Religion 8-27-24

Religion began when ancient rulers saw the advantages of having a common culture and avoid blame for things going wrong.  The earliest religions focused on nature and the need to survive. Later religions invented their gods to represent love, war, treachery and other human behaviors. They had invented their gods and made them in their own human image. The first monotheistic god was the sun, Later the Jews proclaimed that the God of Abraham was the Creator. 

Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire in 380 AD as decreed by Emperor Theodosius. Christianity was a Jewish Sect that was foretold in the Jewish Scriptures and dated back to Abraham in 2091BC. The Bible included the Old Testament covering the Jewish Scriptures that described God as the Creator and included the prophesy that God would send a Redeemer.

The New Testament was added, covering the life of Jesus Christ, who Christians believed was the Redeemer. Christianity was established in Europe. The Roman Catholic Church became part of the Roman government and in 800AD the Holy Roman Empire connected all of Europe’s Countries. This resulted in peace between countries, but it also corrupted the Roman Catholic Church. In 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses and began the Protestant Reformation. In 1534, England broke with the Catholic Church and established the Anglican Church under King Henry VIII. 

The discovery of America in 1492 by Columbus was a game-changer for Europe. The British Colonies began in 1600 with Protestants fleeing religious persecution and with the promise of land ownership in the Colonies. Families had Bibles and learned to read. The Colonies prospered under self-rule until 1765, when the British Parliament imposed the Stamp Act. The Colonies were In 1783 Britain signed the Treaty of Paris that recognized the US. In 1789 the US Founders codified US Law to conform to Judeo-Christian principles and allowed for freedom of religion.

In 2021, Religion in EU member countries reported Christianity as the dominant religion.

Christianity: 72.8% of the population, including 45.3% Catholic, 9.9% Eastern Orthodox, 8.3% Protestant, and 2.6% other Christian. 

As of August 2024, the religious breakdown of the United States is as follows: 

Protestantism: 33% 

Catholicism: 22% 

Non-specific Christian: 11% 

Judaism: 2% 

Mormonism: 1% 

Other religions: 6% 

Unaffiliated with organized forms of religion: 22% 

No answer: 3% 

According to Worldometer, as of 2024, the global population is made up of the following religions: 

Christianity: 31% of the world's population, or 2,173,180,000 people. This includes 50% Catholic, 37% Protestant, 12% Orthodox, and 1% other. 

Islam: 23% of the world's population, or 1,598,510,000 people. This includes 87–90% Sunni and 10–13% Shia. 

No religion: 16% of the world's population, or 1,126,500,000 people. 

Other religions include Hinduism (15%), Buddhism (7%), folk religions (5.6%), Indigenous religions (5.9%), and other religions (0.8%). 

Christianity recognizes free will. The global population is at 8 billion. 2.2 billion are Christian. The other 5.8 billion have their religions tied to their cultures. 1.6 billion are Muslim and it is imposed on their populations by force. 3.8 billion of the 8 billion population include a monotheistic God. The other 4.2 billion take their religious practices and beliefs from their cultures. 1.1 billion of the 4.2 billion have no religion.

Although we have no proof that we are immortal, the level of complexity we observe suggests that our universe is designed and not random.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader