January 19, 2001. Copyright 2001. Graphic News. All rights reserved.

CHRISTIANITY TOPS WORLD RELIGIONS

LONDON, January 19, Graphic News: CHRISTIANITY remained the world's biggest religion in the 20th century, while Islam and the non-religious population posted notable increases, according to a major religious reference book.

The latest edition of ÒWorld Christian EncyclopediaÓ (Oxford University Press) -- which summarizes global religious and secular makeup -- shows that Hinduism made a slight gain relative to world population during the century, but Buddhism and Judaism lost ground. The biggest declines occurred among traditional ethnic creeds, especially in China and Africa.

ÒChristianity has become the most extensive and universal religion in history,Ó the encyclopedia states, and has a majority of the population in two-thirds of the worldÕs 238 countries.

In addition, ÒChristianity has become massively accepted as the religion of developing countries in the so-called Third World.Ó

However, since 1900 there have been sweeping defections from Christianity, Òin Western Europe due to secularism, in Russia and later Eastern Europe due to Communism, and in the Americas due to materialism,Ó the book says.

Christianity began and ended the century as the worldÕs biggest religion, with 555 million believers in 1900 -- or 32.2 percent of world population -- and 1.9 billion, or 31 percent, as of last year.

There are 33,820 Christian denominations. The major division is between Orthodox and Western Christianity -- which itself is divided into Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. Some 386 million believers are in "independent" churches, including the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements.

From its beginning in Palestine in the 1st century AD Christianity has sought to convert people, but many modern Christians feel they should respect other cultures and religions.

Islam is the worldÕs second most followed religion. It began in its present form 1,400 years ago in Arabia, but swiftly become a world faith. Since 1900 the number of worshippers has grown from 200 million, or 12.3 percent of population, to 1.2 billion -- or 19.6 percent.

The countries with the largest Islamic populations are in Asia rather than the Middle-East. These are Indonesia (170 million), Pakistan (136 million), Bangladesh (105 million), and India (103 million). However, IslamÕs two holiest places, the cities of Mecca and Medina, are both in Saudi Arabia.

Hinduism has 811 million followers and Buddhism -- which stretches back over 2,500 years -- has 360 million.

Sikhism is the youngest of the worldÕs four great monotheistic religions, after Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It was founded in the 15th Century by Guru Nanak and currently has 23 million followers.

Judaism -- the oldest of the monotheistic religions -- is also the smallest with 14 million worshippers worldwide.

In the United States the encyclopedia lists 5.6 million Jews, 4.1 million Muslims -- a more than fourfold increase in 30 years, 2.4 million Buddhists and 1 million Hindus. There are 192 million people in U.S. Christian groups.

The world total for non-religious people increased from a negligible 3 million in 1900 to todayÕs 768 million or 12.7 percent of the population.

The editors of the 1,700-page work are the Rev. David B. Barrett of Regent University, and George T. Kurian and Todd M. Johnson of the World Evangelization Research Center. The data were compiled by over 500 experts representing religious and secular worlds.
/ENDS
Sources: Associated Press, Oxford University Press