CHRISTIANITY IS NOW NOTTHE LARGEST RELIGION IN THE WORLD

CHRISTIANITY IS NOW NOTTHE LARGEST RELIGION IN THE WORLD

14-JUNE-ENG 8

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA----------------------------The last decade has seen such a great upheaval on the religious map of the world that the title of being the largest religion will no longer remain with Christianity alone—at least this is what the latest report of the Pew Research Center says.

Christianity, which is still the largest religion with 2.3 billion followers by the end of 2020, is now slowly facing a world challenging its own existence. The total number increased, but its share in the world population fell from 30.6% to 28.8%. That is, people are being born, but the connection with the church is breaking. On the other hand, Islam is not only surviving but has now leapfrogged to 25.6%—only three steps behind Christianity.

The story of this decade is not just about two religions. It is a reflection of the global mindset in which the younger generations are now refusing to consider religion as a necessity. Atheism has now become a common trend. The number of religiously unaffiliated people worldwide is now 24.2%—one in four says I don’t need religion. Leading the pack is China, where 1.3 billion people have declared themselves unaffiliated. The United States and Japan also top the list.

Conversions among Christians are accelerating. Statistics show that for every person who becomes a Christian as a teenager, three of their counterparts have left the church. Europe, once a bastion of Christianity, is now home to empty churches, an aging population and fewer children. In contrast, in sub-Saharan Africa, a booming youth and birth rates have boosted the number of Christians, but the global share has been falling.

Buddhism has also taken a hit—dropping from 343 million to 324 million. It has been shaken by low birth rates and a disconnect from religion. Hindu and Jewish populations have remained stable, meaning they have grown as much as the world has grown—no more, no less.

This report is both a warning and a prophecy. A warning to religions that think they have an unshakable foothold. And a prophecy to the Islamic world, whose demographics could make it the largest religion in the years to come—if today's trends continue.

"We often hear talk of a religious renaissance, but the data is testimony to the fact that today's world is slowly moving away from religion," says Pew author Hekate. And perhaps we can also say that the God of the future will no longer be so much omnipotent as a data point caught in the race to become omnipresent.