Animated map shows how religion spread across the world

[BrethrenBoy]

businessinsider.com/map-shows-how-religion-spread-around-the-world-2015-6
I found this really interesting. I was surprised by the the image of Christian lands at 0:57, and especially Christan lands compared to Muslim lands at 1:12. I had assumed that Christianity covered a larger geographical area at those times. Wasn’t the larger religion in terms of adherents? Maybe population density has something to do with it. Of course, having a lot of followers doesn’t make something true. Anyways, it’s an interesting video.

 

[7_Sorrows]

Thanks for that. Very interesting. Islam is trying to spread through the continent of Africa and Europe. The continents of North and South America are still solidly Christian. What will the map look like in 20 years?

 

[GLam8833]

Hi BrethernBoy, I was saved in a Brethern Church!
But have now come home to the Catholic faith.
Thanks for the video, it is very interesting to see
Islam and Christianity develop in Africa and North
America esp.

 

[Wesrock]

Interesting. Shouldn’t the crusades have created at least a blip in regards to the Holy Land? Christians also had a presence in North Africa prior to Islam’s expansion there… Or were the populations too small?

 

[steido01]

Interesting. Shouldn’t the crusades have created at least a blip in regards to the Holy Land? Christians also had a presence in North Africa prior to Islam’s expansion there… Or were the populations too small?

Crusades wouldn’t have been much more than a mere blip, considering how quickly Islam exterminated Christians in the Holy Land once they seized control. As for Northern Africa, I’m not sure there was much outside of Carthage - didn’t Augustine write about the masses generally being pagan?

What really surprised me was the lack of Christian purple in Asia. Where are the Thomasean bits? Or the missionaries who made it to China. Yes, they were minorities, but they covered extensive ground. No other religion spread like that until Islam, which spread solely by sword.

 

[Memaw]

Crusades wouldn’t have been much more than a mere blip, considering how quickly Islam exterminated Christians in the Holy Land once they seized control. As for Northern Africa, I’m not sure there was much outside of Carthage - didn’t Augustine write about the masses generally being pagan?

What really surprised me was the lack of Christian purple in Asia. Where are the Thomasean bits? Or the missionaries who made it to China. Yes, they were minorities, but they covered extensive ground. No other religion spread like that until Islam, which spread solely by sword.

thanks, God Bless, Memaw

 

[MarkInOregon]

businessinsider.com/map-shows-how-religion-spread-around-the-world-2015-6
I found this really interesting. I was surprised by the the image of Christian lands at 0:57, and especially Christan lands compared to Muslim lands at 1:12. I had assumed that Christianity covered a larger geographical area at those times. Wasn’t the larger religion in terms of adherents? Maybe population density has something to do with it. Of course, having a lot of followers doesn’t make something true. Anyways, it’s an interesting video.

I’m not sure how accurate the video is. I just started a book this weekend by Philip Jenkins called the “The Next Christendom” and the beginning of the book talks about the spread of early Christianity a bit–and it seems that this map ignore the presence of Christianity in places like North Africa and Ethiopia and the Holy land and Asia. I don’t have the book with me to give you numbers but he indicates that Christianity was really more African/Asian than European until roughly 1000 -1200 or there about. (He has another book called “The Lost History of Christianity: The Thousand-Year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia - and How it Died.” which I started about a year ago but had to return to the library. Much of this Christianity may not have been what we would consider orthodox–tending toward say Monophysitism or Arianism as there was division in the early church over these issues but still it should be shown as Christian expansion in those areas–I think. If you’re interested I can try to get more details and numbers. This map seems to buy into the standard Christianity was a white European religion–which is inaccurate according to Jenkins.

The peace of Christ,
Mark

 

[7_Sorrows]

I’m not sure how accurate the video is. I just started a book this weekend by Philip Jenkins called the “The Next Christendom” and the beginning of the book talks about the spread of early Christianity a bit–and it seems that this map ignore the presence of Christianity in places like North Africa and Ethiopia and the Holy land and Asia. I don’t have the book with me to give you numbers but he indicates that Christianity was really more African/Asian than European until roughly 1000 -1200 or there about. (He has another book called “The Lost History of Christianity: The Thousand-Year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia - and How it Died.” which I started about a year ago but had to return to the library. Much of this Christianity may not have been what we would consider orthodox–tending toward say Monophysitism or Arianism as there was division in the early church over these issues but still it should be shown as Christian expansion in those areas–I think. If you’re interested I can try to get more details and numbers. This map seems to buy into the standard Christianity was a white European religion–which is inaccurate according to Jenkins.

The peace of Christ,
Mark

Interesting. Thank you.

 

[CatholicSheila]

I did notice that at no time was Russia listed as Christian. It doesn’t appear to be given any religion. That may have been the official stance during the USSR days, but there is a long history of Russia been orthodox.

 

[Brandon_Cal]

I did notice that at no time was Russia listed as Christian. It doesn’t appear to be given any religion. That may have been the official stance during the USSR days, but there is a long history of Russia been orthodox.

Check again. From about 1:20 onward Russia is clearly identified as Christian (at about the 900 - 1000 C.E point).