Animated map shows how religion spread around the world

Aug 15, 2016 7:54 PM

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Video from Business Inisider - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvFl6UBZLv4

I love these end-of-game replays from Sid Meier's Civilization

10 years ago | Likes 10 Dislikes 0

My thought exactly! +1

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

This map isn't totally correct, Egypt and most of north Africa would be majority Christian when Islam started.

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

i guess they forgot about the coptics

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

aaaand... Madagascar has closed its ports

10 years ago | Likes 31 Dislikes 0

What about Odin, Zeus, Etc? Lol

10 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 1

Fucking morons ignoring or lord and saviour cthulhu?

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

You're right! And what about the Flying Spaghetti Monster?!?

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 1

This greatly downplays the Christianity of the late Roman Empire. It was the official state religion.

10 years ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 0

This map is odd; it seems to favor using the actual religion of the population, then fills in the blank with the state religion.

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 1

The late Roman Empire was still mostly pagan in the rural areas; Christianity was a more urban faith at first.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 3

Missed Hinduism in Indonesia

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 1

This. I love these kinda anthropological posts!

10 years ago | Likes 55 Dislikes 1

It's delightfully incorrect

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 8

Are you an anthropologist?! Where at?

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

you would like this then , how the Abrahamic religion went from Polytheism to Monotheism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZY2eeozdo8

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Kind of curious about the spread of the other religions.

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Anyone else have an urge to play Civ 5 after seeing this?

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

So when did Judaism start?

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Probably around the 2nd millennium BCE, as an offshoot of the indigenous Semitic polytheism in the area.

10 years ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 1

Hard to say exactly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZY2eeozdo8

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

There is no exact date. Judaism is the primary candidate for first monotheistic religion.

10 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 0

It emerged from the polytheistic religions of the middle east, so there's not a clear start date like there is for Christianity and Islam.

10 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

Some of the locations of judaism are slightly inaccurate and lacking. It mostly ignores the jews in eastern europe and america.

10 years ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 0

They never constituted majority

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

But they DO count the beta Israel oddly enough, and the kazhars.

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

I'm sure that neither Armenia nor Georgia are music counties

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Armenia and Georgia are music countries though

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Shit I meant Muslim, got fucking damn it

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

God

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Fuck

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

That creeping purple in the Iberian peninsula? Thats The Reconquista, the longest war in human history.

10 years ago | Likes 21 Dislikes 1

How long doe

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

770 years, from the Arab invasion of 710 AD to the fall of Grenada in 1492.

10 years ago | Likes 10 Dislikes 0

The Reconquista was never a continuous series of wars. It didn't even emerge as an idea until the mid-11th century.

10 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

Couldn't this have been one fucking gif instead of 10 shitty ones?

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 1

Now I want to see it with atheism

10 years ago | Likes 21 Dislikes 3

Top right hand corner of Russia. That's Sakha, Chukotka, Magadan, Kamchatka, and Khabarovsk oblasts/krais. They have a lot of atheists...

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

... due to the "state religion" of atheism during the Soviet Union. Also a lot of traditional religions in that region too.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

It would look like someone shotgunned paint balls onto the screen in all honesty.

10 years ago | Likes 21 Dislikes 0

not a religion but i feel you

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 1

this is not accurate anymore , france germany and sweden has to be green by now.

10 years ago | Likes 13 Dislikes 9

Give it a few more years

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 2

Let the paranoia flow through you!

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

It's been months since this was last posted. Probably because its a pretty bad map. High school project level, at best.

10 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 1

Oh man, this thing is magnificently wrong

10 years ago | Likes 15 Dislikes 9

Explain eloquently or gfto

10 years ago | Likes 14 Dislikes 6

It also completely ignores Christian North Africa

10 years ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 3

Hinduism didn't "start" like that, it's a descendant of the Indo-European tribal polytheism, just like in Iran, Rome, Anatolia, Northern+

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

+Europe and the Baltic areas. Judaism is a descendant of the Sumerian-influenced native polytheism of the Levant. Christianity wasn't+

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

+a monolith across Europe, this ignores splits like the Gnostics, Arianists, the Cathars, and many others. Islam was similarly born out of+

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

+the Arabian peninsular animism and polytheism with what is essentially a Christological heresy tacked on. Part of what helped Christianity+

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

This is wildly inaccurate, at least the Islam spreading map. Christianity was the entirety of the Roman Empire by Muhammad's birth

10 years ago | Likes 10 Dislikes 1

Yes, it was the official state religion.

