chart of percentage of adherents by religion

Nick the Pilot

Nick the Pilot

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Here is a chart of percentage of adherents by religion

chart of percentage of adherents by religion


File:Worldwide percentage of Adherents by Religion.png - New World Encyclopedia
 
A survey in China a couple of years ago showed that possibly as many as 80% of Chinese prayed regularly: that doesn't seem reflected here! So many of these published figures are dubious. The Encyclopedia Britannica used to get all its statistics for communist countries from official sources, for example — mostly fake. Then for Japan a local survey showed 85% attending Shinto shrines, while a US one said 65% of Japanese had no religion. In the latter case there was obviously a translation problem. Even in English, I believe the question "are you religious?" can mean "have you a religious belief?" in the US, but only "are you devout?" in Britain.
 
I have lived in China for years and I have never heard of a Chinese Universalist.

According to the chart, there are almost 3 million Taoists. I think that is way too high.

I agree that atheists should be in with the non-religious.

But one thing must be mentioned that comes from all of this. It is that religion has become a dirty word to many people. I once read a book about Buddhist that said Buddhism is not a religion. I once read a book about Hinduism that said Hinduism is not a religion. (True story.)

I strongly feel that the "religious" people of the world have created conditions so toxic that many people refuse to associate themselves with the word religion. I think this chart is pointing this out.

It is said more trouble is caused by religion in this world than by anything else. I agree.
 
I think it can be argued that Hinduism isn't a religion and that parts of Hinduism isn't religious. And Buddhism have come up more then once here, I don't know why one would see it as a religion and others not, but it usually comes down to what parts we focus on and/or how you view what a religion is. There are very human distinctions, I think, and it's not very bothersome to have different opinions on it.
 
Hi ACOT –
A Cup Of Tea said:
I think it can be argued that Hinduism isn't a religion and that parts of Hinduism isn't religious.
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The same could be said for modern versions of Christianity.

There is also a school of thought that observes that the western definitions of 'religion', 'philosophy' etc, are largely dictated by secular ideologies, and that the distinctions are false.

The popular idea that Buddhism is not a religion but a philosophy is simply to make Buddhism more commercially viable in the consumer marketplace and to escape from certain naive negative notions about religion in the modern mind.

Such distinctions are not relevant to religion as such. There is no religion which does not have a philosophical underpinning. (Modern commercial enterprises aside.)

There was a time not so long ago when no philosophy ruled out a 'religious' dimension on purely empirical grounds. Such an idea fails to comprehend what an authentic religious or philosophical idea actually is.

A Cup Of Tea said:
And Buddhism have come up more then once here, I don't know why one would see it as a religion and others not, but it usually comes down to what parts we focus on and/or how you view what a religion is.
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Quite. I think the modern idea of a 'religion' is largely ideological. The idea that religion does not possess a viable philosophical dimension, or that religion is the cause of all that's wrong in the world, is patent nonsense, and all part of an anti-religious ideology.

A Cup Of Tea said:
There are very human distinctions, I think, and it's not very bothersome to have different opinions on it.
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I think the 'human distinctions' are more to do with opinions held, often contrary to any real insight into what constitutes a religion.

Well it's bothersome to the same degree that certain notions about 'race', 'colour' and 'gender' are bothersome ...
 
On further thought, the non-religious group does make sense. A lot of agnostics are probably in this group. People who have no use for religions but have the very sensible idea that if there is no proof of Gods, and no proof there isn't, they will remain open to either possibility.

If they are open to the possibility that there are Gods, they wouldn't be counted amongst the atheists.
 
Full Definition of RELIGION (from Mirriam-Webster)

1
a : the state of a religious <a nun in her 20th year of religion>
b (1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
2
: a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices
3
archaic : scrupulous conformity : conscientiousness
4
: a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith
— re·li·gion·less adjective
See religion defined for English-language learners »
See religion defined for kids »
Examples of RELIGION

Many people turn to religion for comfort in a time of crisis.
There are many religions, such as Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism.
Shinto is a religion that is unique to Japan.
Hockey is a religion in Canada.
Politics are a religion to him.
Where I live, high school football is religion.
Food is religion in this house.
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Buddhism and Judaism even require no belief in G!d...with Buddhism some groups do, others don't, others don't think it worthy of consideration (arguing the unknown), in Judaism is is implied, but there are many atheists and agnostics amongst practicing Jews (of the Jews I know, many attend, but some mostly for the social/networking aspects and less for the religious)

I'm in a funny category, that one that Thomas mentioned, Modern Christian...I don't gather to worship anything, or anybody. I gather to study, to contemplate the words and teachings of Jesus. I believe from his teachings that he groked his oneness with the allness and that he told us he was not unique. Am I religious, or do I religiously contemplate this thought, religiously go to church, and religiously post on this site?
 
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