Maps of war: History of religion
posted at 10:50 am on December 20, 2006 by Allahpundit
Share on Facebook | regular view
Seen these before? The one on the Middle East got some attention a few weeks ago, so they took the same idea and scaled it up. Static maps don’t capture the speed at which great movements advance; these do, which hits home at this particular moment in history. As Steyn says, “Permanence is the illusion of every age.” And so it is, right before your very eyes.
They should update the map with a projection of how it’ll look in, say, 2100 based on current demographic trends. If it’s attention they want, that’ll get them a boatload.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
Comment pages:
Wow. Great perspective. Sadly, Europe’s blue ink has faded significantly.
Don’t forget to say your prayers.
Buck Turgidson on December 20, 2006 at 11:04 AM
Wait, I’m always told America isn’t a Christian nation. This map has got to be off.
Esthier on December 20, 2006 at 11:10 AM
The origin site for those maps is running VERY slow. Looks like it’s having traffic related problems. Heh. The Hot Air people killed it!
wearyman on December 20, 2006 at 11:12 AM
I take it that a way a region is designated is by the majority of the population? I mean, I’d think you’d have a lot of judaism in europe and north america, too.
Farmer_Joe on December 20, 2006 at 11:14 AM
the Blue ink has faded? Can you even see the Pink ink except with a magnifying glass?
Defector01 on December 20, 2006 at 11:15 AM
If things keep going the way they are we will only be seeing green…and it aint easy being green…
EnochCain on December 20, 2006 at 11:17 AM
There goes europe.
There is an estimated 6 mil. Jews in the US. That’s only 2% of the population.
EF on December 20, 2006 at 11:17 AM
Hotair folks overloaded their server.
CrimsonFisted on December 20, 2006 at 11:18 AM
A hundred years from now the whole map could be an ash-gray color.
fogw on December 20, 2006 at 11:18 AM
The problem is the Blue is mostly nominal (birth, wedding, death; all othertimes indifferent)whereas the Green is more apt to be the center of their life and society.
Mr. Bingley on December 20, 2006 at 11:22 AM
needs to recognize marxism as a religion and include that data.
jummy on December 20, 2006 at 11:37 AM
Too bad they didn’t put capitalism, socialism, or The Nazi movement on there. There’s not much of a difference between political fundamentalist beliefs and religious IMO.
One Angry Christian on December 20, 2006 at 11:40 AM
Woooo, go Christianity! I mean, eh, war, man. Wow. Think about that one. War. Wow, man.
Savage on December 20, 2006 at 12:19 PM
The founding of Israel is NOT Jewish expansionism. Its the reclaiming of lands that the Romans usurped for the Jews. F*** the @$$h0le that wrote that.
Andy in Agoura Hills on December 20, 2006 at 12:28 PM
Good point
Yes, the title of this blog is “Maps of war: History of religion”, which would indicate that religion is the cause of all war. This ignores the fact that athiesm (at leasat the communist version of it) killed tens of millions of people for their faith this century alone.
jman on December 20, 2006 at 12:29 PM
Amen. I’m getting tired of faith being tarred for all war. And all faiths being lumped together as equivalent. That kind of simplistic reasoning part of the reason we’re in the mess we’re in.
Iblis on December 20, 2006 at 12:38 PM
I see a new board game by Hasbro. RISK your RELIGION. For the commercial they’ll show some Muslim guy sweeping the Christian guy’s Priest figures off the board and the music in the background will be “losing my Religion” by REM
Drtuddle on December 20, 2006 at 12:46 PM
Just a minor detail, they forgot early Christianity in Ethiopia.
Chris L. on December 20, 2006 at 1:09 PM
Asia is not a buddhist monolith as depicted in the map, Korea, for example, has a plurality of Christians.
Africa is not as Christian as the map makes it seem.
Countries where a majority of people are secular, or where there are a mix of religions with none being dominant, should be reflected in a different color.
