Exploring why some faiths thrive while others vanish

DISClAIMER: This is a purely academic/research based article and is not meant to voice any opinion or offend any individual or group

You probably know who Jesus is, and you’ve probably met a Christian before. You may have also heard of the Buddha, and you’ve probably met a Buddhist before. And you might just know who Thor is, but wait, who still actually believes in Thor? Well as it turns out, not a lot of people. Unlike the aforementioned faiths whose followers number in the millions or even billions, there is little information regarding the amount of Norse Pagans left, with even more generous estimates numbering around twenty thousand [Cavallaro, n.d.]. So why did the Norse faith, along with so many others, seem to just vanish?

Firstly, I would like to clarify that the term “prosperous” in the title is by no means an attempt to judge the values or beliefs of any faith. Because of the highly personal and spiritual connotations of religion, there is obviously no professionally recognized standard on the “success” of any one faith over another. However, one undeniable fact is that some religions certainly do have more followers as well as a more active societal impact than others, while many others have almost vanished completely. Therefore, for the sake of this article, I will be counting a “prosperous” religion as any religion that has a large (numbering in the millions or more), active community of followers as well as a major impact on their respective societies and cultures. Similarly, I will be using the term “inactive” to describe any religion which no longer has a large amount of followers or continues to majorly impact society and culture. I will also use the terms “dying” or “failing” to describe any religion which is actively losing followers and/or cultural significance at a rapid rate, especially if they end up “unsuccessful” in hindsight. 

One of the most important factors to the survival of a religion is their ability to proselytise, or spread the faith. Out of the five major religions today (Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Judaism), three of them, those being Christianity, Islam, and some sects of Buddhism, actively proselytise to seek out new followers. For Christianity and Islam in particular, proselytism is considered a core value of their respective faiths (Farr, 2010), with the Bible commending followers to “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” (Mark, 16:15), and the Qur’an stating that “Say, Obey Allah and the Messenger. But if they turn away – then indeed, Allah does not like the disbelievers” (Qur’an 3:32). Compare this to the Norse Religion, which never even had the concept of proselytism in their faith, and was mostly wiped out by Christian missionaries within three centuries of contact (Nationalmuseet, n.d.). In other words, without active proselytism, a faith will only be able to gain followers through births or voluntary conversions, and will be unable to replace losses through death or conversion at the same rate a proselytising faith can.

Another important factor determining the success of a religion is how organised and well recorded it is. Every major surviving religion today has some form of written scripture and institution. For Christianity, they are the Bible and the Church. Buddhism has its various Sutras and monasteries, while even Hinduism, a less centralised faith, has its Vedas and Smirtis as religious texts, and a a structured social hierarchy that provides religious organisation [add source]. Scriptures and institutions serve as a form of authority, guiding followers in their journey of faith and adding a degree of standardization to their religions (Holy Koolaid, 2025). Without this authority, a religion can only be passed down through tales and rituals, making it much less organised and clear (Holy Koolaid, 2025). Yet again, the Norse faith falls victim to this weakness, as there was neither an organised institution nor any form of strong written tradition for the Norse faith, making it much easier to dismantle for Christian missionaries [add source]. What this means is that some form of standardization and system of authority in a religion is all but crucial to its survival.

Finally, one of the most important and controversial factors deciding the success of a faith is its attitude towards apostasy or conversion. Islam, the second-largest faith in the world, has a particularly harsh treatment towards those who forsake their faith. Though many modern Muslims disapprove of this questionable practice, many Muslim and Muslim-majority nations continue to administer the death penalty or other severe punishments for apostates based on certain interpretations of the Qur’an (Zuckerman, 2015). On a more spiritual note, Christianity generally believes that apostasy is punished with eternal suffering and damnation in hell (Sept, n.d.). Consequences for apostasy can also take on subtler forms, as even those who leave faiths with no set punishment for apostasy often find themselves alienated and socially ostracised by their community (Zuckerman, 2025). In other words, a faith having a consequence for leaving can make doubting followers think twice about doing so, as the possibility of death and/or eternal damnation is a risky gamble that not many are willing to take.