There are 7,300, 620.150 people in the world. The five most populous countries in the world are China with 1.4 billion people, India with 1.2 billion people, the United States with 322 million people, Indonesia with 252 million people and Brazil with 202 million people.
By nature, every human being is religious just as he is physical and mental. When we refer to religon in its broadest sense, i.e., as a system of orientation and an object of devotion, then ideally, every human being is religious.
Adherents of major organized religions, i.e., with the greatest populations, of the world are Christianity: Adherents 2.2 billion, percent 31.5%; Islam: Adherents 1.6 billion, percent 22.5%; *Non-Religious (Agnostics and Atheists): Adherents 1.1 billion, percent 15.3%; Hinduism: Adherents 1 billion, percent 14.7%; Chinese Traditions: Adherents 394 million, percent 5.5%%; Buddhism: Adherents 376 million, percent 5.3 %. Other Religions (Included : Judaism, Baha'i Faith, Shinto, Sikhism) 5.2%. It is worth repeating, all human beings are religious and people who are not Adherents of organized religion are impacted by the religion or religions in their environment and culture. The ethos, in many ways, of Adherents and non-Adherents is one and the same.
(Statistics cited above represent an analysis of the various research reports on Religions in the World. *Non-Religions is used to classify religious people who deny having a religion, even though they are religious.)
Reverence for Adherents of all religions should be the practice of all people. Ultimately, this means having reverence for all people. All people have the same Creator. This also means having acceptance, not tolerance, for all religions. Today we hear voices speaking disparagingly of Adherents of some religions. People who have self-respect must not only refuse to accept the advice of these pundits but must, in the words of the Psalmist, "Let the redeem of the Lord say so" (Psalm 107:2), denounce advocators of religous hate.
My appeal to peoples of the world, especially Americans who are currently exposed to unprecedented religious bashing demagoguery is to have reverence for Adherents of all religions. And be blessed by the offerings. When we explore different religions we learn that they all embrace truth, love, peace and the Golden Rule which says, "Do unto others as you would have them to do unto you."
This song that I composed, "Let Us Explore All Religions," enumerates benefits to be derived from having reverence for all religions.
(Refrain)
Let us explore all religions
Let us explore all religions
Let us explore all religions
They celebrate our hope
They all reveal God's love for us
They all reveal God's love for us
They all reveal God's love for us
They celebrate our hope
They all contain wisdom and knowledge
They all contain wisdom and knowledge
They all contain wisdom and knowledge
They celebrate our hope.
They all teach us how to love
They all teach us how to love
They all teach us how to love
They celebrate our hope.
(Note: Talk-sing the words to this
song just as you feel when you say
them aloud.)
Copyright 2015 by Uriah J. Fields
Ron