p. 13 | STATISTICAL NOTES

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · May 30, 1895

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 21, No. 21.

STATISTICAL NOTES.

It may be of interest to the reader to know that in Germany, the cradle of the Reformation, over one-third of the population adhere to the Roman Catholic religion. This portion of the population wields a very strong political influence, so much so that it is a penal offense for even a minister of the state church (Lutheran) to speak disrespectfully of the pope. In Austria-Hungary about three-fourths of the population are Catholic. In France, the Protestants, Jews, and unclassified portions of the population combined number less than one million, while the Catholics number nearly thirty-six million. In Italy, the non-Catholic population is less than a quarter million out of a whole population of thirty million. Spain, with a population of about seventeen million, is almost unanimously Catholic, the non-Catholic forces numbering less than forty thousand. Portugal is still nearer to unanimous Catholicity, there being but a trifle over one thousand of all non-Catholic classes out of a total population of about four and a half million. Out of about six million population in Belgium, the non-Catholics number but little over twenty thousand. In the Netherlands more than one-third of the people are Catholics. Even the little republic of Switzerland is nearly one-half Catholic. Malta and Luxembourg are almost unanimously Catholic.

With this great preponderance of Catholic influence in Europe, in face of the fact that the allegiance of Roman adherents is first to the church, the question of the restoration of the Papacy to its former power must of necessity be soon brought to a practical test.

Of the creeds of the world, the following figures give the estimated numerical strength: Christianity (including everything claiming the name), 447,088,158; Confucianism and worship of ancestors, 256,000,000; Hinduism, 190,000,000; Mohammedanism, 176,834,372; Buddhism, 147,900,000; Taoism, 43,000,000; Shintoism, 14,000,000; Judaism, 7,056,000; Polytheism, 117,681,669.

That part of the world's population which claims to be Christian is classified by accepted authority as follows: Catholic Churches, 239,866,533; Protestant churches, 143,237,625; Orthodox Greek Church, 98,016,000; Church of Abyssinia, 3,000,000; Coptic Church, 120,000; Armenian Church, 1,690,000; Nestorians, 80,000; Jacobites, 70,000.

THE English-speaking religious communities are estimated to number, respectively, as follows: Episcopalians, including Church of England, 28,500,000; Methodists, all classes, 18,250,000; Roman Catholics, 15,250,000; Presbyterians, all classes, 11,175,000; Baptists, all classes, 9,000,000; Congregationalists, 6,000,000; Free Thinkers, 4,500,000; Lutherans, 2,000,000; Unitarians, 2,500,000; minor religious sects, 5,000,000. The non-religious English-speaking population is estimated at 15,000,000. It is also estimated that 18,000,000 or more of Hindus, Mohammedans, Buddhists, and others in the Orient, also speak and read English in addition to their native tongues.

THE last edition of the "Encyclopædia Britannica" gives an estimate in round numbers of Protestants in the world speaking all civilized languages, and places the Lutherans in the lead, with over 42,000,000, mostly in Germany and Scandinavia. The Anglican Church is placed next, with 20,000,000.

THE following estimates of the number of adherents to the various religious denominations in the United States are based on the latest available statistics: Adventists (Seventh-day), 40,000; five other sects of Adventists, 32,000; Baptists, thirteen sects, 3,712,468; Brethren (River), 3,427; Brethren (Plymouth), 6,661; Catholics, eight sects, 6,259,265; Christadelphians, 1,277; Christians, 103,722; Christian Scientists, 8,724; Christian Union, 18,214; Church of God (Winne-Brenarian), 22,511; Church of the New Jerusalem, 7,095; Congregationalists, 512,771; Disciples of Christ, 641,051; Communistic Societies of various descriptions, 4,000; Dunkards, four branches, 73,795; Episcopalians, Protestant and Reformed, 540,509; Evangelical Association, 133,313; Friends (Orthodox, Hicksite, Wilburite, Primitive), 107,208; German Evangelical, two branches, 223,588; Jewish, Orthodox and Reformed, 130,496; Latter-day Saints, two branches, 166,125; Lutherans, four general bodies, 1,231,072; Mennonites, twelve sects, 41,541; Methodists, seventeen sects, 4,589,284; Presbyterians, twelve sects, 1,278,332; Reformed Church, three branches, 309,458; Salvation Army, 8,742; Social Brethren, 913; Spiritualists, 45,030; Theosophical Society, 695; United Brethren, three branches, 225,281; Unitarians, 67,749; Universalists, 49,194; Independent Congregations, 14,126.