Whats an adherent?
Well, be aware that there’s no single definition, and sources of adherent statistics do not always make it clear what definition they are using. That’s why we advise caution when making direct comparisons between data from different sources and between data for different faith groups. It is important to recognize there are various levels of adherence, or membership within religious traditions or religious bodies. Basically the most common definition used in broad compilations of statistical data is somebody who claims to belong to or worship in a religion. There is a United Nations definition of an adherent, which formally states about the same thing. Such factors as religious service attendance, belief, practice, familiarity with doctrine, belief in certain creeds, etc., may be important to sociologists, religious leaders, and others. But these are measures of religiosity and are usually not used academically to define a person’s membership in a particular religion. This is the defini
