What are the Top Fastest Growing Religions Today?
The demographics of religion are rapidly changing worldwide. In most cases, the populations of major world religions remain relatively steady through a constant birthrate. Practitioners of a certain religion will stay numerous as long as the individual members of the religion continue to reproduce and start families. However, there are a few religions that tend to grow faster than the birthrate, which means that adults are converting and adding to the population, causing steady growth that may continue over a period of years or decades.
Buddhism is usually recognized as one of the fastest growing religions. Most of this new growth is attributed to Western countries, since the population in Eastern countries remains steady. While Americans and Europeans convert to Buddhism, the equilibrium experienced in Asian countries turns into positive growth worldwide. There are over half a million people practicing Buddhism in the United States alone, which is a significant increase from recent years.
Hinduism is another religion that experiences significant growth. Nearly all people living in the Republic of India identify as Hindus, which accounts for a huge portion of the worldwide members of the religion. India has experienced some population growth in recent years with a rapidly growing population of young people and juveniles. Most of the recent growth of Buddhism can be attributed to this increase in population.
Other religions continue to experience rapid growth in certain areas, not the least of which are Christianity, Judaism and the Church of the Latter-Day Saints. Most of this growth is attributed to missionaries and other active conversions that occur worldwide on a regular basis. Some religions that were previously obscure in Western culture are becoming more prominent, including Zoroastrianism and Sikhism, as well as some that may be considered a philosophy instead of a religion such as Confucianism.
Posted by Derrick on November 15th, 2011 :: Filed under
ReligionTags ::
Buddhism,
church of the latter day saints,
Fastest,
latter day saints,
major world religions,
Religion,
republic of india,
Top
Mormons and Christianity: Are Mormons Christians?
Most people who are unfamiliar with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are not quite sure whether Mormons are actually Christians. Although their beliefs and traditions differ significantly from those of blanket Christianity, most Mormons identify themselves as Christians. This is because of a number of key similarities between their beliefs.
One of the most important similarities is that Mormons and Christians both agree that the Bible is an important book of scripture to be taken as gospel. Mormons also study the Book of Mormon, but take the Bible as seriously as Christians do. Additionally, Mormons believe that they are children of God, which is a basic prerequisite in most Christian churches.
Mormons believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet, which may conflict with some Christians and their view that there was only one prophet, Jesus Christ. However, Mormons believe that Smith restored the ability for the church to enforce ordinances which are similar to sacraments performed by certain Christian denominations. These ordinances allow living prophets to continue spreading the word of Jesus Christ and encouraging atonement.
Mormons also believe that in order to become a child of God, one needs to follow the examples that Jesus originally set. This directly parallels the Christian belief in following Christ and emulating his paths and his image. They believe in the power of prayer and feel strongly that God answers prayers and speaks to his followers, which are also beliefs vehemently held by Christians of most denominations.
Although Mormonism and Christianity do have some differences, they are more similar than they are different. Mormons hold all the core beliefs that Christians do regarding their status as children of God. Their beliefs regarding prophets differ significantly, but because they share these beliefs about God and Christ, most Mormons consider themselves to be Christians as well.
Posted by Derrick on November 8th, 2011 :: Filed under
ReligionTags ::
Bible,
blanket,
god answers prayers,
jesus christ of latter day,
jesus christ of latter day saints,
Mormons,
prophet,
prophet jesus
Dozens of online polls seem to indicate Ron Paul as the candidate who would win the GOP nomination today. Contrary to this, major media outlets tell viewers the front runner is Herman Cain and make an occasional nod to Mitt Romney. With such disparate information, individuals may wonder if there is a way to tell with 100 percent accuracy who would win.
Most information seems to indicate the winner as of today would be Herman Cain. The fact that Ron Paul performs exceedingly well in online polling may be due to self-selection bias in poll sampling. The bulk of Ron Paul supporters are very active online, while Cain supporters are less so. Cain performs very close to Paul in most online polling attempts, and carries greater weight in polls for registered Republicans via telephone. The online polls showing Paul in the lead include statistics from those who will vote in the Republican primaries as well as many who may not.
It is important to note that statistics fluctuate daily, and both Cain and Romney have seen quite a falling off in recent weeks. As both Cain and Paul gather additional endorsements, the race is shaping up to be between the two. The “Black This Out” campaign effort by Ron Paul has gained great momentum among people of all backgrounds. If those people get out to vote, they may provide an unexpected tipping point in the primary elections.
Although it is impossible to state with 100 percent accuracy who the GOP nominee would be if the votes were tallied today, all polling efforts indicate it would be Cain or Paul. Which candidate you go with seems to be up to personal view point and whether you get your polling information online or through nightly news from any of the major outlets.
Posted by Derrick on November 1st, 2011 :: Filed under
PoliticsTags ::
gop nomination,
gop nominee,
occasional nod,
republican primaries