Yes I know, that would take a lot more work, and this flash movie was interesting as a simplified version, but I think the oversimplification breaks down especially in the last century when the picture became much more complex because of secularization and internal demographic changes.
kaltes on December 20, 2006 at 1:18 PM
The map also needs “Birth of Machiavelli,” followed by the spread of political atheism. I mean, the battle is not so much between Islam and Christianity as between Islam and a mixture of Christians and post-Christian atheists and agnostics. Moreover, it matters that the atheists and agnostics are post-Christian; in an attempt to prove themselves morally superior to the Christians, many of the atheists and agnostics over-develop and flaunt their pity and pacifism. Those aren’t military virtues, to say the least.
Kralizec on December 20, 2006 at 3:03 PM
Amen.
Lawrence on December 20, 2006 at 3:17 PM
This is meaningless pizzaz by way of computer graphics animation. The entire premise is flawed. Representing “religious influence” by way of a time-line of land mass controlled (on a map) is TOTALLY misleading. Hasn’t anyone been listening to Mark Steyn? Colors on a world map do not reveal ANYTHING about population density. Worthless. (Sorry, but the annual office Christmas party always makes me cranky. Merry Christmass anyhow, everyone.)
CyberCipher on December 20, 2006 at 3:22 PM
Blue state, red state, green country, yellow country, magenta country. I am running out of crayons.
right2bright on December 20, 2006 at 3:33 PM
Looks like we are way overdue for a new religion. I am available……
honora on December 20, 2006 at 3:40 PM
Europe ain’t blue anymore. It’s aqua with a yellow streak.
John on December 20, 2006 at 4:06 PM
It ain’t perfect kids, just a simple map to show a 5000 year trend. If it were any bigger and more comprehensive, we would all complain about the size of the darn thing.
2+ Billion Christians worldwide , and I love the 2nd comment:
The ACLU will be calling, demanding a color change for sure.
I found it interesting and fun, thanks for posting it AP.
shooter on December 20, 2006 at 4:20 PM
That bit about Jewish expansionism was pretty disgusting, especially since they somehow forgot to mention the numerous instances of mass genocide that had occured around the world in the few preceeding decades.
What would be really interesting is a chart showing the total number of books, patents, and major humanitarian efforts lead of by each of the colors. But that wouldn’t give them the answer they are looking for, now would it. In any case showing atheism as blank in that case would be perfectly appropriate.
pedestrian on December 20, 2006 at 4:22 PM
Try Christianity without the religion part.
shooter on December 20, 2006 at 4:25 PM
No. That’s already been tried. It’s called Episcopalian.
honora on December 20, 2006 at 4:38 PM
Agreed!!! See my previous post. BTW, only 4 muslims won the Nobel Prize. None in Explosives!!!!
Andy in Agoura Hills on December 20, 2006 at 4:40 PM
hehehehe. I would have said unitarian, but funny none the less.
Mr. Bingley on December 20, 2006 at 5:07 PM
Shouldn’t Europe be turning grey?
Tim Burton on December 20, 2006 at 7:59 PM
I think this could be improved it is kind anticlimatic and doesnt really display trends clearly. Where is the invasion of France which was stopped by “The Hammer” Charles Martel? The map doesnt really show the point at all that Constantinople was a Christian kingdom under siege for practically 800 years by Islam.
Also I agree with Andy above Isreal was created by diplomats not military expansion. It is silly to show creation of Isreal as if it was a military conquest when in other expansion of religion it calls them “missions”. Frankly I think all of the polytheistic religions that were wiped out should be shown, maybe the “evangelicals” can get off thier high horse when they realise thier ancestors were just as brutal as Islam, the only difference is Islam hasnt changed.
Resolute on December 20, 2006 at 8:11 PM
Why is Indonesia / Malaysia / S Philippines marked as ‘Buddist’ and not Islamic?
CrazyFool on December 21, 2006 at 10:14 AM
Comment pages: