Religion

An editorial selection for comparing processes, events, and lives. The interval and counts describe selected records, not the historical boundaries or importance of the subject.

Canonical records: 381
Events: 212
People: 9
Processes and periods: 160

Compare in the atlas Selection criteria and limits

Topics represented

Religion (351) · Buddhist traditions (97) · Hindu traditions (62) · Chinese traditions (61) · Judaism (43) · Islam (42) · Christianity (34) · Empire and state (20) · Daoist traditions (19) · Catholic Christianity (17) · Sunni (16) · Roman Empire (14)

View distribution by region and period

Canonical records by regional label and start date. These are numerical analysis bins, not universal historical periods. A multi-region record appears in multiple rows; do not add rows as a unique-record total.
Region	Before 3000 BCE	3000–1 BCE	1–1499	1500–1799	1800–1899	1900–1999	Since 2000
Africa	2	1	18	1	2	3	0
Americas	0	2	1	3	3	7	0
Asia	2	55	154	12	15	39	25
Europe	1	5	32	17	5	16	2
Oceania	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Global / no specific region	0	0	2	1	4	14	14

Records and sources

Ordered by start date. Long lives and processes may begin before the period you want to study.

c. 1965
New migration and diasporas in the United States
U.S. immigration reform enabled new Asian migration; it does not itself measure Hindu affiliation.
1966–1976
Cultural Revolution and ritual destruction
The Cultural Revolution banned religious activities and brought destruction to numerous sites and monuments. This traumatic rupture did not eliminate every form of religious practice.
1966
Founding of ISKCON
ISKCON organized an international Krishna-centered Gaudiya bhakti network.
1969–1976
Global vipassana networks
S. N. Goenka began teaching in India in 1969; the Insight Meditation Society opened its Massachusetts center in 1976. These are two distinct networks spreading meditation retreats internationally.
1969
Founding of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
The Rabat summit created an intergovernmental organization of states; it does not by itself represent the religious diversity of their populations.
1973–1983
International restoration of Borobudur
UNESCO-linked restoration makes Buddhist heritage, international cooperation, and tourism visible.
1974
Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization
The International Congress at Lausanne produced a covenant linking evangelization and social responsibility and articulated global evangelical networks. It should be distinguished from WCC institutional ecumenism.
1978–1979
Reopening of Daoist research
After the political changes of 1978, research on Daoism resumed under state institutions. The cited historical survey describes a reopening of scholarly activity; it does not establish that religious research began for the first time in 1979.
1979
MBSR and clinical mindfulness adaptation
The MBSR program is founded at a Massachusetts medical center in 1979; it relates to mindfulness practices but is a specific clinical adaptation, distinct from a complete Buddhist tradition.
1979
Iranian Revolution and Islamic Republic
A regime change that created a republic with institutions grounded in a Twelver Shiʿi interpretation; it is not extrapolated to all Shiʿism.
c. 1980–c. 1989
Reconstitution and ritual reopening
Sites, training and research reopened under regulated conditions after the earlier disruption. Their recovery did not mean unrestricted religious freedom or an exact return to the past.
c. 1980–c. 2024
Contemporary Jewish institutional pluralism
Orthodox, Conservative/Masorti, Reform/Liberal, Reconstructionist, Karaite, and secular communities sustain transnational institutions; they are not one voice.
Jul 15, 1987
End of martial law in Taiwan
On 15 July 1987 Taiwan lifted martial law, which had been in effect since 1949. The change opened new conditions for public association; this political date alone does not measure changes in religious practice.
1994
Qufu inscribed as World Heritage
UNESCO inscribed the Confucius temple, cemetery and Kong family mansion, recognizing their long history of reconstruction and the transregional influence of Confucian traditions.
1994
Wudang inscribed as World Heritage
UNESCO inscribed the Wudang building complex, recognizing its architecture, imperial patronage and place in Daoist history.
1998
International bhikkhuni ordination
An international ordination at Bodh Gaya brings together women from several countries in the contemporary Theravada revival of full ordination; its institutional recognition remains uneven.
1999
UN recognizes Vesak
The General Assembly recognizes Vesak at UN offices; it does not standardize calendars or interpretations.
1999
Lutheran–Catholic Joint Declaration on Justification
The Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church expressed consensus on basic truths of justification and clarified limits of sixteenth-century condemnations. It did not remove all ecclesial differences.
2000
Mount Qingcheng World Heritage
UNESCO inscribed Mount Qingcheng together with the Dujiangyan irrigation system. Heritage recognition concerns a landscape associated with Daoist traditions; it is not itself a measure of living religious practice.
Mar 2001
Destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas
Destruction of the monumental sculptures shows the vulnerability and global significance of Afghanistan’s Buddhist heritage.
2002
Mahabodhi inscribed by UNESCO
The inscription links Bodh Gaya’s living complex with pilgrimage history and contemporary conservation.
2004
Religious-affairs regulation promulgated
Decree 426 of 30 November 2004 promulgated the religious-affairs regulation. The revised 2017 text explicitly identifies this legal predecessor.
2004–2006
Amman Message
A declaration initiated in 2004 and affirmed through later processes: it recognizes legal schools and rejects indiscriminate takfīr. It is its signatories’ document, not total consensus.
2007
Monastic protests in Myanmar
Buddhist monks visibly participate in the 2007 demonstrations and the subsequent repression; that participation does not assign one political position to all of Myanmar’s sangha.
2008
Ramlila as living heritage
UNESCO inscribed diverse enactments of Rama’s story; local diversity of forms and audiences is retained.
2009
Dragon Boat Festival inscribed
UNESCO recognized a festival practiced by several ethnic groups and regions. Its heroes, sacrificial rituals and practices for warding off misfortune vary locally.
2009
Mazu inscribed by UNESCO
UNESCO inscribed Mazu beliefs and customs, emphasizing coastal communities, domestic practices and a worldwide temple network. The nomination’s figure of about 5,000 temples describes the source’s reporting period.
2009
Nanyin inscribed by UNESCO
UNESCO recognized Nanyin, a Minnan performing art used in spring and autumn ceremonies honoring the god of music, weddings, funerals and overseas communities.
2010
Estimate of Buddhist communities outside Asia
Pew estimated about 3.9 million Buddhists in North America and 1.3 million in Europe in 2010. These are affiliation estimates for that year, not a current census or a measure of individual practice.
2011
China’s ICH law
China adopted its Intangible Cultural Heritage Law in 2011, formalizing safeguarding policies. Legal recognition alone does not guarantee preservation; communities remain active participants.