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

9. Newfoundland - green/Islam, my newfie friends have pulled off the greatest lie.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

damn this new version of epidemic looks amazing! /S tip fidora.

10 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 2

Actually, this does not show how religion spread. Only the routes it took.

10 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 2

So Jews were the first Christians?

10 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

OR Christianity is just a branch Judaism?

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Pretty much. Now Protestants and Catholics kill each other. And soon Radical mormons will be murdering staunch Amish in the rural regions.

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 2

That sounds kind of...dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb.

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

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[deleted]

10 years ago (deleted Aug 24, 2016 10:07 AM) | Likes 0 Dislikes 0

I think it may have been a joke.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I always learned that the roots of Judaism predate Hinduism be like 80 years. I learned that in my college religious history class.

10 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

Hinduism started way earlier, back when the Indus Valley civilisation formed. But it wasn't organised religion

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Earliest Vedic dharmas predated Judaism. Hinduism as recognized by the Western definition of "religion" came after Judaism

10 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

Ahh thank you makes sense. What about Judaism root religion

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Judaism root religion is Sumerian religion

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

I know they're minority religions, bit it would have been cool to see Jainism and Zoroastrianism.

10 years ago | Likes 40 Dislikes 2

Or Opraism or voodoo.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Thats the problem with things like this, it implies that there was no religion until these four spread into an area.

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

It would have been cool to see literally any religions beyond the big 5

10 years ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 2

Zoroastrianism was a majority in Persia and Mesopotamia wasn't it?

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

At the time yes, it's a minority religion today :)

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Zoroastrianism wouldve stayed mostly in Iran and the -stans

10 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

Correct, but it did spread across parts of northern India near the Hindu Kush mountains and into the thar desert from the Sindh region.

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Unfortunately Islam saw to its decline

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

The Iranian govt isn't as nasty to Zoroastrians now as they were before. But their numbers are still declining, it's really upsetting.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Can confirm, my own grandad was a Zoroastrian convert to Islam. We still respect Ohr Mazd (old God) no matter what the mosque tutors said.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Yeah, it's sad to see a great faith like Zoroastrianism not represented at all considering it was the foundation of Iran.

10 years ago | Likes 14 Dislikes 0

Not anymore, it's definitely Shia Islam today.

10 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 1

Still it's had a massive impact on the whole region, for example Arabic used to be in Hebrew script, but it was mixed with avestan

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Zoroastrianism is dying because of its wicked strict marriage laws.

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

That and because for a while, the Iranian govt didn't treat them well. Zoroaster is still considered a minor prophet in some sects of Islam

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Very true.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Has nothing to do with Zoroastrianism. Indian Paris have strict marriage laws. Zoroastrianism doesn't dictate who you can marry lol

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

*Parsis

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

No children born of a relationship between a Zoroastrian and a non-Zoroastrian are considered Zoroastrian themselves. And you can't convert.

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Or Sikh

10 years ago | Likes 16 Dislikes 1

cool, Sikh, wicked there are a lot of words that would work in that place...

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 2

Sikhism is an extension of Hinduism. I might be heavily wrong here. But Sikhs were essentially hindu warriors.

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 3

Not at all, Sikhism is a very different religion to Hinduism, although it shares some ideas it is also very distinct

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Sikhism came out of the emperor of India thinking there must be truth in all religions, so he fused a fair few of the religions there to 1/

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

The Bahamas are Jewish?

10 years ago | Likes 137 Dislikes 2

Just the money.

10 years ago | Likes 23 Dislikes 4

As a cultural Jew I find what you said to be highly, horribly funny, good on you.

10 years ago | Likes 11 Dislikes 1

Jews were "encouraged" to move to the Caribbean islands by the British and invited by the the more tolerant Dutch. Old Synagogue in the 1/2

10 years ago | Likes 37 Dislikes 0

west was located on the island of Curacao. 2/2

10 years ago | Likes 20 Dislikes 0

Thanks for posting. I had no idea.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

It's actually a pretty good read starting from the Spanish Inquisition/New World discovery

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

It's a hard "h"

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

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[deleted]

10 years ago (deleted Sep 7, 2025 4:54 PM) | Likes 0 Dislikes 0

That film could use a slow-mo for just after the inquisition.

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

yeah thats why you hear 'Jah' in a all reggae music, they are signing about jehovah

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Shallow water

10 years ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 0

shalom mon

10 years ago | Likes 198 Dislikes 2

Ha

10 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

Yes! Yes! Yes!

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

"Islam spread rapidly" Holy balls that's an understatement

10 years ago | Likes 89 Dislikes 2

It's incorrect, it took Egypt centuries to fully convert and Iran until at least 1800.

10 years ago | Likes 40 Dislikes 1

What were they before?

10 years ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 0

Egypt was Coptic Orthodox (there are still some around today), Persia was Zoroastrian.

10 years ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 0

Zoroastrian

10 years ago | Likes 25 Dislikes 0

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10 years ago (deleted May 26, 2022 9:45 PM) | Likes 0 Dislikes 0

[deleted]

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10 years ago (deleted May 26, 2022 9:45 PM) | Likes 0 Dislikes 0

In fact, there are still Coptic Christians there to this day.

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

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[deleted]

10 years ago (deleted May 26, 2022 9:45 PM) | Likes 0 Dislikes 0

It was Zoroastrianism, ancient ancestral religion of the Persian people. It died out to the spread of Islam.

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 1

It's still around in India and some parts of Iran.

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

After Islam there were other persian dynasties in power as well. Safavid, Pahlavi etc... There have been many Iranian empires post islam

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I skipped the stupid gif clips. Did it mention the biggest genocide in history was the Muslims vs the Hindus? 100+ million.

10 years ago | Likes 36 Dislikes 22

I'mn with @swirl360. Imma need a source for that.

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 2

Yeah well most of that area of "Islam" was really christian. There wasnt a big divide between the religions back then either.

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 6

In reality the Islamic empire grew massively however it did not require its citizens to convert, many remained their original religion.

10 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

arabs conquered weakened byzantine and sassanid empires, religion spread slower

10 years ago | Likes 12 Dislikes 2

when your a caliphate that persecutes anyone who doesn't belong to an Abrahamic religion it goes a bit faster.

10 years ago | Likes 11 Dislikes 9

generally speaking they were more interested in the tax revenue than religious conversion

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 1

if you were one of the "people of the book" then yes, if not then it got a little iffy

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 2

Hhhmmm...gee, i wonder how Islam spread so rapidly?

10 years ago | Likes 35 Dislikes 20

The same way Christianity did by killing native Americans and taking their land.

10 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 3

The same way your legs spread so quickly.

10 years ago | Likes 22 Dislikes 4

BOOM!

10 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

Conquering deserts isn't hard

10 years ago | Likes 19 Dislikes 4

It's a lot more difficult to conquer and control a desert. Try marching an army across it, or fighting in the heat.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 2

*Afghanistan laughs*

10 years ago | Likes 10 Dislikes 1

Bombs tend to spread you all over everything pretty quickly... Just sayin

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 10

Trade was actually a significant factor in the spread. It brought it to west and east Africa, Indonesia, and a little in India

10 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

By peaceful ways.

10 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 7

Indonesia was by trading with them. They were never conquered by a Muslim army

10 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 1

Conquest :p

10 years ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 1

Like a new cool toy.

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

the same way most of christianity was?

10 years ago | Likes 49 Dislikes 13

Christianity spread originally in the Roman empire by preachers. Not by the sharp end of the sword.

10 years ago | Likes 10 Dislikes 20

*Charlemagne laughs*

10 years ago | Likes 17 Dislikes 1

The Spanish inquistion, the crusades, the Teutonic Order etc. Christians were well known to be conquerors and fighters.

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

And those Norse pagans definitely got that sharp sword pointed at them.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

If you took time to read my response I meant back when Christians were persecuted in the empire. When Hellenism was the ruling religion.

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 2

Yeah, but it didn't become widespread until it became the Roman state faith pagans were persecuted.

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Islam was like that too They were persecuted by the Arab pagans. Judaism was persecuted by Nebuchadnezzar II and the Babylonians.

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Infact if it wasn't for a Christian King is Ethiopia who said Muslims and Christians were close, Islam would be totally wiped out.

