To Index| Group | Where | Number of Adherents |
% of total pop. |
Number of congreg./ churches/ units |
Number of countries |
Year | Source | Quote/ Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buddhism | Asia | - | - | - | - | 1966 | Welty, Paul Thomas. The Asians: Their Heritage and Their Destiny (Revised Edition). Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Co. (1966), pg. 77. | "Buddhism still plays a prominent religious role in Asia, except in Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaya, India, and the Philippines... In China, Buddhism is but one of several religions that the Chinese have harmonized. The Chinese are Buddhists, Taoists, and Confucianists at the same time. In Japan, Buddhism shares her religious role with Shinto, an indigenous religion. " |
| Buddhism | Asia | 254,240,992 | - | - | - | 1981 | Popenoe, David. Sociology (5th Ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. (1983), pg. 433. [Orig. source: 1981 Britannica Book of the Year.] | Table: Membership in the Major Religions of the World " |
| Buddhism | Asia | 255,740,992 | 9.81% | - | - | 1982 | Robertson, Ian. Sociology (2nd ed.); New York, NY: Worth Publishers (1981) [2nd edition is updated since 1977 1st edition], pg. 405. [Orig. source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Book of the Year, 1982] | Table: "Estimated membership of the principal religions of the world " |
| Buddhism | Asia | 320,691,008 | 9.27% | - | - | 1995 | The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1997 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 646. [Source: 1996 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1995 " |
| Buddhism | Asia | 321,984,992 | 9.16% | - | - | 1996 | The World Almanac & Book of Facts 1998 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 654. [Source: 1997 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1996 " |
| Buddhism | Asia | 313,113,984 | 9.70% | - | - | 1996 | *LINK* web site: "The Geography of Religion Website " (assembled by the students of Morehead State University, under Prof. Timothy C. Pitts); web page: "The Geography of Buddhism " (viewed 2 March 1999); Markham, Ian S., (Editor), A World Religions Reader. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers (1996), pp. 356-357. | table with 3 columns: "Area "; "Adherents "; "Population Percentage "; [Geographical regions in this table: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Northern America, Oceania, and Eurasia] |
| Buddhism | Asia | 348,806,016 | 9.72% | - | - | 1998 | World Almanac and Book of Facts 2000. Mahwah, NJ: PRIMEDIA Reference Inc. (1999), pg. 695. [Source: 1999 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1998 " |
| Buddhism | Asia | 760,000,000 | - | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* web site: "SIM NOW " (Protestant site); web page: "Buddhism - The Middle Way " (viewed 5 March 1999); From World Religions Special Report (1998) by SIMNOW (published quarterly by SIM, 14830 Choate Circle, Charlotte, NC 28273 USA) | "...in a swath across Asia from Sri Lanka to Japan, more than 760 million men, women, and children try to follow Buddhism's 'middle way' of thinking and living. " |
| Catholic | Asia | 19,450,000 | - | - | - | 1936 | Ferm, Vergilius (ed.). An Encyclopedia of Religion; Westport, CT: Greenwood Press (1976), pg. 669. [1st pub. in 1945 by Philosophical Library. 1976 reprint is unrevised.] | "Statistics:... Europe has 211,734,000; Asia 19,450,000... [H. A. Krose in 'Lexikon fur Theologie and Kirche', VIII, 791 (1936)] " |
| Catholic | Asia | 48,000,000 | 2.50% | - | - | 1977 | Bokenkotter, Thomas. A Concise History of the Catholic Church. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co. (1977), pg. 342. | "All told, Catholics number over 48 million in Asia, but 32 million of these are found in the Philippines. In sum, the Church is hardly more than a presence and constitutes only 3.5% of the total Asian population. " |
| Catholic | Asia | 55,077,000 | - | - | - | 1981 | Popenoe, David. Sociology (5th Ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. (1983), pg. 433. [Orig. source: 1981 Britannica Book of the Year.] | Table: Membership in the Major Religions of the World " |
| Catholic | Asia | 55,027,000 | 2.11% | - | - | 1982 | Robertson, Ian. Sociology (2nd ed.); New York, NY: Worth Publishers (1981) [2nd edition is updated since 1977 1st edition], pg. 405. [Orig. source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Book of the Year, 1982] | Table: "Estimated membership of the principal religions of the world " |
