Major religions achieve global reach through diffusion methods like hierarchical, relocation, and contagious diffusion, as seen in Christianity and Buddhism. Evolutionary and diffusionist approaches explain the spread and evolution of religions globally, highlighting the impact of globalization and technology.
Diffusion of Major Religions: Most major religions have a global reach due to various forms of diffusion, including hierarchical diffusion where influential leaders convert followers, relocation diffusion through missionary work expanding to distant regions, and contagious diffusion through direct proselytizing. For instance, Buddhism exemplifies this by spreading from India to various regions, showcasing the lifecycle and success of universalizing religions.
Evolutionary vs. Diffusionist Approaches: Religions evolve over time to meet changing needs, according to the evolutionary approach, while the diffusionist approach explains how religions spread globally through sharing beliefs, migration, contact conversion, and organized missions, especially facilitated by globalization and technology.
Key World Religions: Christianity, with over 2 billion followers, illustrates global diffusion as it originated in Palestine, spread through Europe, and now has a significant presence across the Americas and Europe, showcasing the wide-reaching impact of major religions.