, "World Christian Encyclopedia: A comparative survey of churches and religions - AD 30 to 2200," Oxford University Press, (2001). Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
Related essay and menu on this web site:
Descriptions of dozens of religions and ethical systems
The religious makeup of each country in the world
References used in the above essay:
J.W. Wright, Editor, "The Universal Almanac, 1996", Andrews & McMeel, Kansas City.
Greg H. Parsons, Executive Director, "U.S. Center for World Mission," Pasadena, CA; quoted in Zondervan News Service, 1997-FEB-21.
Samuel Huntington, "The Clash of Civilizations and the remaking of world order," Touchstone Books, (1998), Pages 65 to 66. Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store. This is a controversial book which argues that world divisions and conflicts in the future will be based on culture, ethnicity and religion.
Quoted in Religion Today's Current News Summary for 1999-OCT-19.
Data from the World Almanac and Book of Facts, 2004, Page 612. Derived from the "Encyclopedia Britannica Book of the Year, 2003.
Based on the UN projected world population of 6.301 billion for mid-2003.
"Jesus Christ known to 11% of world's population," Religion Today, 2001-JAN-25, at: http://news.crosswalk.com/religion/item/
George Weigel, "World religions by the numbers," Catholic Educator's Resource Center, 2002-MAR-08, at: http://www.catholiceducation.org/
"Your guide to the religions of the world," BBC World Service, at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/
"Major Religions of the World Ranked by Number of Adherents," Adherents.com, at: http://www.adherents.com/
"Statistical Table on Global Mission," International Bulletin of Missionary Research, discussed at: http://www.the-tidings.com/2002/0308/difference.htm
"Encyclopedia Britannica Book of the Year, 1966," cited in many Internet web sites, including http://religion-cults.com/ and http://tangents.home.att.net/
David B. Barrett, et al., "World Christian Encyclopedia : A Comparative Survey of Churches and Religions in the Modern World," Oxford University Press, (2001). Read reviews or order this book
diklai hmal kah biak nah bang kah milu
Basic information on various religions:
Religion
Date Founded
Sacred Texts
Membership 5
% of World 6
Christianity
30 CE
The Bible
2,039 million
32% (dropping)
Islam
622 CE
Qur'an & Hadith
1,226 million
19% (growing)
Hinduism
1500 BCE with truly ancient roots
Bhagavad-Gita, Upanishads, & Rig Veda
828 million
13% (stable)
No religion(Note 1)
-
None
775 million
12% (dropping)
Chinese folk rel.
270 BCE
None
390 million
6%
Buddhism
523 BCE
The Tripitaka & Sutras
364 million
6% (stable)
Tribal Religions, Shamanism, Animism
Prehistory
Oral tradition
232 million
4%
Atheists
No date
None
150 million
2%
New religions.
Various
Various
103 million
2%
Sikhism
1500 CE
Guru Granth Sahib
23.8 million
<1%
Judaism
Note 3
Torah, Tanach, & Talmud
14.5 million
<1%
Spiritism
12.6 million
<1%
Baha'i Faith
1863 CE
Alkitab Alaqdas
7.4 million
<1%
Confucianism
520 BCE
Lun Yu
6.3 million
<1%
Jainism
570 BCE
Siddhanta, Pakrit
4.3 million
<1%
Zoroastrianism
600 to 6000 BCE
Avesta
2.7 million
<1%
Shinto
500 CE
Kojiki, Nohon Shoki
2.7 million
<1%
Taoism
550 BCE
Tao-te-Ching
2.7 million
<1%
Other
Various
Various
1.1 million
<1%
Wicca
800 BCE, 1940 CE
None
0.5 million?
<1%
Notes:
Note 1: Persons with no formal, organized religion include agnostics, freethinkers, humanists, secularists, etc.
Note 2: We have included Wicca even though their numbers are small because such a large percentage of our site's visitors are of that faith. There is no reliable measure of their numbers. Some Wiccans believe that their faith can be traced back to the origins of the Celtic people; other suggest it is a recently created religion.
Note 3: There is no consensus on the data of founding of Judaism. Some claim that Adam and Eve were the first Jews, and lived circa 4000 BCE; others suggest that they never existed. Some would place the date at the time of Abraham, circa 1900 BCE; others consider Abraham to be a mythical character. Some date it to the Exodus from Egypt circa 1490 BCE; others say that no Exodus happened, and the ancient Hebrews were originally a group that gradually separated from the main body of Canaanites and developed a different culture.
Names of the places of worship and English titles by which local leaders are called:
Religion
Place of worship
Title of local leader
Christianity
Church, Cathedral, Temple, Mission
Pastor, priest, minister
Islam
Mosque
Imam
No religion *
None
None
Hinduism
Mandir, Mandira, Temple, and other names
Priest
Buddhism
Pagoda, Stupa, Temple
Monk
Atheists
None
None
New Asian religion
Various
Various
Tribal Religions, Animism
In nature
Shaman
Judaism
Synagogue
Rabbi
Sikhism
Gurdwaras
Granthi (professional reader)
Shamanists
In nature
Shaman
Confucianism
Temple, Shrine, Seowon
Unknown
Baha'i Faith
House of worship
Usually a lay leader
Jainism
Temple
Priest, Pandit
Shinto
Temple
Priest
Wicca
Circle, Grove
Priestess, Priest, Wiccan
Zoroastrianism
Religion
Date Founded
Sacred Texts
Membership 5
% of World 6
Christianity
30 CE
The Bible
2,039 million
32% (dropping)
Islam
622 CE
Qur'an & Hadith
1,226 million
19% (growing)
Hinduism
1500 BCE with truly ancient roots
Bhagavad-Gita, Upanishads, & Rig Veda
828 million
13% (stable)
No religion(Note 1)
-
None
775 million
12% (dropping)
Chinese folk rel.
270 BCE
None
390 million
6%
Buddhism
523 BCE
The Tripitaka & Sutras
364 million
6% (stable)
Tribal Religions, Shamanism, Animism
Prehistory
Oral tradition
232 million
4%
Atheists
No date
None
150 million
2%
New religions.
Various
Various
103 million
2%
Sikhism
1500 CE
Guru Granth Sahib
23.8 million
<1%
Judaism
Note 3
Torah, Tanach, & Talmud
14.5 million
<1%
Spiritism
12.6 million
<1%
Baha'i Faith
1863 CE
Alkitab Alaqdas
7.4 million
<1%
Confucianism
520 BCE
Lun Yu
6.3 million
<1%
Jainism
570 BCE
Siddhanta, Pakrit
4.3 million
<1%
Zoroastrianism
600 to 6000 BCE
Avesta
2.7 million
<1%
Shinto
500 CE
Kojiki, Nohon Shoki
2.7 million
<1%
Taoism
550 BCE
Tao-te-Ching
2.7 million
<1%
Other
Various
Various
1.1 million
<1%
Wicca
800 BCE, 1940 CE
None
0.5 million?
<1%
Notes:
Note 1: Persons with no formal, organized religion include agnostics, freethinkers, humanists, secularists, etc.
Note 2: We have included Wicca even though their numbers are small because such a large percentage of our site's visitors are of that faith. There is no reliable measure of their numbers. Some Wiccans believe that their faith can be traced back to the origins of the Celtic people; other suggest it is a recently created religion.
Note 3: There is no consensus on the data of founding of Judaism. Some claim that Adam and Eve were the first Jews, and lived circa 4000 BCE; others suggest that they never existed. Some would place the date at the time of Abraham, circa 1900 BCE; others consider Abraham to be a mythical character. Some date it to the Exodus from Egypt circa 1490 BCE; others say that no Exodus happened, and the ancient Hebrews were originally a group that gradually separated from the main body of Canaanites and developed a different culture.
Names of the places of worship and English titles by which local leaders are called:
Religion
Place of worship
Title of local leader
Christianity
Church, Cathedral, Temple, Mission
Pastor, priest, minister
Islam
Mosque
Imam
No religion *
None
None
Hinduism
Mandir, Mandira, Temple, and other names
Priest
Buddhism
Pagoda, Stupa, Temple
Monk
Atheists
None
None
New Asian religion
Various
Various
Tribal Religions, Animism
In nature
Shaman
Judaism
Synagogue
Rabbi
Sikhism
Gurdwaras
Granthi (professional reader)
Shamanists
In nature
Shaman
Confucianism
Temple, Shrine, Seowon
Unknown
Baha'i Faith
House of worship
Usually a lay leader
Jainism
Temple
Priest, Pandit
Shinto
Temple
Priest
Wicca
Circle, Grove
Priestess, Priest, Wiccan
Zoroastrianism
Thursday, April 23, 2009
How many generations from Jesus to Abraham?
41
42
Matthew 1:17
So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations. (14 x 3 = 42)
Matthew 1:2-16
(Leaving out the begats.)
Jesus 1
Joseph 2
Jacob 3
Matthan 4
Eleazar 5
Eliud 6
Achim 7
Zadok 8
Azor 9
Eliakim 10
Abiud 11
Zarubbabel 12
Shealtiel 13
Jachoniah 14
Josiah 15
Amos 16
Manasseh 17
Hezekiah 18
Ahaz 19
Jotham 20
Uzziah 21
Joram 22
Jehoshaphat 23
Asaph 24
Abijah 25
Rehoboam 26
Solomon 27
David 28
Jesse 29
Obed 30
Boaz 31
Salmon 32
Nohshon 33
Amminadab 34
Aram 35
Hezron 36
Perez 37
Judah 38
Jacob 39
Isaac 40
Abraham 41
42
Matthew 1:17
So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations. (14 x 3 = 42)
Matthew 1:2-16
(Leaving out the begats.)
Jesus 1
Joseph 2
Jacob 3
Matthan 4
Eleazar 5
Eliud 6
Achim 7
Zadok 8
Azor 9
Eliakim 10
Abiud 11
Zarubbabel 12
Shealtiel 13
Jachoniah 14
Josiah 15
Amos 16
Manasseh 17
Hezekiah 18
Ahaz 19
Jotham 20
Uzziah 21
Joram 22
Jehoshaphat 23
Asaph 24
Abijah 25
Rehoboam 26
Solomon 27
David 28
Jesse 29
Obed 30
Boaz 31
Salmon 32
Nohshon 33
Amminadab 34
Aram 35
Hezron 36
Perez 37
Judah 38
Jacob 39
Isaac 40
Abraham 41
What Did Jesus Do
Of Abraham's Children and Stones
And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father,' for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. - Mat 3:9 ESVWhat amazing words these must have been to the Jews hearing them. They were the descendants of Abraham, didn't that mean anything anymore? Why shouldn't we say to ourselves “We have Abraham as our Father”? Why would God raise up Children of Abraham from stones?All these questions and more must have been going through the minds of those who first heard them, whether the Pharisees in Matthew, or the entire crowd in Luke (3:8). These words made no sense, and they certainly do not make sense to most who read them today. The problem is that the Jews didn't (and still don't) understand what it means to be a child of Abraham. Most Christians today are equally unaware of what makes a person Abraham's descendant. It is obviously not your bloodline, if it were so the Jews would certainly have been able to say to themselves “We have Abraham as our father.” They would have been correct.Yet this sentence spoken by John the Baptist so many years ago implies that it is not bloodline that makes one a son of Abraham. In John 8, Jesus confirms this as well. When the Jews assert there that Abraham is their father, he tells them that if that were so “you would be doing what he did.” But what was it that Abraham did, how was Abraham made righteous? By faith, trusting in God was Abraham made righteous. By faith Abraham became God's son (Gen 15:6, Gal 3:6).The Jews, especially the Pharisees and their followers, were not able to say Abraham is their father because they had no Faith. They looked to themselves, their physical ancestors and their works as their salvation and the way to please God. They trusted the law, not the promise.If the Jews are no longer the children of Abraham, who in fact does that title belong to? It belongs to all those who have faith in Jesus Christ. Through faith, we have become the heirs of Abraham. (Rom 4). All who have faith are children of Abraham, and all of us were raised up to this status from stones, so to speak.Twice in speaking to the faithless descendants of Abraham, Ezekiel tells them that God will remove their Heart of stone and replace it with a Heart of Flesh. (11:19, 36:26) Even now, anyone without faith has a hardened heart, a Heart of stone. (Rom 2:5, Eph 4:18) Even now, the only solution is for God to create in us a clean heart, a Heart of Flesh, not stone. Only through this new Heart, which is completely the gift of God, is there life, salvation, and peace.God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. - Mat 3:9 ESVGod is not only able to raise up Children for Abraham from stones, but he does. Every conversion is a miraculous event in which a child of Abraham is raised from a spiritually dead stone. Every conversion is a heart transplant in which we receive a new heart of flesh, and our dead heart of stone with all of its sins and filth is given to Jesus Christ to bear. Jesus took it all on himself, and suffered the punishment we deserve. My old dead heart was crucified and buried with Him, a new man united with Christ arose.
