Religious Demographics as of 2011

• Christianity: 2.2 billion
• Islam: 1.65 billion
• No Religion: 1.1 billion
• Hinduism: 800 million to 1 billion
• Buddhism: 400-500 million

The primary reason Christianity and Islam are ranked 1 and 2 is because of the Crusades. The Crusades were a series of Holy Wars launched by the Christian states of Europe against the Saracens (Saracen was the word used to describe a Muslim during the time of the Crusades).

These "Holy Wars" (very similar to the "Jihad's" of today's Muslims) were blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church. The Pope granted all that volunteered to fight for the Christians, "plenary indulgence," which basically meant they would not be punished and would receive what amounts to a "pass from God" (akin to "Martyrdom in Jihad").

Plenary Indulgence would be an early example of how the Pope, the Roman Catholic Church, and Christian authority in general, made up rules on-the-fly. These edicts were established to appease their extremely gullible followers, and to garner mental, spiritual, financial, and geographical supremacy. If the bible needed changing to make it the "word of God," they did that too (see Council of Nicea, 325ad).

The goal of the Crusades was to restore Christian access to the "holy places" in and near Jerusalem. There were 9 total Crusades that pitted Christians against Muslims. For a period of two hundred years, starting in 1095, Europe and Asia were engaged in almost constant warfare.

Consequently, the largest religions in the world are those that used their military prowess to exploit, extort and terrorize weaker nations of the world. To a great extent, that still goes on today in a more clandestine fashion. The 'success' and growth of Christianity and Islam has absolutely nothing to do with Jesus Christ or Muhammad. Dare I say that both may very well be two of the most revered, fought over, controversial, allegorical characters in the history of humankind.