What are the 3 main patterns for the spread of world religions?

Answer 1

Method 1: The most visible method of spreading a religion is through missionary work. Several religions, Christianity, Islam, even Buddhism to some extent, call their lay people and priests to tell others about their religious beliefs. This often involves a certain amount of cultural immersion on the part of the missionary in order to find common elements in which to better tell the group of non-believing people their message. A famous incarnation of this is found in Christianity, where Jesus declares the Great Commission, where he tells his followers to "Go and make disciples of every nation..".

Method 2: Another very common way in which religion is spread is through trade. For example, the main vehicle for the spread of Islam was with the Arab nations trading spices to people in Europe. Arabian or Egyptian merchants would often travel through Europe, Asia, or Africa, sometimes setting up shop in one place. Often this would lead to people in the local community becoming curious of the merchant's religious practice, such as why he would close his shop to accept a call to prayer, or refused to eat or drink certain things. The merchants would then share their religious background with locals in the community and often become a teacher himself. In a sense, the merchants often became missionaries without even knowing it.

Method 3: The most commonly cited method of spreading a religion is through war or conquest. A notable example of this is found in the series of skirmishes and battles between Christendom and Islam known as the Crusades. The warriors on the winning side would often force the surviving members of the enemy's army to convert or be killed. This same phenomenon would occur when one army would conquer a village, settlement, or city, often forcing the locals to convert to their beliefs and outlaw other forms of religion.

While Method 3 is assumed by many to be the primary means of spreading a religion, they are fairly mistaken. In most places where certain religions were persecuted or outlawed by other religions, the community would, over a significant amount of time reject the new religion forced on them. So while spreading religion through war can be effective, it is most often temporary and hardly as sincere a practice as other, more peaceful methods.