[Buddha-l] Buddhism, the second largest religion in the world

[jkirk]

Vicente wrote:
> Although there is something in that website which can be truth.
> Statistics don't count as Buddhists the many Asiatic people who
> mix Buddhism with other beliefs, which is the most frequent thing.
> However, in the example of Christianity, many statistics are counting
> as Christians the many people who mix Christianism and Santeria, or
> indigenous religion in South America. Also, in many countries the
> people is counted with census, then they are Christians because they
> were baptized by their parents. But many times it happens just by
> following a social tradition. I know well this point, because in my
> country it is the case. Officially, catholics are 90% of population,
> but many polls shows that only 53% of population claim to be followers
> of Catholicism. And only a little 15% claim to be practitioners.
>
> So I wonder if it can be a similar case in many other countries with
> other religions. In Asiatic countries, many people put a Buddha in the
> hall-room, in the car,etc... Sometimes they make this by social
> tradition, good luck, etc..  Then it is a cultural heritage mixed with
> personal beliefs. It is not the profile of a cult follower.
> So maybe there is a point of reality in the claim of many people not
> included as Buddhists when in other religions such flexible profiles
> are included using census or other tools.

Speaking an an anthropologist, I agree with what Vicente has said here.
The "counting: system is quite flawed.

Joanna