| Catholic | Asia | 101,210,000 | 2.90% | 18,332 units |
- | 1995 | 1998 Catholic Almanac: Our Sunday Visitor: USA (1997), pg. 368. | Table: Catholic World Statistics. Figures are as of Dec. 31, 1995. |
| Catholic | Asia | 90,041,000 | 2.60% | - | - | 1995 | The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1997 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 646. [Source: 1996 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1995 " |
| Catholic | Asia | 94,250,000 | 2.68% | - | - | 1996 | The World Almanac & Book of Facts 1998 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 654. [Source: 1997 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1996 " |
| Catholic | Asia | 123,597,000 | 3.80% | - | - | 1996 | *LINK* web site: "The Geography of Religion Website " (assembled by the students of Morehead State University, under Prof. Timothy C. Pitts); web page: "The Geography of Roman Catholicism " (viewed 2 March 1999); [Orig. source: Markham, Ian S., (Editor), A World Religions Reader. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers (1996), pp. 356-357.] | table with 3 columns: "Area "; "Adherents "; "Population Percentage "; [Geographical regions in this table: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Northern America, Oceania, and Eurasia] |
| Catholic | Asia | 106,399,000 | 2.96% | - | - | 1998 | World Almanac and Book of Facts 2000. Mahwah, NJ: PRIMEDIA Reference Inc. (1999), pg. 695. [Source: 1999 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1998 " |
| Chinese traditional religion | Asia | 224,628,000 | 6.50% | - | - | 1995 | The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1997 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 646. [Source: 1996 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by 6 Continental Areas,1995 "; "Chinese folk religionists: Followers of traditional Chinese religions (local deities, ancestor veneration, Confucian ethics, Taoism, universism, divination, some Buddhist elements. " |
| Chinese traditional religion | Asia | 220,652,992 | 6.28% | - | - | 1996 | The World Almanac & Book of Facts 1998 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 654. [Source: 1997 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by 6 Continental Areas,1996 "; "Chinese folk religionists: Followers of traditional Chinese religions (local deities, ancestor veneration, Confucian ethics, Taoism, universism, divination, some Buddhist elements. " |
| Chinese traditional religion | Asia | 186,816,992 | - | - | - | 1996 | *LINK* web site: "Geography of Religions " (Geography Department of Morehead State University); web page: "Geography of Taoism " (viewed 1 July 1999); [Orig. source: Markham, Ian S., (Editor), A World Religions Reader. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 1996.] | Table: "Geography of Taoism ". "The figures of distribution listed below are for all traditional Chinese religionists, including local deities, ancestor veneration, Confucian ethics, Taoists, divination, as well as some Buddhist elements. " |
| Chinese traditional religion | Asia | 377,795,008 | 10.53% | - | - | 1998 | World Almanac and Book of Facts 2000. Mahwah, NJ: PRIMEDIA Reference Inc. (1999), pg. 695. [Source: 1999 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1998 " [Listed in table as 'Chinese folk religionists': Followers of traditional Chinese religion (local deities, ancestor veneration, Confucian ethics, Taoism, universism, divination, some Buddhist elements).] |
| Christianity | Asia | - | - | - | - | 1981 | Crim, Keith (ed.). The Perennial Dictionary of World Religions. San Francisco: Harper Collins (1989). Reprint; originally pub. as Abingdon Dictionary of Living Religions, 1981; pg. 180. | "CHRISTIANITY IN ASIA. At the beginning of the 1980s Christianity outside the Indian subcontinent was flourishing, languishing, insignificant, or suppressed, usually in consequence to two unrelated factors: 1) the method followed by those who laid the foundations for Christianity in the given area or country, and 2) the policy of the government presently controlling that area or country... Generally speaking, the strongest Christian churches and movements were flourishing where their founders had required self-government, self-propagation, and self-support as a matter of course from the beginning. As a result, the Methodist tribal churches of the remote Yunnanese highlands in mainland China and their counterpart Presbyterian churches of Korea, and the great Dutch Reformed tribal churches in the Batak fastness of Indonesia were overwhelmingly the strongest religious communities and influences of their respective areas. " |
| Christianity | Asia | 95,987,240 | - | - | - | 1981 | Popenoe, David. Sociology (5th Ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. (1983), pg. 433. [Orig. source: 1981 Britannica Book of the Year.] | Table: Membership in the Major Religions of the World " |
| Christianity | Asia | 95,787,240 | 3.67% | - | - | 1982 | Robertson, Ian. Sociology (2nd ed.); New York, NY: Worth Publishers (1981) [2nd edition is updated since 1977 1st edition], pg. 405. [Orig. source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Book of the Year, 1982] | Table: "Estimated membership of the principal religions of the world " |
| Christianity | Asia | - | - | - | - | 1983 | Oxtoby, Willard G. The Meaning of Other Faiths. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press (1983), pg. 64. | "Except for the Philippines, the missionary picture was quite different throughout Asia. Here the European Christians were in contact with historic cultures and philosophically sophisticated traditions which showed little sign of collapse. Centuries of European effort in India, China, and Japan have produced only a small Christian minority in these lands. " |
| Christianity | Asia | 308,761,984 | 8.93% | - | - | 1995 | The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1997 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 646. [Source: 1996 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by 6 Continental Areas,1995 "; "Christians: Followers of Jesus Christ affiliated w/ churches (church members, incl. children: 1,791,227,000 [world total] plus persons professing in censuses or polls though not affiliated. " |
| Christianity | Asia | 303,127,008 | 8.63% | - | - | 1996 | The World Almanac & Book of Facts 1998 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 654. [Source: 1997 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by 6 Continental Areas,1996 "; "Christians: Followers of Jesus Christ affiliated w/ churches (church members, incl. children: 1,782,809,000 [world total] plus persons professing in censuses or polls though not affiliated. " |
| Christianity | Asia | 285,384,992 | 8.80% | - | - | 1996 | *LINK* web site: "The Geography of Religion Website " (assembled by the students of Morehead State University, under Prof. Timothy C. Pitts); web page: "The Geography of Christianity " (viewed 2 March 1999); [Orig. source: Markham, Ian S., (Editor), A World Religions Reader. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers (1996), pp. 356-357.] | table with 3 columns: "Area "; "Adherents "; "Population Percentage "; [Geographical regions in this table: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Northern America, Oceania, and Eurasia] |
| Christianity | Asia | 300,000,000 | - | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* "Briefly... " in Hinduism Today International (Aug. 1997); original source: International Bulletin of Missionary Research | International Bulletin of Missionary Research... counts nearly 300 million Christians now in Asia |
| Christianity | Asia | 299,000,000 | - | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* web site: "Monday Morning Reality Check " (Protestant); web page: "Status of Global Mission 1997 " by Justin D. Long, 1997 (viewed 5 March 1999) | "309 million live in Africa, 299 million in Asia, 526 million in Europe, 450 million in Latin America, 202 million in North America and 19 million in Oceania. " |
| Christianity | Asia | 283,734,016 | 7.91% | - | - | 1998 | World Almanac and Book of Facts 2000. Mahwah, NJ: PRIMEDIA Reference Inc. (1999), pg. 695. [Source: 1999 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1998 "; "Total Christians include those affiliated with churches not shown [Roman Catholic; Protestants; Orthodox; Anglicans], plus other persons professing in censuses or polls to be Christians but not affiliated with any church. " |
| Christianity - affiliated | Asia | - | 7.30% | - | - | 1993 | Johnstone. Operation World. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1993, p. 21. | Table |
| Christianity - other | Asia | 158,296,992 | 4.58% | - | - | 1995 | The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1997 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 646. [Source: 1996 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by 6 Continental Areas,1995 "; "Other Christians: Catholics (non-Roman), marginal Protestants, crypto-Christians, and adherents of African, Asian, black and Latin American indigenous churches. " |
| Christianity - other | Asia | 148,931,008 | 4.24% | - | - | 1996 | The World Almanac & Book of Facts 1998 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 654. [Source: 1997 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by 6 Continental Areas,1996 "; "Other Christians: Catholics (non-Roman), marginal Protestants, crypto-Christians, and adherents of African, Asian, black and Latin American indigenous churches. " |
| Christianity - other | Asia | 117,249,000 | 3.27% | - | - | 1998 | World Almanac and Book of Facts 2000. Mahwah, NJ: PRIMEDIA Reference Inc. (1999), pg. 695. [Source: 1999 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1998 "; Christianity - other: Those Christians not included in the four other groupings of Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox and Anglican |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Asia | 139,523 | - | - | - | 1980 | Stark, Rodney. "The Rise of a New World Faith " in Latter-day Saint Social Life: Social Research on the LDS Church and its Members, edited by James T. Duke. Religious Studies Center, BYU: Provo, UT (1998), pg. 17. | "Table: 1.3: Two Years of Mormon Growth, 1978-80 "; Two columns: "Percentage rate of membership growth 1978-80 " and "Number of members in 1980 "; Growth 1978-80: 61% |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Asia | 593,000 | - | 1,690 units |
- | 1995 | Deseret News 1997-98 Church Almanac. Deseret News: Salt Lake City, UT (1996), pg. 525-529. | Table: "Membership and units by lands "; latest figures from year-end 1995 |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Asia | 635,000 | - | - | - | 1997 | Deseret News 1999-2000 Church Almanac. Deseret News: Salt Lake City, UT (1998), pg. 114. | Graphic: "Church membership worldwide "; "Total: 10 million; Estimate Nov. 2, 1997. " |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Asia | 635,000 | - | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* official organization web site; web page: "Membership Distribution " in "Global Media Guide " section, (viewed 22 March 1999). | Map, with membership figures shown for following areas: Canada, USA, Mexico, South America, Caribbean, Europe, Africa, Asia, Central America, South Pacific; "Membership Worldwide, Dec. 31, 1997 " |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Asia | 2,000,000 | - | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* web site (1998): "Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry "; web page: "The Mormon Church Statistics " | "As of 1997, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints... claims membership of a little more than 10 million worldwide. US: 5 Million; Latin America: 3 Million; Asian: 2 Million; South Pacific & Africa: 1/2 Million " |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - temples | Asia | - | - | 5 units |
- | 1996 | Deseret News 1997-98 Church Almanac. Deseret News: Salt Lake City, UT (1996), pg. 435-436. | Table: "Temples of the Church "; Seoul, South Korea; Tokyo, Japan; Manila, Philippines; Hong Kong; Taipai, Taiwan |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - temples | Asia | - | - | 5 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* web site: "LDSWorld "; web page: "Gems Temple Status Page " (viewed 17 July 1999); compiled by Dave Kenison. Updated regularly. | Original sources: Deseret News Church Almanac, & announcements thru Church News & other media.; Table: "LOCATIONS & DEDICATIONS OF TEMPLES " (incl. dedication dates); Tokyo, Seoul, Manilla, Hong Kong, Taiwan |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - temples | Asia | - | - | 5 units |
- | 1999 | *LINK* web site: "Kim Siever's Temple Site "; web page: "Asia " (viewed 18 April 1999). | Table with columns: Name [of temple], Year: Operating temples: "Tokyo Japan 1980; Manilla Phillipines 1984; Taipei Taiwan 1984; Seoul Korea 1985; Kowloon Hong Kong 1996 " |
| Confucianism | Asia | - | - | - | - | 1981 | Crim, Keith (ed.). The Perennial Dictionary of World Religions. San Francisco: Harper Collins (1989). Reprint; originally pub. as Abingdon Dictionary of Living Religions, 1981; pg. 191. | "The twentieth century has seen significant changes in the outward authority of the Confucian tradition... However, Confucianism as a significant component in the make-up of Chinese and other East Asian cultures or even more significantly as an individual ethico-religious world view is far from extinct. The attack on Confucius in the People's Republic and the veneration of the Confucian tradition by Nationalist China are indications of its vitality. " |
| Confucianism | Asia | 155,887,504 | - | - | - | 1981 | Popenoe, David. Sociology (5th Ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. (1983), pg. 433. [Orig. source: 1981 Britannica Book of the Year.] | Table: Membership in the Major Religions of the World " |
| Confucianism | Asia | 153,887,504 | 5.90% | - | - | 1982 | Robertson, Ian. Sociology (2nd ed.); New York, NY: Worth Publishers (1981) [2nd edition is updated since 1977 1st edition], pg. 405. [Orig. source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Book of the Year, 1982] | Table: "Estimated membership of the principal religions of the world " |
| Confucianism | Asia | 5,220,000 | 0.15% | - | - | 1995 | The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1997 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 646. [Source: 1996 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by 6 Continental Areas,1995 "; "Confucians: Non-Chinese followers of Confucius and Confucianism, mostly Koreans in Korea. " |
| Confucianism | Asia | 5,050,000 | 0.14% | - | - | 1996 | The World Almanac & Book of Facts 1998 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 654. [Source: 1997 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by 6 Continental Areas,1996 "; "Confucians: Non-Chinese followers of Confucius and Confucianism, mostly Koreans in Korea. " |
| Confucianism | Asia | 5,994,000 | 0.20% | - | - | 1996 | *LINK* web site: "The Geography of Religion Website " (assembled by the students of Morehead State University, under Prof. Timothy C. Pitts); web page: "The Geography of Confucianism " (viewed 2 March 1999); [Orig. source: Markham, Ian S., (Editor), A World Religions Reader. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers (1996), pp. 356-357.] | table with 3 columns: "Area "; "Adherents "; "Population Percentage "; [Geographical regions in this table: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Northern America, Oceania, and Eurasia] |
| Confucianism | Asia | 5,000,000 | - | - | - | 1997 | Ganeri, Anita. Religions Explained: A Beginner's Guide to World Faiths, Henry Hold and Company: Markham, Ontario (1997), pg. 50. | "Today, there are about 5 million Confucians in China and the Far East. " |
| Confucianism | Asia | 6,207,000 | 0.17% | - | - | 1998 | World Almanac and Book of Facts 2000. Mahwah, NJ: PRIMEDIA Reference Inc. (1999), pg. 695. [Source: 1999 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1998 "; "Confucians: Non-Chinese followers of Confucius and Confucianism, mostly Koreans in Korea. " |
| Council for World Mission | Asia | 7,148,386 | - | 22,877 units |
- | 1999 | *LINK* Web site: "Council for World Mission "; web page: "Churches " (viewed 31 May 1999). | Added up memberships of constituent member bodies in South Asia (Church of North India, Church of South India, Presbyterian Church of India, and Church of Bangladesh) and East Asia (Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, Presbyterian Church in Singapore, Presbyterian Church of Myanmar, Presbyterian Church of Korea, Hong Kong Council of the Church of Christ in China) regions. |
| Eastern Orthodox | Asia | 2,428,000 | - | - | - | 1981 | Popenoe, David. Sociology (5th Ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. (1983), pg. 433. [Orig. source: 1981 Britannica Book of the Year.] | Table: Membership in the Major Religions of the World " |
| Eastern Orthodox | Asia | 2,328,000 | 0.09% | - | - | 1982 | Robertson, Ian. Sociology (2nd ed.); New York, NY: Worth Publishers (1981) [2nd edition is updated since 1977 1st edition], pg. 405. [Orig. source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Book of the Year, 1982] | Table: "Estimated membership of the principal religions of the world " |
| Eastern Orthodox | Asia | 14,881,000 | 0.43% | - | - | 1995 | The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1997 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 646. [Source: 1996 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1995 " |
| Eastern Orthodox | Asia | 13,970,000 | 0.40% | - | - | 1996 | The World Almanac & Book of Facts 1998 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 654. [Source: 1997 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1996 " |
| Eastern Orthodox | Asia | 3,655,000 | 0.10% | - | - | 1996 | *LINK* web site: "The Geography of Religion Website " (assembled by the students of Morehead State University, under Prof. Timothy C. Pitts); web page: "The Geography of Eastern Orthodoxy " (viewed 2 March 1999); [Orig. source: Markham, Ian S., (Editor), A World Religions Reader. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers (1996), pp. 356-357.] | table with 3 columns: "Area "; "Adherents "; "Population Percentage "; [Geographical regions in this table: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Northern America, Oceania, and Eurasia] |
| Ebionites | Asia | - | - | - | - | 400 C.E. | Cavendish, Richard (ed.). Man, Myth & Magic: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Supernatural (vol. 6). New York: Marshall Cavendish Corp. (1970), pg. 768. | "Remnants of Jewish Christianity survived in various places in Palestine, Syria and Egypt until the 5th century. Its members clung to the original tenets of their faith, being characterized by their observance of the Mosaic Law, their belief that Jesus was of human origin, and their hostility to Paul. They are known only through the garbled and prejudiced accounts of orthodox Christian writers, who regarded them as heretics. They are named either as Ebionites or Nazarenes, and various strange beliefs and customs are ascribed to them; it is likely that some groups did adopt Gnostic ideas or held beliefs that stemmed from the Qumran Covenanters. " |
| Evangelical | Asia | - | 3.10% | - | - | 1993 | Johnstone. Operation World. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1993, p. 21. | Table. "Affiliated Evangelical " |
| Ganesh worship | Asia | - | - | - | - | 1981 | Crim, Keith (ed.). The Perennial Dictionary of World Religions. San Francisco: Harper Collins (1989). Reprint; originally pub. as Abingdon Dictionary of Living Religions, 1981; pg. 272-273. | "Ganesa. Elephant-faced son of Shiva and Parvati, who is worshipped as the overcomer of obstacles at the beginnings of rites or other undertakings... Shrines and temples to Ganesa can be found all over India and his image appears throughout Buddhist Asia as a Buddhist deity. Frequently an image of Ganesa can be found at the doorway to temples of other gods... Over the past seventy years Ganesa's popularity has increased markedly, perhaps because of his association with overcoming obstacles... " |
| Gaoshan | Asia | 500,000 | - | - | 2 countries |
1998 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 3 - Asia & Oceania. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 212, 214. | "Gaoshan: Alternate Names: Milin; Sanmei; Liuqiu; Amei; Taiyar; Paiwan; Bunong; Lukai; Beinan; Zou; Saixia; Yamei and Pingpu; Location: China; Taiwan; Population: 500,000; Religion: Traditional beliefs "; Pg. 214: "The Gaoshan have preserved many primitive beliefs and rituals. They believe the spirits are in all things around them and revere a great many gods, such as the gods of the universe, of Heaven, of nature, as well as a variety of spirits and goblins. However, the gods they worship are not the same from one district to the next... " |
| Harranian religion | Asia | - | - | - | - | -1500 B.C.E. | Cavendish, Richard (ed.). Man, Myth & Magic: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Supernatural (vol. 9). New York: Marshall Cavendish Corp. (1970), pg. 1213. | "Harranian Religion. The city of Harran in northwest Mesopotamia became in ancient times the centre of a mysterious religion that included the worship of planets. Information about this religion is sparse and difficult to interpret, especially since much of it comes from hostile sources. As far back as the second millenium BC, Harran was an important centrue of the cult of Sin, the moon god. The original centre of the cult was the Sumerian city of Ur, known in the bible as Ur of the Chaldeans. The Bible preserves an interesting connection between these two cult centres of moon worship; for according to the book of Genesis (11.31) Abraham, a native of Ur, journeyed with his father Terah an dwife Sarah from Ur to settle in Haran. " |
| Harranian religion | Asia | - | - | - | - | 1200 C.E. | Cavendish, Richard (ed.). Man, Myth & Magic: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Supernatural (vol. 9). New York: Marshall Cavendish Corp. (1970), pg. 1213. | "The archeological evidence, fragmentary and enigmatic as it unfortunately is, is supplemented by equally puzzing accounts by early Moslem writers. They identified the Harranian pagans with the Sabians, mentioned in the Koran as one of the religious communities permitted to exist. According to these writers, the Sabians of Harran recognized a supreme deity who was the primal cause of the universe. The Sabians were also reputed to celebrate 'mystery' rites, addressed principally to Shamal, lord of the jinn... The Harranians and their planetary religion disappeared during the Mongol invasions in the 12th or 13th century. Some scholars believe that the Sabians still survive in the Mandaeans, a religious community living on the lower reaches of the Tigris and Euphrates; on the available evidence this identification seems unlikely. " |
