Religion: Who Believes, Who Leads, and Who Pays
Who believes what in 2026, who leads the world’s religions, and where their money comes from and goes. It covers how believers are counted and why the two main global counts disagree, with belonging, believing, and behaving as three different measures; the short history that explains today’s traditions; which religions are growing, which are shrinking, and who switches; how the Catholic Church is governed and paid for; Orthodoxy and the Anglicans, the churches without a pope; Protestants, Pentecostals, and the newer churches; who speaks for Islam, and where Islam’s money sits; Hinduism, Sikhism, and Jainism; Buddhism and the religions of East Asia; Judaism; and how states favor, fund, and restrict religion. A dated watch list closes the course.