The most bizarre, spookiest and coolest ways of being a Christian
Almost one third of all people on earth consider themselves Christian, so we thought we’d take a look at some of Christianity’s superlatives: The most popular funeral song, the scariest interior and the tiniest church.
The most followers
Christianity has the highest number of followers in comparison with other religions. Of the world’s 6.9 billion people, more than 2.2 billion are Christians, according to 2012 figures from the US-based Pew Research Center. So if the world were 100 people, 32 of them would be Christian. That’s precisely why we looked at a few holy superlatives.
The most bizarre interior
The Sedlec Ossuary in Kutná Hora, Czech Republic, is also called the Bone Church - so-called because the bones of 40,000 to 70,000 people adorn its interior. From the 15th century, so many people wanted to buried in the cemetery that there was not enough space and so skeletons were unearthed to make room for new corpses. Now, they are used as spooky decor.
The biggest church
Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro Basilica, a Roman Catholic church in the Ivory Coast, is thought to be the world’s biggest. With its 30,000 sq metres (322,917 sq ft), it could easily fit 18,000 people. Constructed between 1985 and 1989, it cost $300 million and roughly resembles Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. It caused quite a stir at the Vatican, according to a Daily Beast article.
The richest pastor
Bishop David Oyedepo, founder of the Living Faith World Outreach Ministry in Nigeria is believed to be the world’s richest pastors. With a net worth of $150 million, he owns several private jets and houses in the US and the UK. After he founded the ministry in 1981, The Faith Tabernacle church became one of Africa’s largest congregations hosting three services each Sunday.
The world’s most famous unfinished cathedral
The Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, is a beautifully impressive landmark - but despite construction having started more than 100 years ago in 1882, it remains unfinished. The cathedral’s famous architect Antoni Gaudi was hit by a tram and died in 1926 before he could finish the grotesque building. Construction has continued and it seems there may be an end in sight - it’s due to be completed by 2026.
The church with the most extraordinary architecture
This element of the list is debatable, of course, but this dramatic Icelandic church makes for some true eye candy. The Church of Hallgrimur in Reykjavik was designed to look like the basalt lava which flows through the country. An observatory at the top grants visitors a stunning view over the capital.
The largest gathering of Christians
Nigeria’s largest Pentecostal church planned to build a 3-km auditorium with the capacity for four million worshippers. The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) was due to complete the project before its 62nd Convention in August 2014 because the previous auditorium built in 2000 only had space for a tiny one million people, according to media reports.
The coolest church
Although only a temporary construction, this LEGO church gets bonus points for creativity. Built out of concrete blocks and painted to imitate the iconic LEGO bricks, Michiel de Wit and Filip Jonker created it for a festival in Enschede, Netherlands, in 2012. How’s that for your Christmas Mass?
The longest sermon
Zach Zehnder, a pastor from Florida, claimed to have broken the Guinness World Record for the longest sermon in 2014. He spoke for 53 hours and 18 minutes to raise money for a local charity. "My goal was to talk about God's ridiculous commitment to his people, even though we give up on him that he never gave up on us and kind of trace that theme throughout," Zehnder told the Christian Post.
The most popular funeral song
According to a study by the British Co-operative Funeralcare, the song “Always look on the bright side of life”, from the movie The Life of Brian, is the most popular funeral song in the UK. A spokesman for the co-op told The Telegraph: “There’s been general shift towards people trying to find some way of celebrating the life of their loved ones” - better than making it an overly depressed event.