| Hinayana Buddhism | Asia | - | - | - | - | -200 B.C.E. | Crim, Keith (ed.). The Perennial Dictionary of World Religions. San Francisco: Harper Collins (1989). Reprint; originally pub. as Abingdon Dictionary of Living Religions, 1981; pg. 299. | "Hinayana. The pejorative name applied to all the early schools of Buddhism by an emergen, radical group (ca. 200 B.C.) which referred to itself as Mahayana (lit. 'large vehicle...'). Hinayana thus became a general designation for the two major early schools of Buddhism, the Sthaviras and Mahasanghikas, and their subschools (including the Theravadins). Althogh traditionally there were eighteen schools cited in this category, in actuality there were many more, most of which died out early. " |
| Hinduism | Asia | 500,000,000 | - | - | - | 1977 | Edmonds, I.G. Hinduism; New York: Franklin Watts (1979), pg. 51. | "The 1977 estimate... Asia has over 500 million [Hindus]. " |
| Hinduism | Asia | 475,072,992 | - | - | - | 1981 | Popenoe, David. Sociology (5th Ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. (1983), pg. 433. [Orig. source: 1981 Britannica Book of the Year.] | Table: Membership in the Major Religions of the World " |
| Hinduism | Asia | 478,072,992 | 18.34% | - | - | 1982 | Robertson, Ian. Sociology (2nd ed.); New York, NY: Worth Publishers (1981) [2nd edition is updated since 1977 1st edition], pg. 405. [Orig. source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Book of the Year, 1982] | Table: "Estimated membership of the principal religions of the world " |
| Hinduism | Asia | 775,251,968 | 22.42% | - | - | 1995 | The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1997 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 646. [Source: 1996 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1995 "; "Hindus. 70% Vaishnavites, 25% Shaivites, 2% new-Hindus and reform Hindus. " |
| Hinduism | Asia | 786,990,976 | 22.40% | - | - | 1996 | The World Almanac & Book of Facts 1998 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 654. [Source: 1997 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1996 "; "Hindus. 70% Vaishnavites, 25% Shaivites, 2% new-Hindus and reform Hindus. " |
| Hinduism | Asia | 728,118,016 | 22.50% | - | - | 1996 | *LINK* web site: "The Geography of Religion Website " (assembled by the students of Morehead State University, under Prof. Timothy C. Pitts); web page: "The Geography of Hinduism " (viewed 2 March 1999); [Orig. source: Markham, Ian S., (Editor), A World Religions Reader. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers (1996), pp. 356-357.] | table with 3 columns: "Area "; "Adherents "; "Population Percentage "; [Geographical regions in this table: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Northern America, Oceania, and Eurasia] |
| Hinduism | Asia | 755,500,032 | 21.05% | - | - | 1998 | World Almanac and Book of Facts 2000. Mahwah, NJ: PRIMEDIA Reference Inc. (1999), pg. 695. [Source: 1999 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1998 " |
| Islam | Asia | 160,000,000 | - | - | - | 1945 | Ferm, Vergilius (ed.). An Encyclopedia of Religion; Westport, CT: Greenwood Press (1976), pg. 502. [1st pub. in 1945 by Philosophical Library. 1976 reprint is unrevised.] | "Mohammedans number about 160,000,000 in Asia, 44,000,000,000 in Africa, 5,000,000 in Europe and 20,000 in North America, a total of approximately 209,020,000. " |
| Islam | Asia | - | - | - | - | 1966 | Welty, Paul Thomas. The Asians: Their Heritage and Their Destiny (Revised Edition). Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Co. (1966), pg. 49. | "Islam has also had a tremendout impact upon millions of Asian people. Pakistan and Indonesia are the two largest Muslim nationsin the world, and there are millions of followers of Islam living in Malaya, China, Borneo, the Philippines, and other Asian countries. " |
| Islam | Asia | 428,265,984 | - | - | - | 1981 | Popenoe, David. Sociology (5th Ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. (1983), pg. 433. [Orig. source: 1981 Britannica Book of the Year.] | Table: Membership in the Major Religions of the World " |
| Islam | Asia | 429,766,016 | 16.49% | - | - | 1982 | Robertson, Ian. Sociology (2nd ed.); New York, NY: Worth Publishers (1981) [2nd edition is updated since 1977 1st edition], pg. 405. [Orig. source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Book of the Year, 1982] | Table: "Estimated membership of the principal religions of the world " |