And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father,' for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. - Mat 3:9 ESVWhat amazing words these must have been to the Jews hearing them. They were the descendants of Abraham, didn't that mean anything anymore? Why shouldn't we say to ourselves “We have Abraham as our Father”? Why would God raise up Children of Abraham from stones?All these questions and more must have been going through the minds of those who first heard them, whether the Pharisees in Matthew, or the entire crowd in Luke (3:8). These words made no sense, and they certainly do not make sense to most who read them today. The problem is that the Jews didn't (and still don't) understand what it means to be a child of Abraham. Most Christians today are equally unaware of what makes a person Abraham's descendant. It is obviously not your bloodline, if it were so the Jews would certainly have been able to say to themselves “We have Abraham as our father.” They would have been correct.Yet this sentence spoken by John the Baptist so many years ago implies that it is not bloodline that makes one a son of Abraham. In John 8, Jesus confirms this as well. When the Jews assert there that Abraham is their father, he tells them that if that were so “you would be doing what he did.” But what was it that Abraham did, how was Abraham made righteous? By faith, trusting in God was Abraham made righteous. By faith Abraham became God's son (Gen 15:6, Gal 3:6).The Jews, especially the Pharisees and their followers, were not able to say Abraham is their father because they had no Faith. They looked to themselves, their physical ancestors and their works as their salvation and the way to please God. They trusted the law, not the promise.If the Jews are no longer the children of Abraham, who in fact does that title belong to? It belongs to all those who have faith in Jesus Christ. Through faith, we have become the heirs of Abraham. (Rom 4). All who have faith are children of Abraham, and all of us were raised up to this status from stones, so to speak.Twice in speaking to the faithless descendants of Abraham, Ezekiel tells them that God will remove their Heart of stone and replace it with a Heart of Flesh. (11:19, 36:26) Even now, anyone without faith has a hardened heart, a Heart of stone. (Rom 2:5, Eph 4:18) Even now, the only solution is for God to create in us a clean heart, a Heart of Flesh, not stone. Only through this new Heart, which is completely the gift of God, is there life, salvation, and peace.God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. - Mat 3:9 ESVGod is not only able to raise up Children for Abraham from stones, but he does. Every conversion is a miraculous event in which a child of Abraham is raised from a spiritually dead stone. Every conversion is a heart transplant in which we receive a new heart of flesh, and our dead heart of stone with all of its sins and filth is given to Jesus Christ to bear. Jesus took it all on himself, and suffered the punishment we deserve. My old dead heart was crucified and buried with Him, a new man united with Christ arose.
Before Abraham - John 8:56-59
-> Will you help us Open a World of Opportunity?
Home > Devotionals > What Jesus Did! > June 27
Before Abraham - John 8:56-59
Your father Abraham was very happy that he would see the day when I came. He saw that day and was happy." The Jews said to Jesus, "What? You have never seen Abraham ! You are not even 50 years old!" Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth. Before Abraham was born, I AM. " When Jesus said this, the people picked up rocks to throw at him. But Jesus hid, and then he left the temple area. (ERV) Full Text
Key Thought
Like so many other things Jesus says in this chapter, this claim is audacious and bold. It is also true. Jesus didn't just happen on the scene when he came to earth; he existed before any created thing. That's why it is so important that we pay attention to him. He not only sacrificed himself for us, but he left heaven's glory to come and live with us and show us God's love.
Today's Prayer
Get WJD by EMAIL!
Enter your email address above to subscribe to the email edition of What Jesus Did! Follow along FREE every day as we go through John in a year.
More Info on Mailing ListsFather, open my heart to the teaching and truth of Jesus and give me a greater sense of his authority, his majesty, and his lordship in my life. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. NEW: Get Phil's What Jesus Did devotional in a paperback book. Click here to find out more!
Today's Verses in Context
The Jews answered, "We say you are a Samaritan. We say a demon is making you crazy! Are we not right when we say these things?" Jesus answered, "I have no demon in me. I give honor to my Father. But you give no honor to me. I am not trying to get honor for myself. There is One who wants this honor for me. He is the judge. I tell you the truth. If a person continues to obey my teaching, then that person will never die." The Jews said to Jesus, "Now we know that you have a demon in you! Even Abraham and the prophets died. But you say, 'The person that obeys my teaching will never die.' Do you think you are greater than our father Abraham? Abraham died. And the prophets died too. Who do you think you are?" Jesus answered, "If I give honor to myself, then that honor is worth nothing. The One that gives me honor is my Father. And you say that he is your God. But you don't really know him. I know him. If I said I did not know him, then I would be a liar like you are liars. But I do know him. And I obey what he says. Your father Abraham was very happy that he would see the day when I came. He saw that day and was happy." The Jews said to Jesus, "What? You have never seen Abraham ! You are not even 50 years old!" Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth. Before Abraham was born, I AM. " When Jesus said this, the people picked up rocks to throw at him. But Jesus hid, and then he left the temple area.
— John 8:48-59 (ERV)
Easy-to-Read Version copyright © 2001 by World Bible Translation Center. All rights reserved.
Before the world began, the Word was there. The Word was there with God. The Word was God. He was there with God in the beginning. All things were made through him (the Word). Nothing was made without him. In him there was life. That life was light (understanding, goodness) for the people of the world.John 1:1-4 (ERV)
No person can see God. But Jesus is exactly like God. Jesus is ruler over all the things that have been made. Through his power all things were made--things in heaven and on earth, things seen and not seen, all {spiritual} powers, authorities, lords, and rulers. All things were made through Christ and for Christ. Christ was there before anything was made. And all things continue because of him.Colossians 1:15-17 (ERV)
In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus. Christ himself was like God in everything. Christ was equal with God. But Christ did not think that being equal with God was something that he must keep. He gave up his place with God and agreed to be like a servant. He was born to be a man and became like a servant. And when he was living as a man, he humbled himself by being fully obedient to God. He obeyed even when that caused him to die. And he died on a cross. Christ obeyed God, so God raised Christ to the most important place. God made the name of Christ greater than every other name. God did this because he wants every person to bow for the name of Jesus. Every person in heaven, on the earth, and under the earth will bow. Every person will confess (say), "Jesus Christ is Lord (Master)." When they say this, it will bring glory to God the Father.Philippians 2:5-11 (ERV)
");
//]]>-->
Share with Others
Print this DevotionalSend it to a FriendDiscuss
RSS Feeds Advertising Support Heartlight Help Contact Us
HOME TOP
HEARTLIGHT® Magazine is produced by Heartlight, Inc. HEARTLIGHT is a registered service mark of Heartlight, Inc. PO Box 7044, Abilene, TX, USA 79608-7044. Copyright © 1996-2009. Heartlight is supported by Westover Hills Church, Southern Hills Church, and loving Christians from around the world. Scripture quotations are taken from the Easy-to-Read Version copyright © 2001 by World Bible Translation Center. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Devotionals
Articles
Graphics
Bible Study
Community
Shopping
Search
DONATE
_uacct = "UA-638130-1";
urchinTracker();
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
