God Wars: which memes will adapt and win the battle for humanity's devotion?
Hundreds of religions and philosophies are currently engaged in the centuries-old conflict over the hearts and minds of the human species. Some religions seek to destroy all the others; some are content with control over one group, becoming identified with ethnicity or nationality. No matter whether you think of religion as mankind's greatest characteristic or a form of self-propagating mind virus, you cannot avoid being affected by the God Wars.
In these wars, religions that spew propaganda almost always beat those that do not. Religions whose missionaries circle like vultures waiting for disasters to occur in unconverted nations have constant success. International religions have an advantage, even if numbers are small, because they can recover from persecution in any single country.

As you may guess, I do not buy into the liberal P.C. garbage that "all religions are paths to the same Truth". No they are not. Some religions don't even have gods. Some have countless gods and spirits that perform even the most mundane roles. Others, like Biblical Christianity and the Aztec blood cult, have bloodthirsty gods that promote hate and violence (cloaked in righteousness to help spread their evil). We do NOT all worship the same God. And this is a good thing.
If all Humanity had the same religion, even a peaceful mystical one, we would lose most of our creativity and the capacity for moral debate. A world dominated by the repressive "Jealous God" religions is unthinkable. Yet it may happen, as Christian and Muslim compete for power around the world, crushing more tolerant religions into the dust. What will be the final outcome?

The four most powerful religions.

NOTE: the standard religious-population estimates you see pretty much everywhere in the media all seem to be modified from the World Christian Encyclopedia (1980), which is a sort of battle plan for world conquest that even a Nazi would be impressed by. However, any census of beliefs is somewhat subjective (for instance, Christians and Muslims do not understand that in most traditional cultures people can belong to more than one religion). Most religions aren't as anal as Christians in counting their adherents. Some just "make up" numbers to sound more powerful. Second-rank religions (less than 200 million followers)
 New Religions (less than 300 years old, incl. revivals of older faiths) and Syncretic Religions
 Humanist and "borderline" Religions
 Endangered or extinct religions


CHRISTIANITY
OVERVIEW: A first-rate advertising campaign tied to a third-rate polytheistic cult. This is one of the two dominant "Jealous-God" religions. The three main creatures they worship are "Jehovah" a Zeus-like sky monster, "Jesus" a prophet who is believed to have faked his own suffering and death (an immortal god of course cannot feel fear, suffer pain, or die and really 'sacrifice' anything), and the "holy ghost" which is some demon thingy that takes over human bodies. There is a fourth god "Lucifer/Satan" who is a troublemaker created by Jehovah. The Catholic subdivision also focuses on the Virgin Mary and a bunch of saints. No other religion can get away with so many atrocities with a reputation for being "peaceful"; in fact, there is no religion in which the advertising (all that "love" and "peace" stuff) bears so little resemblance to the actual religion.

STRATEGY: World domination by any means necessary.

STRENGTH: Nearly 2 billion humans (although this figure apparently includes many baptized/registered-at-birth people in Europe who have abandoned Christ, several psuedo-Christian New Religions and cults, plus tens of millions of people in Africa and Latin America who mix Christianity with traditional beliefs). This religion has spread around the world due to conquest and political manipulation. Most current populations, even in Europe, were once forcibly converted, by foreign invaders or local leaders who were sponsored and put in power by Christian nations. Christianity has the most extensive propaganda machine ever created, and employs hundreds of thousands of missionaries with billions of dollars raised in the wealthy, white nations for the continued bribery and brainwashing of pagans and the suppression of heretics.

OUTLOOK: This religion has supreme military, financial and political influence; it also has the will to commit horrible atrocities. Humanist ideals have slowly been seeping into the religion, but not enough to slow the often bigoted and unethical missionary offensive against other faiths.

Currently the fall of Marxism has opened up many countries to intense conversion efforts. China and Mongolia, where Buddhism was destroyed by Marxism, have been targeted so that Buddhism will not recover. Sub-Saharan Africa has been almost completely converted after its conquest by Europe. However, this religion has failed completely in Islamic nations, and may be undermined by apathetic secularism in Europe and, without full-scale persecution, is vulnerable to a resurgence in neo-paganism and New Religions.

