Reuters published a map of major religions in China along with projections for the religious makeup of China by 2050.
Buddhism and Taoism have dominated the religious landscape for the past 2000 years in China, but a map that was published by Reuters recently shows that things are indeed changing in the large Asian country, reports Business Insider.
While Buddhism still reigns in the southwestern part of the country, there is much more diversity in the other parts of China.
Many regions in the eastern part of China have become monotheistic, following the teachings of the Protestant or Catholic Church. The Xinjiang and Gansu regions in the northwest are now predominantly Muslim.
It has been estimated by The Economist that there are 100 million Christians in China today, and there could be as many as 160 million in ten years. In fact, if the current rate of Christian growth continues, China could be about 32 percent Christian by 2040 and about 67 percent Christian by 2050.
This rate of increase has caused tension in the country between Christians and the Communist Party. Since 2013, the government of China has removed over 1200 crosses from Christian places of worship.
“Protestant Christianity has been the fastest growing religion in China.. despite anti-church sentiments"
http://t.co/CFm8Ij92c7
— Daniel Lee JX (@ljxdaniel) August 25, 2015
Muslims in China have also had issues with government officials, who placed a ban on fasting during Ramadan in Xinjiang.
It is probably shocking to know that many people wonder when China will become the largest Christian country in the world. Also of note is how Taoism has all but disappeared off the map, showing up in only about ten to fifteen small regions in southeastern China.
To highlight the growth in Christianity in China, one only need compare the estimated 100 million followers in China today versus just 8 million in 1991.