Religion

• Pope Francis, head of the catholic church: 'Too often we participate in the globalization of indifference. May strive instead to live in global solidarity'
• Religion


  A collection of shared beliefs and practices relating to the supernatural and its association with humanity and the universe
• Components of beliefs and practices in Religion

  • Religious law
  • Scriptures
  • Prayer
  • Ritual
• The word "religion" is derived from the Latin term religio
• Globalization and religion

  Interact in a complex way that presents both benefits and difficulties
• Process of Globalizing Religion

  1. May be viewed as a way of aligning with the current international trends

  2. Involves inevitable transformation of individual religious organizations

  3. Likelihood of new features being created in the doctrines rituals and practices

  4. Globalization is expected to bring changes in the individuals who support religions, particularly in their intellectual perspectives
• Understanding connection between religion and globalization

  Can be done in two ways: religious reactions to and interpretations of globalization, studies of globalization that emphasize the part played by religion in it as well as how it affects it
• Global Religious Landscape

  • Christians
  • Muslims
  • Hindus
  • Buddhists
  • Jews
  • Folk or traditional religions
  • Baha’i faith
  • Jainism
  • Sikhism
  • Shintoism
  • Taoism
  • Tenrikyo
  • Wicca
  • Zoroastrianism
  • Atheists
• Over eight out of ten people worldwide identify themselves as religious
• 5.8 billion people globally, or 84% of the world's population in 2010, are estimated to be religious
• 1.1 billion people, or approximately 16% of the world’s population, are atheists
• Many people who do not identify as religious still retain spiritual or religious views, such as the belief in God or a universal spirit
• Pew Research Center, 2012: 'But studies show that many people who do not identify as religious still retain spiritual or religious views, such as the belief in God or a universal spirit'
• Countries with Muslim majorities

  • 49 countries, including 19 of the 20 countries in the Middle East and North Africa
• Countries with religiously unaffiliated majorities

  • 6 countries: China, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hong Kong, Japan, North Korea
• Countries with Buddhist majorities

  • Bhutan, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Thailand
• Country with a Jewish majority

  • Israel
• No countries have majorities of other religions such as Baha’is, Jains, Shintoists, Sikhs, Taoists, followers of Tenrikyo, Wiccans, and Zoroastrians
• No countries have majorities of people who identify with folk or traditional religions
• The median age of Muslims is 23 years, and Hindus is 26 years, younger than the world's overall median age of 28 years
• Median ages of major religious groups

  • Christians (30), members of other religions (32), adherents of folk or traditional religions (33), the religiously unaffiliated (34), Buddhists (34), Jews (36)
• Christianity has the largest global following among major religions, with almost 31% of the world's population identifying as Christian
• Islam is the second-largest religion globally, with 25% of the world's population identifying as Muslim
• Judaism has the smallest population among major religions, with about 0.2% of the world's population identifying as Jewish
• Asia has the largest population of religiously unaffiliated individuals, followed by North America and Europe
• Christianity has almost 2.4 billion adherents globally
• The United States has the most active Christians with a population of 253 million, followed by Brazil with 185 million and Mexico with 118 million
• Islam has the highest rate of growth among major religions, with the number of Muslims expected to rise by 70% between 2015 and 2060
• Over 80% of Jews today live in the US and Israel
• Israel has a majority of Jews with 76% of the population being Jewish
• 78% of Czechs identify as having no religious affiliation
• Countries with significant Jewish populations

  • Argentina
  • Canada
  • France
  • UK
  • Germany
• Over 80% of Jews today live in the US and Israel, which is a sign of the geographical concentration of Judaism
• Israel has a majority of Jews, with 76% of the population being Jewish
• Religiously unaffiliated people

  • Atheists
  • Agnostics
  • People who do not identify with any particular religion
• Around 720 million people in China have no religious affiliation
• Many people who consider themselves to be religiously unaffiliated nevertheless retain some sort of spiritual or religious views
• 68% of unaffiliated Americans and 7% of unaffiliated Chinese adults believe in God or a higher power
• Unaffiliated French adults are 30% more likely to share the belief in God or a higher power
• Between 2015 and 2020, Christians are projected to experience the largest losses due to switching