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

*Constantine laughs*

10 years ago | Likes 16 Dislikes 1

I meant back when the empire was whole and proper. When Hellenism was still the dominating religion & Christians were persecuted

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 2

literally the first thing a Christian Emperor did was kill a bunch of pagans

10 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

Conquest and the fact that conquered non-Islamics received a special tax, encouraging conversion.

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Their policy was 'convert or die'. Except Christians & Jews who had only one God too, so that was ok, but they had to pay more taxes etc! 1/

10 years ago | Likes 11 Dislikes 3

Was?

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1

I'm pretty sure 700AD is in the past, so yeah, was.

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 1

They didn't charge individuals unless they were priests. They also primarily charged churches/synagogues it isn't easy to collect taxes

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

From each individual. It's easier to go to a church/mosque. Ask their membership numbers and charge them on that. Most people cheated the

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

System entirely and avoided tax.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

It had more to do with the policy of convert or receive a special tax. Few empires wanted to kill off their own subjects.

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Although in fact Islamic empires weren't all that interested in conversion early on, since it meant reduced tax revenue.

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

That's very simply said though! It's much more complex but actually a pretty interesting topic! 2/2

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 1

What's going on with Hinduism in that strip in northern South America?

10 years ago | Likes 328 Dislikes 1

Trindad and Tobago, the west Indies

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

There are/were a lot of Indian immigrants to Guyana and Suriname. I believe they worked in agriculture back in the early 1900s.

10 years ago | Likes 192 Dislikes 1

Lots of Hindu names and Indian influences to cuisine in the West Indies too

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Wow I can't believe someone knows about my home country! Most people don't know about it..

10 years ago | Likes 12 Dislikes 1

Indeed, google Indian arrival day and girmitiyas and you'll get a lot of info. Many people from agricultural districts in SE Asia/Indonesia

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

*Indentured servants

10 years ago | Likes 33 Dislikes 0

This. I knew a Guyanese guy with dark skin but looked more Indian than black.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Is your username like Cherokee Karaoke?

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

No, always thought that Cherokee was cherioke and that jeep were colossal retards for misspelling it. Guess who's the actual retard?

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Lol

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

As a guyanese. Hi.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Hi!

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Imgur is amazingly diverse.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Accurate map, though misses a few details like the arrival of Islam and Hinduism in Southern Africa due to migrants from the Indian Colony.

10 years ago | Likes 37 Dislikes 2

I don't think they made up a majority in south africa right? so that's why their community wasn't counted

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

I think so, although Durban is a city of 6 million, mostly Hindu Indians and populations in Joburg/Cape Town. But overall not a majority

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

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[deleted]

10 years ago (deleted Aug 21, 2016 7:36 AM) | Likes 0 Dislikes 0

Did not know this.

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

1/2 You're half right: "Indian" is the largest ethnic group (and depending on how you define "of Indian decent", it could be the majority),

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

2/2 however, Christianity is now the most followed religion - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guyana#Religion

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Can people just leave the fucking Jews alone now? They have like no percentage of the map.

10 years ago | Likes 29 Dislikes 14

no

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 1

because they didnt map USA and Canada

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Hitler didn't like the color blue

10 years ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 1

If you believe the anti-Semites, the Jews still control everything. So, I'm guessing no. The anti-Semites even have a new messiah: Trump!

10 years ago | Likes 10 Dislikes 23

The most anti Jewish people in the USA are the left

10 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 3

If you conflate pro-Palestinian with anti-Jewish, then yes, the left has a lot of "anti-Jewish" people.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 2

what in the world does trump have to do with anti-semitism? he has jewish children and grandchildren ffs.

10 years ago | Likes 16 Dislikes 7

Right, he also has blacks working for him, remember? And he always lets the Jews do his accounting.

10 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 9

Sorry, is quoting Trump worth downvotes for the Trump-loving crowd now?

10 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 8

Apparently Imgur won't let me post links, so reading about all the love the antisemites have for Trump is up to you.

10 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 8

So. I've met plenty of people with Jewish relatives who have unflattering things to say about Jews.

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 1

what unflattering things has trump said about jews?

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 2

My point was having Jewish relatives doesn't mean you "can't" be bigoted towards Jews.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1