One other issue that has arisen is the competition between the various Christian groups, which are cannibalizing each others' membership (Protestants vs. Catholics in South America; both vs. Eastern Orthodox in Russia; and Mormons expanding against all worldwide).



ISLAM
OVERVIEW: Nominally monotheistic god-based religion with a reputation for brutal holy wars. This reputation remains because Islam's historical revisionism is not as skillful as Christianity's. This is the second of the two dominant "Jealous-God" religions. Muslims also have a "devil" (troublemaking god) which their main god Allah does not kill for some reason.

STRATEGY: World domination by any means necessary.

STRENGTH: Over 1 billion humans. This religion initially expanded primarily by military conquest and forced conversion. Its record of to atrocity and persecution of pagans almost rivals that of Christianity. However, at times (in Indonesia and Africa, and recently among African-Americans) it has expanded as a religion of resistance in populations conquered by Christians. Islam peaked in the 700's, again in the 1400's, then declined greatly but is now on the rise again.

OUTLOOK: Although numerous, and growing rapidly, this religion suffers from a lack of military power and skill compared to Christianity. However, Christians have failed miserably in efforts to convert Muslims, and Muslims are becoming better at describing their faith as peaceful to the media. Islam continues the persecution of pagans in Sudan, Baha'is and Zoroastrians in Iran.



HINDUISM
OVERVIEW: A religion with many gods, or few, or one universal soul, depending on which description is used (the explanation being that as a person's spiritual development increases his perception of Ultimate Reality alters). This is the only first-rank religion that does not seek to actively expand and convert others. However they are becoming more militant in the face of 1000 years of Muslim assaults and atrocities.

STRATEGY: Continued domination of one major ethnic group

STRENGTH: 800 million humans. This religion expands in number primarily by population growth. Once had limited expansion in Indonesia and SE Asia, but was displaced by Islam or Buddhism.

OUTLOOK: As population growth is limited (the ecosystem has to fail SOMETIME), this religion may begin to be further outdistanced by Islam and Christianity. However, the Hindus have survived conquest by both of these religions without a great loss due to conversions, and currently is in better shape than it has been for centuries. There are transplanted Hindu populations in South America, North America and Europe now.



BUDDHISM
OVERVIEW: Not a "god"-based religion, this faith instead focuses on a metaforce called Karma which determines the fate of the soul which is reborn after death in heavens, hells or various other possible worlds, unless the infinite, unchanging, perfect state of Nirvana (or 'Buddha-mind'/Awakening) is realized. Buddha is viewed as either a man who attained Nirvana after many rebirths, or a physical incarnation of a cosmic Buddha-mind sent to show the path, depending on the branch of Buddhism. The latter view is Mahayana, a group which has added a pantheon of Buddhas from other worlds, a future Buddha (Maitreya, a sort of 'second coming' type belief), and Bodhisattvas (beings who could reach Nirvana but remain in the various worlds of suffering to help others). The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are often worshipped as godlike with lots of statues.

STRATEGY: World domination, mainly through peaceful conversion

STRENGTH: 350 million humans. This faith has suffered the worst persecution under Marxism than any other; its strength is seriously depleted. The peak for this religion actually was around 700's-800's AD, when it was powerful in India, China, Indochina, central Asia, Indonesia, and entering Korea and Japan. Since then it has declined in most of these areas, often due to centuries of persecution (by Confucianists, Muslims, and now by Marxists and Christians).

OUTLOOK: Buddhism is at a turning point at this moment in history. With the decline of Marxism, Buddhism might be able to organize and renew its hold on China and Vietnam, preserving its power as a major religion. But Christianity and other faiths are also assaulting Marxist populations, and there is a grave risk that Buddhism could be marginalized as "outdated", be undermined by apathetic secularism, and fall into the second-rank religions. Buddhist ideas are appearing in many Christian countries (often within "New Religions"), but they do not have the vast international organizations that the Christian missionaries have.

TAOISM
OVERVIEW: Not originally a god-based religion, instead centered on metaforces, described as aspects of an indescribable, eternal, unifying Tao. However, many aspects of traditional Chinese religion have been merged with Taoism in the past 2000 years. Taoism and Buddhism have traded some views as they competed (peacefully) for souls.

STRATEGY: Shares domination over one ethnic group.

