The Evolution of World Religions: A Data-Driven Look

Religions are not static. They change and grow over time. This growth can happen slowly or in sudden bursts. But how do these bursts happen? And what causes them? Researchers used a unique approach. They treated religions like family trees. This way, they could track how new religious groups form. They focused on three major religious families: Indo-Iranian, Islamic, and Judeo-Christian. In total, they looked at 291 different religious groups. Their findings were interesting. They found that new religious groups often form in quick bursts. These bursts are linked to specific historical events. For example, in the Islamic and Judeo-Christian families, they found evidence of these rapid growth periods.But what does this mean? It shows that religious diversity is not just a slow, steady process. It can be shaped by big events in history. This is important because it helps us understand how religions evolve and why we have so many different ones today. However, it's not all clear-cut. The study has its limits. It focuses on just three religious families. Also, the data might not capture every single religious group. But despite these limits, it gives us a new way to look at religious diversity.