"The religious profile of the world is rapidly changing, driven primarily by differences in fertility rates and the size of youth populations among the world’s major religions, as well as by people switching faiths. Over the next four decades, Christians will remain the largest religious group, but Islam will grow faster than any other major religion. If current trends continue, by 2050 …
- The number of Muslims will nearly equal the number of Christians around the world.
- Atheists, agnostics and other people who do not affiliate with any religion – though increasing in countries such as the United States and France – will make up a declining share of the world’s total population.
- The global Buddhist population will be about the same size it was in 2010, while the Hindu and Jewish populations will be larger than they are today.
- In Europe, Muslims will make up 10% of the overall population.
- India will retain a Hindu majority but also will have the largest Muslim population of any country in the world, surpassing Indonesia.
- In the United States, Christians will decline from more than three-quarters of the population in 2010 to two-thirds in 2050, and Judaism will no longer be the largest non-Christian religion. Muslims will be more numerous in the U.S. than people who identify as Jewish on the basis of religion.
- Four out of every 10 Christians in the world will live in sub-Saharan Africa."
Above from:
The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050
Those are the statistics. But they do not say anything about what the character of those religions will be like. Will religions continue, dragging the traditional aspects along more out of habit than relevance? That would mean loss of control for priests and imans who would rather keep to old schedules regardless of modern velocities. Or will they update to adapt? For example, will particular future Muslims still be calling for all infidels to be killed or will they turn a new leaf and be cool even about the likeness of the prophet shown in humorous situations, or maybe t-shirts? In other words, future generations of Muslims might disregard the religious past as much as those of other religions have. As Judy Tenuta might have said: “It can happen!”
And what about atheists? You know, people like Ron Reagan Jr. (son of former prez) who is not afraid of burning in hell? Great PSA, Ron.
“According to sociologist Phil Zuckerman, broad estimates of those who have an absence of belief in a God range from 500 to 750 million people worldwide. According to sociologists Ariela Keysar and Juhem Navarro-Rivera’s review of numerous global studies on atheism, there are 450 to 500 million positive atheists and agnostics worldwide (7% of the world’s population), with China having the most atheists in the world (200 million convinced atheists).” source
Up to 750 million? Seems like a stone’s throw from 1 billion. And I wonder, will we ever have an Atheist Party in politics? An atheist president? Will future generations of atheists change too? Will they have to tackle new issues like, ‘atheistic faith’? Will some author write, ‘The Grammar of Atheistic Assent’?
But wait, what happens if we’re visited by extraterrestrials with their own religion? Do we welcome them? Give them tax-exempt status? Coach them on the difference between ‘Happy Holidays’ and Merry Christmas? Convert them? What if they try to convert us?
Or is it that the world could never do without some kind of religious element?
I have felt for a long time that when humankind recognizes itself as the only religion then there could indeed be an enlightenment on many levels. But that prospect seems a long way off.
To be a child in a world where spirituality is free of labels and labellers, and easy as air. Sounds like it would be an interesting place to grow up in.