It certianly does John. I would call it a ‘major’ religion based on the following cite from Religious tolerance.org which puts the estimated number of Wiccans at about 750,000 in the US. Could be more, and likely is, since there is such persecution (whether real or imagined) facing pagans and neo-pagans, which could cause a person not to claim wicca or paganism as their religion. I realize there is a difference, but the point is for the sake of illustration only.
Take Zoroastrianism for instance…I’m not sure Zoroastrianism, despite it’s often visited ideals could be considered major either, it’s considerable impact on todays’ society aside. “Zoroastrianism is a small religion with about 140,000 members” (from religious tolerance.org) It’s all about, as you so elloquently stated, your definition of ‘major’.
As a Unitarian Universalist, I find extremism and fanaticism abhorrent. (Why should you never piss off a Unitarian? He’ll burn a question mark on your lawn!)
As a Pagan, I follow the Wiccan Rede: An’ it harm none, do what you will!
As a SubGenius, however, I regard all unsaved Pinks and Normals as worthless, screaming meat to feed my slavering Slackpetites!Praise “Bob” and pass the A-1 sauce!
Don’t forget that in Sri Lanka, the mostly Hindu Tamil Tigers have committed more suicide bombings than all the rest of the world’s terrorist groups combined, killing many thousands.
I don’t know if you could call them religious extremists, though; they aren’t “fighting for” Hinduism per se, but for an ethnically and linguistically separate Tamil homeland in Sri Lanka. Rioting “Hindu communalists” in India are probably more along the lines of what you’re thinking of.
And don’t forget that it was majority-Buddhist oppression and violence that largely contributed to the formation of the Tamil Tigers in the first place. Again, though, I’m not sure it counts as specifically religious extremism. But it illustrates that both Hinduism and Buddhism can indeed harbor violent extremist groups.
