In the 20th century study of comparative religion, major religious groups or "world religions" were divided up[citation needed] by adherence to a specific philosophy or theology. However, there is no consensus[citation needed] among researchers[who?] as to the best methodology for determining the religiosity profile of the world's population. A number of fundamental aspects are unresolved:
- Whether to count "historically predominant religious culture[s]"[1]
- Whether to count only those who actively "practice" a particular religion[2]
- Whether to count based on a concept of "adherence"[3]
- Whether to count only those who expressly self-identify with a particular denomination[4]
- Whether to count only adults, or to include children as well
- Whether to rely only on official government-provided statistics[5]
- Whether to use multiple sources and ranges or single "best source[s]"
Nonetheless, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism are unquestionably the largest religions by far. However most lists of major religions include Judaism and other religions who number in the many millions.
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