STRENGTH: 10-20 million humans (although hard to separate from Chinese traditional practices and sometimes Buddhism). This religion has, like Buddhism, suffered severely under Marxism. It was originally a more dominant faith, although even in China it was often outnumbered by Buddhism and only sometimes had government support.

OUTLOOK: Because it did not spread much beyond China, its resources for revival are very limited, and now even after the decline of Marxism this faith may be overwhelmed by Christianity and various cults. Some New Religions have taken Taoist ideas however, and the basic philosophy is becoming admired among educated people in the West, and is even seeping into the popular culture.

SHINTO
OVERVIEW: Based on gods/animin called Kami.

STRATEGY: Shares domination over one ethnic group.

STRENGTH: Estimates vary widely, due to overlap with Buddhism and New Religions. Anywhere from 2 million to most of Japanese population (60-100 million) can be considered to belong to traditional Shinto (the latter figure counts everyone who attends the annual festivals), while at least 7 million belong to Sect Shinto (organized religious bodies split from State Shinto). Shinto is no longer the government religion of Japan as it was during Japan's industrialization.

OUTLOOK: Has completely failed to spread from Japan, even when supported by military conquest. Japan's lack of population growth and the rise of Apathetic secularism will probably marginalize this religion. On the other hand, Shinto ideas may enter some of the New Asian Religions and survive that way.

JAINISM
OVERVIEW: Another religion based not on gods but metaforces (such as Karma) and a strict pacifist ideology.

STRATEGY: No efforts to convert others.

STRENGTH: 3-6 million humans. Has suffered some losses due to conversion to a revived Hinduism.

OUTLOOK: Does not seek to expand; limited by strict pacifism and a low birth rate. However, some of its ideas are mirrored in the current environmentalism movement in Christian countries. This may be an opportunity to spread the faith if desired.

JUDAISM
OVERVIEW: A powerful alien termed YHWH became the ethnic diety of the Hebrew people and aided them in their battles against the peoples of other gods.

STRATEGY: Repeatedly avoiding extermination while continuing domination of one ethnic group.

STRENGTH: 14 million humans. This religion ceased expanding after the rise of Christianity, and instead suffered 1600 years of Christian persecution and genocide.

OUTLOOK: Although political correctness and humanist ideas among Christians have made genocide of all Jews less likely in the near future, closer relations with other religions may actually threaten Judaism in the diaspora due to intermarriage, apathetic secularization and mixing of faiths. But the religion has a remarkable history of survival.



SIKHISM
OVERVIEW: Monotheistic god-based religion with some original ideas as well as Hindu and Muslim elements (plus a cool symbol which contains weapons).

STRATEGY: Limited regional domination, growing mainly due to natural population increase, not conversion.

STRENGTH: 20 million

OUTLOOK: Like Hinduism, Sikhism appears resistant to the conversion efforts of Islam and Christianity, despite lack of a major missionary effort of its own. Population growth is high. There are now transplanted communities in Europe and North America.

NEW RELIGIONS: AFRICAN DIASPORA RELIGIONS
OVERVIEW: This is not a single organized religion, but I have this listing here because if some of these faiths ever DID decide to organize they would have resources comparable to many of the official second-rank religions. Most of these are syncretic, combining West African Ifa/Yoruban or Congo/Angolan type religion with a veneer of Roman Catholic Christianity.
STRATEGY: Syncretic with politically dominant Christian beliefs

STRENGTH: Tens of millions; including Africans resisting conversion and the descendants of slaves who preserved their beliefs by adopting the Christian images of their slavemasters. Voodoo and Santeria are still persecuted by Christian churches (and Santeria also by Marxism).

OUTLOOK: As Christianity continues to use its political, financial, and technological advantage to win converts in Africa, traditional religions there may be marginalized or even wiped out. However, both in Africa and in the new world, mixing of faiths has kept many ideas alive, and resurgence of ethnic pride and unity among the African Disapora may allow survival of these beliefs.

NEW RELIGION: BAHA'I FAITH
OVERVIEW: An Islam-derived monotheistic "New Religion" that claims the truth of all other religions

STRATEGY: World domination by energetic conversion, mainly in small groups

STRENGTH: 5-6 million humans, very widespread for such a new faith. Accused of overstating strength in the West. Is persecuted by Islam in Iran.

OUTLOOK: Appears to be spreading in Africa and Latin America. Its inclusive views include gender equality, and its lack of a violent reputation may help it in the third world.

NEW RELIGIONS: EAST ASIAN SYNCRETIC RELIGIONS
OVERVIEW: Mostly syncretic (Buddhist/Taoist/Confucian) or offshoots of an established religion; some include ideas from other faiths. Estimates of population may vary. STRENGTH: Tens of millions total. Some sources claim that nearly 50 million Indonesians are not strictly Muslim but practice a syncretic Muslim/Hindu/animist religion, which is why "New Religions" often gets credited with over 100 million members.

OUTLOOK: Some of these religions may have a chance to expand if traditional Buddhism, Shintoism and Taoism do not shake the image of being "old-fashioned". A few (such as Soka Gakkai) have made efforts to go international, but cultural and language barriers must be overcome. South America has been targeted as well as Europe and North America.

NEW RELIGIONS: WESTERN NEOPAGANISM
OVERVIEW: Most of these religions are NOT directly descended from the old religions, most of which were exterminated by Christianity. "Paganism" is defined as religions that see the gods as unified with nature and the Earth, as opposed to Christians and Muslims who worship alien gods.
  • Asatru (Scandinavia, incl. Iceland)
  • Romuva (Baltics)
  • Druidism (England/Europe)
  • Wicca (USA/Europe)
  • Greco-Roman classical religion
  • There is also much interest in Native American religion among North American whites.

STRENGTH: Several hundred thousand. Some of these faiths are secretive, both by tradition and to avoid persecution by Christians.

OUTLOOK: In the absence of full-scale persecution, these religions continue to expand. However, it remains to be seen whether they are just a "fad" of the current generation. The internet may help sustain such smaller religions in the future.

CONFUCIANISM
OVERVIEW: Humanist religion (although may include references to Tien/Heaven as the underlying natural order)

STRENGTH: Varies, depending on whether this ideology is even defined as a religion. A Confucian cult exists in Korea with between 400,000-10 million members.

OUTLOOK: Still potent across Asia as the underlying cultural framework.

MARXISM
OVERVIEW: Humanist religion. There is actually a lot of faith in this ideology falsely advertised as "scientific"; especially in a predetermined march of history and economic change. This religion caused massive atrocities in the 20th century, mainly due to idiotic agricultural policies and resulting famines.

STRENGTH: Still in the millions (50 million in China), although for most faith is nominal and fading fast.

OUTLOOK: Very poor, as its ideas just don't work in the human species. Therefore it is discredited in the eyes of rationalists, the only possible leaders for a humanist faith.

NEW RELIGIONS: APATHETIC SECULARISM
OVERVIEW: Humanist "religion" is often actually complete apathy with traditional religion in modern societies. Usually few people actually declare athiesm or antitheism; but religious opinion no longer affects their materialistic lives.

STRATEGY: Spreads by default.

"STRENGTH": Mostly comes from weaknesses in other religions, such as Christianity in Europe and Buddhism in parts of Asia.

OUTLOOK: Seems to be spreading. There is a widening split between religious extremists and freedom-loving secularists in many cultures.

ZOROASTRIANISM
OVERVIEW: Dualistic (two-god) religion developed from a middle-eastern polytheism.

STRENGTH: 130,000. This is included because it was formerly a dominant religion, before the conquest of Persia by Islam. Population is currently in decline in India, and the few left in Iran are constantly persecuted.

OUTLOOK: It is amazing that they have survived at all, but unless the religion starts to take converts the future is tenuous. The concept of an eternal battle between good and evil (and rewards and punishments after death) was the Zoroastrian contribution to Christianity and Islam.



MANICHAEANISM
OVERVIEW: Dualistic (two-god) syncretic religion. Not just a Christian heresy, although persecuted as such.

STRENGTH: Extinct. Included because it was formerly a powerful religion. Manichaeanism is the only major international religion that has ever been wiped out. However, this took the un-coordinated but repeated efforts of Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Islam and finally the Chinese Empire to suppress this faith. Even then small cults with Manichaean ideas survived for over a thousand years.

OUTLOOK: With neopaganism catching on, maybe someone will revive this interesting extinct religion? (Check out the Neo-Manichaean homepage.)



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