Faith confession list. List of world religions: briefly about the features and origin

The concept of “world religions” means three religious movements that are professed by the peoples of various continents and countries. Currently, they include three main religions: Christianity, Buddhism and Islam. It is interesting that Hinduism, Confucianism and Judaism, although they have gained immense popularity in many countries, are not among the world's theologians. They are classified as national religions.

Consider the three world religions in more detail.

Christianity: God is the Holy Trinity

Christianity arose in the first century AD in Palestine, among the Jews, and spread throughout the then Mediterranean. Three centuries later, it became the state religion in the Roman Empire, and after another nine, all of Europe was Christianized. In our area, on the territory of what was then Russia, Christianity appeared in the 10th century. In 1054, the church split into two - Orthodoxy and Catholicism, and Protestantism stood out from the second during the Reformation. At the moment, these are the three main branches of Christianity. To date, the total number of believers is 1 billion.

The main tenets of Christianity:

God is one, but He is the Trinity, he has three “persons”, three hypostases: the Son, the Father and the Holy Spirit. Together they make up the image of one God, who created the entire universe in seven days.
God made the atoning sacrifice in the form of God the Son, Jesus Christ. This is a god-man, he has two natures: human and divine.
There is divine grace - it is the power that God sends in order to free the ordinary person from sin.
There is an afterlife, life after death. Everything you do in this life will be rewarded in the next.
There are good and evil spirits, angels and demons.

The holy book of Christians is the Bible.

Islam: There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet

This youngest world religion arose in the seventh century AD on the Arabian Peninsula, among the Arab tribes. Islam was founded by Mohammed - this is a specific historical figure, a person who was born in 570 in Mecca. At the age of 40, he announced that God (Allah) had chosen him as his prophet, and therefore began to act as a preacher. Of course, the local authorities did not like this approach, and therefore Muhammad had to move to Yathrib (Medina), where he continued to tell people about God.

The holy book of Muslims is the Quran. It is a collection of Muhammad's sermons, created after his death. During his life, his words were perceived as the direct speech of God, and therefore were transmitted exclusively orally.

Sunnah (a collection of stories about Muhammad) and Sharia (a set of principles and rules of behavior for Muslims) also play an important role. The main rites of Islam are important:

daily prayer five times a day (prayer);
universal observance of strict fasting per month (ramadan);
alms;
Hajj (pilgrimage) to the holy land in Mecca.

Buddhism: one must strive for nirvana, and life is suffering

Buddhism is the oldest of the world's religions, originating in the sixth century BC in India. She has over 800 million followers.

It is based on the story of Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who lived in joy and ignorance until he met an old man, a man with leprosy, and then a funeral procession. So he learned everything that was previously hidden from him: old age, illness and death - in a word, everything that awaits every person. At the age of 29, he left his family, became a hermit and began to search for the meaning of life. At the age of 35, he became a Buddha - an enlightened one who created his own doctrine of life.

According to Buddhism, life is suffering, and its cause is passions and desires. To get rid of suffering, you need to renounce desires and passions and try to achieve the state of nirvana - a state of complete peace. And after death, any creature is reborn, in the form of a completely different creature. Which one depends on your behavior in this and past lives.

This is the most general information about the three world religions, as far as the format of the article allows. But in each of them you can find a lot of interesting and important things for yourself.

And here we have prepared even more interesting materials for you!

A very long time ago, such a wonderful feeling was born in a person as faith in God and higher powers that determine the fate of people and what they will do in the future. There is a huge number, each of which has its own laws, orders, memorable calendar dates, and prohibitions. How old are the religions of the world? - a question that is difficult to give an exact answer.

Ancient signs of the birth of religions

It is known that in various forms began to exist already a huge number of years ago. Previously, it was common for people to sacredly and blindly believe that 4 elements can bestow life: air, water, earth and the sun. By the way, such a religion exists to this day and is called polytheism. How many religions exist in the world, at least the main ones? Today there are no bans on this or that religion. Therefore, more and more religious movements are being created, but the main ones still exist, and there are not so many of them.

Religion - what is it?

It is customary to include a certain sequence of rituals, rites and customs in the concept of religion, performed either daily (daily prayer is an example here), or periodically, and sometimes even once. This includes wedding, confession, communion, baptism. Any religion, in principle, is aimed at uniting completely different people into large groups. Despite some cultural differences, many religions are similar in the message that comes across to believers. The difference lies only in the external design of the rituals. How many major religions are there in the world? This question will be answered in this article.

Christianity, Buddhism and Islam can be considered. The latter religion is practiced more in the countries of the East, and Buddhism is practiced in Asian countries. Each of the listed religious branches has a history that lasts for more than several thousand years, as well as a number of indestructible traditions that are observed by all deeply religious people.

Geography of religious movements

As for geographical fragmentation, here about 100 years ago it was possible to trace the predominance of any confession, but now this does not exist at all. For example, earlier, more convinced Christians lived in Africa, Europe, South America, and the Australian continent.

The inhabitants of North Africa and the Middle East could be called Muslims, and the people who settled in the territory of the South-Eastern part of Eurasia were considered to be believers in the Buddha. On the streets of Central Asian towns, now more and more often you can see Muslim mosques and Christian churches standing almost side by side.

How many major religions are there in the world?

As for the question of knowledge of the founders of world religions, most of them are known to all believers. For example, the founder of Christianity was Jesus Christ (according to another opinion, God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit), the founder of Buddhism is Siddhartha Guatama, whose other name is Buddha, and, finally, the foundations of Islam, according to many believers, were laid by the Prophet Muhammad.

An interesting fact is that both Islam and Christianity conditionally come from the same faith, which is called Judaism. Isa Ibn Mariam is considered the successor of Jesus in this faith. Related to this branch of faith are other famous prophets who were mentioned in the Holy Scriptures. Many believers believe that the prophet Muhammad appeared on earth even before people saw Jesus.

Buddhism

As for Buddhism, this religious denomination is rightfully recognized as the most ancient among all that are only known to the human mind. The history of this faith has an average of about two and a half millennia, perhaps even much more. The origin of a religious movement called Buddhism began in India, and the founder was Siddhartha Guatama. The Buddha himself achieved faith gradually, step by step moving towards the miracle of enlightenment, which then the Buddha began to generously share with his fellow sinners. The teachings of the Buddha became the basis for writing a sacred book called the Tripitaka. To date, the most common stages of the Buddhist faith are considered to be Hinayama, Mahayama and Wajayama. Adherents of faith in Buddhism believe that the main thing in a person's life is a good state of karma, which is achieved only by doing good deeds. Every Buddhist himself goes the way to the purification of karma through deprivation and pain.

Many, especially today, are wondering how many religions are there in the world? It is difficult to name the number of all directions, because almost every day new ones appear. In our article we will talk about the main ones. The following religious trend is one of them.

Christianity

Christianity is a faith that was founded thousands of years ago by Jesus Christ. According to scientists, the religion of Christianity was founded in the 1st century BC. This religious trend appeared in Palestine, and the eternal fire descended to Jerusalem, where it still burns. Nevertheless, there is an opinion that people learned about this faith even earlier, and almost for a whole thousand years. There is also an opinion that for the first time people met not with Christ, but with the founder of Judaism. Among Christians, Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants can be distinguished. In addition, there are huge groups of people who call themselves Christians, but who believe in completely different dogmas and attend other public organizations.

Postulates of Christianity

The main inviolable postulates of Christianity is the belief that God has three guises (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), belief in saving death and in the phenomenon of reincarnation. In addition, the followers of Christianity practice the belief in evil and good, represented by angelic and devilish forms.

Unlike Protestants and Catholics, Christians do not believe in the existence of the so-called "purgatory", where the souls of sinners are selected for heaven or hell. Protestants believe that if faith in salvation is preserved in the soul, then a person is guaranteed to go to heaven. Protestants believe that the meaning of the rites is not in beauty, but in sincerity, which is why the rites are not distinguished by splendor, and their number is much smaller than in Christianity.

Islam

As for Islam, this religion is considered relatively new, as it appeared only in the 7th century BC. The place of appearance is the Arabian Peninsula, where the Turks and Greeks lived. The place of the Orthodox Bible is occupied by the Holy Quran, which contains all the basic laws of religion. In Islam, as well as in Christianity, there are several directions: Sunitism, Shiaism and Kharijitism. The difference between these directions from each other lies in the fact that the Sunnis recognize four caliphs as the "right hand" of the Prophet Mohammed, and in addition to the Koran, the collection of instructions of the prophet is considered a sacred book for them.

Shiites believe that only blood heirs can continue the work of the prophet. The Kharijites believe in almost the same thing, they only believe that only blood descendants or close associates can inherit the rights of the prophet.

The Muslim faith recognizes the existence of Allah and the Prophet Mohammed, and is also of the opinion that life after death exists, and a person can be reborn into any living being or even an object. Any Muslim firmly believes in the power of holy customs, therefore, annually makes a pilgrimage to holy places. Jerusalem is truly the holy city for all Muslims. Salat is an obligatory ritual for every adherent of the Muslim faith, and its main meaning is prayer in the mornings and evenings. The prayer is repeated 5 times, after which the believers try to observe the fast according to all the rules.

In this faith, during the month of Ramadan, believers are forbidden to have fun, and are allowed to devote themselves only to prayer to Allah. Mecca is considered the main city of pilgrims.

We have covered the main areas. Summing up, we note: how many religions in the world, so many opinions. Unfortunately, representatives of not all religious movements fully accept the existence of another direction. Often this even led to wars. In the modern world, some aggressive figures use the image of a "sectarian" or "totalitarian sect" as a scarecrow, promoting intolerance towards any non-traditional religiosity. However, no matter how different the religious directions, they, as a rule, have something in common.

Unity and Differences of Major Religions

The commonality of all religious denominations is hidden and at the same time simple in that they all teach tolerance, love for God in all manifestations, mercy and kindness towards people. Both Islam and the Christian faith promote resurrection after death on earth, followed by rebirth. In addition, Islam and Christianity jointly believe that fate is destined by heaven, and only Allah or, as Christians call it, the Lord God, can correct it. Although the teachings of Buddhists are strikingly different from Christianity and Islam, these “branches” are united by the fact that a certain morality is sung, under which no one is allowed to stumble.

The instructions given to the Most High sinful people also have common features. For Buddhists, these are dogmas, for Christians there are commandments, and for adherents of Islam, these are excerpts from the Koran. It doesn't matter how many world religions there are in the world. The main thing is that they all bring a person closer to the Lord. The commandments for each faith are the same, only they have a different style of retelling. Everywhere it is forbidden to lie, kill, steal, and everywhere they call for mercy and tranquility, for mutual respect and love for one's neighbor.

Whether you go to the mosque on Fridays, attend synagogue on Saturdays, or pray at church on Sundays, religion has touched your life in one way or another. Even if the only thing you've ever worshiped is your favorite sofa and TV best friend, your world has been shaped by other people's religious beliefs and practices.
People's beliefs influence everything from political opinions and artwork to the clothes they wear and the food they eat. Religious beliefs have repeatedly quarreled peoples and inspired people to violence, they also played an important role in some scientific discoveries.
It is no news to anyone that religion has a very strong influence on society. Every civilization, from the ancient Maya to the Celts, had some sort of religious practice. In its earliest forms, religion provided society with a system of beliefs and values according to which it could reproduce and educate the youth. In addition, it also helped to explain the processes and phenomena of such a beautiful and so complex and sometimes frightening world around.
Evidence of some rudimentary religion has been found in Neolithic artefacts, and although religion has evolved greatly from the primitive rites of the time, no faith really dies. Some, such as the Druid worldview, continue to live to the present day, while others, such as the ancient Greek and Roman religions, live on as part and parcel of later Christianity and Islam.
Below we have made a small overview of 10 religions. Despite their ancient origins, many of them have strong parallels with the major modern religions.

10: Sumerian Religion

While there is anecdotal evidence indicating that humans may have been practicing religion as early as 70,000 years ago, the earliest reliable evidence of a religion being formed is around 3500 BC. That is, by the time the Sumerians built the world's first cities, states and empires in Mesopotamia.
Of the thousands of clay tablets that are found in the areas where the Sumerian civilization was located, we know that they had a whole pantheon of gods, each of which "managed" its own sector of phenomena and processes, that is, by the grace or wrath of a particular god, people explained for themselves that could not be otherwise explained.
All the gods of the Sumerians had a “binding” to specific astronomical bodies, they also controlled natural forces: for example, sunrise and sunset were attributed to the sparkling chariot of the sun god Utu. The stars were thought to be the cows of Nannar, the deity of the Moon, who traveled through the sky, and the crescent moon was his boat. Other gods represented such things and concepts as the ocean, war, fertility.
Religion was a central part of the life of Sumerian society: the kings claimed to act at the will of the gods and thus performed both religious and political duties, and sacred temples and giant terraced platforms known as ziggurats were considered the dwellings of the gods.
The influence of the Sumerian religion can be traced in most of the existing religions. The Epic of Gilgamesh, the earliest surviving piece of ancient Sumerian literature, contains the first mention of a great flood, which is also found in the Bible. And the seven-tiered Babylonian ziggurat is probably the same Tower of Babel that quarreled the descendants of Noah.

9: Ancient Egyptian Religion

In order to be convinced of the influence of religion on the life of Ancient Egypt, just look at the thousands of pyramids located in the region. Each building symbolizes the belief of the Egyptians that a person's life continues even after death.
The reign of the Egyptian pharaohs lasted approximately from 3100 to 323 BC. and consisted of 31 separate dynasties. The pharaohs, who had a divine status, used religion to maintain their power and subjugate absolutely all citizens to themselves. For example, if a pharaoh wanted to gain favor with more tribes, all he had to do was adopt their local god as his own.
While the sun god Ra was the main god and creator, the Egyptians recognized hundreds of other gods, about 450. Moreover, at least 30 of them received the status of the main deities of the pantheon. With so many gods, the Egyptians were uncomfortable with a true coherent theology, however they were bound by a shared belief in an afterlife, especially after the invention of mummification.
The manuals, called "coffin texts", gave those who could afford this manual in funeral arrangements the assurance of immortality. The tombs of wealthy people often contained jewelry, furniture, weapons, and even servants for a fulfilling life after death.
Flirt with Monotheism
One of the first attempts to establish monotheism occurred in ancient Egypt, when the pharaoh Akhenaten came to power in 1379 BC. and declared the sun god Aten the only god. The pharaoh tried to erase all mention of other gods and destroy their images. During the reign of Akhenaten, the people put up with this so-called "Atonism", however, after his death he was declared a criminal, his temples were destroyed, and his very existence was deleted from the records.

8: Greek and Roman Religion

Gods of Ancient Greece

Like the Egyptian religion, the Greek religion was polytheistic. Although the 12 Olympian deities are most widely recognized, the Greeks also had several thousand other local gods. During the Roman period of Greece, these gods were simply adapted to Roman needs: Zeus became Jupiter, Venus became Aphrodite, and so on. In fact, much of Roman religion was borrowed from the Greeks. So much so that the two religions are often referred to collectively as the Greco-Roman religion.
The Greek and Roman gods had rather nasty personalities. They were not alien to jealousy, anger. This explains why people had to make so many sacrifices in the hope of propitiating the gods, making them refrain from doing harm, instead helping people, doing good deeds.
Along with sacrificial rites, which were the primary form of Greek and Roman worship, festivities and rituals occupied an important place in both religions. In Athens, at least 120 days of the year were holidays, and in Rome, not much was done without first performing religious rituals that guaranteed the approval of the gods. Special people followed the signs sent by the gods, watching the chirping of birds, weather events or animal entrails. Ordinary citizens could also question the gods in sacred places called oracles.

Rite Religion
Perhaps the most impressive feature of Roman religion was the importance of ritual in virtually every aspect of daily life. Not only were the rituals performed before every senate meeting, festival, or other social event, they also had to be performed flawlessly. If, for example, a prayer was found to be misread before a government meeting, then any decision made during that meeting could be invalidated.

A religion based solely on nature, Druidism emerged from shamanic practices and witchcraft in prehistoric times. Initially, it was distributed throughout Europe, but then concentrated in the Celtic tribes with their advance towards the British coast. It continues to be practiced today among small groups.

The main idea of Druidism is that a person must perform all actions without harming anyone, even himself. There is no other sin than harming the Earth or others, the Druids believe. In the same way, there is no blasphemy or heresy, since man is incapable of harming the gods, and they are able to protect themselves. According to Druid beliefs, people are only a small part of the Earth, which in turn is a single living being, inhabited by gods and spirits of all kinds.

Although Christians tried to suppress Druidism for its polytheistic pagan beliefs and accused its followers of performing cruel sacrifices, the Druids were actually a peaceful people who practiced meditation, reflection, and awareness rather than sacrificial acts. Only animals were sacrificed, which were then eaten.
Since the entire religion of Druidry was built around nature, its ceremonies were associated with the solstices, equinoxes and 13 lunar cycles.

Somewhat similar to the pagan faith of Wicca, Asatru is a belief in the pre-Christian gods of Northern Europe. Dating back to the beginning of the Scandinavian Bronze Age around 1000 BC. Asatru took many of the ancient Scandinavian Viking beliefs, and many of Asatru's followers continue to reproduce Viking customs and traditions, such as sword fighting.
The main values of religion are wisdom, strength, courage, joy, honor, freedom, energy and the importance of family ties with ancestors. Like druidism, Asatru is based on nature, and all worship is tied to the change of seasons.
Asatru states that the universe is divided into nine worlds. Among them are Asgard - the kingdom of the gods and Midgard (Earth) - the home of all mankind. The connection of these nine worlds is the World Tree, Yggdrasil. The main god and creator of the universe is Odin, but Thor, the god of war, the defender of Midgard, was also highly respected: it was his hammer that the Vikings depicted on their doors to drive away evil. The hammer, or Mjollnir, is worn by many Asatru followers in the same way that Christians wear a cross.
Tax exemption
Although some aspects of Asatru may seem implausible to the uninitiated, it is becoming more and more widespread throughout the world. In addition to being a registered religion in Iceland and Norway, it is tax-exempt in the United States.

To be fair, it needs to be clarified that, technically, Hinduism is not just one religion. Under this concept, in fact, many beliefs and practices come from India.
Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in existence, with roots dating back to around 3000 BC. Although some of its supporters argue that the doctrine has always existed. The scriptures of the religion are collected in the Vedas, the oldest known religious works in the Indo-European languages. They were collected approximately between 1000 and 500 BC. and are revered by the Hindus as eternal truth.

The overarching idea of Hinduism is the search for "moksha", belief in fate and reincarnation. According to Hindu ideas, people have an eternal soul, which is continuously reborn in different incarnations, according to its lifestyle and actions in previous lives. Karma describes the consequences that result from these actions, and Hinduism teaches that people can improve their destiny (karma) through prayer, sacrifice, and various other forms of spiritual, psychological, and physical disciplines. Ultimately, by following righteous paths, the Hindu can be freed from rebirth and attain "moksha".
Unlike other major religions, Hinduism does not claim any founder. Its connection with any particular historical event is not traced. Today, almost 900 million people around the world consider themselves Hindus, with the majority of them living in India.

4: Buddhism

Buddhism, which originated in India around the 6th century BC, is similar to Hinduism in many ways. It is based on the teachings of a man known as the Buddha, who was born as Siddhartha Gautama and grew up as a Hindu. Like Hindus, Buddhists believe in reincarnation, karma, and the idea of attaining total liberation—Nirvana.
According to Buddhist legend, Siddhartha had a rather closed youth and was amazed when he discovered that the people around him seemed to experience such things as grief, poverty and disease. After meeting a group of people seeking enlightenment, Siddhartha began looking for a way to end human suffering. He fasted and meditated for a long time, and finally achieved the ability to break out of the eternal cycle of reincarnation. It was this achievement of 'bodhi' or 'enlightenment' that led to him being now known as the Buddha or 'Enlightened One'.
Four Noble Truths: (chatvari aryasatyani), the four truths of the Holy One is one of the basic teachings of Buddhism, which is followed by all its schools.
1. All existence is suffering.
2. All suffering is caused by human desires.
3. Renunciation of desires will end suffering.
4. There is a way to end suffering - the Eightfold Path.
Buddhism does not place too much emphasis on the deity, self-discipline, meditation and compassion are much more important. As a result, Buddhism is sometimes regarded more as a philosophy than a religion.
Way
Like Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism are more philosophy than religion. Both originated in China in the 5th - 6th centuries BC. both are actively practiced in China today. Taoism, which is based on the concept of "Tao" or "The Way", greatly values life and promotes simplicity and a relaxed approach to life. Confucianism is based on love, kindness and humanity.

Another religion originating from India. Jainism proclaims the achievement of spiritual freedom as the main goal. It originates from the lives and teachings of the Jains, spiritual teachers who have reached the highest level of knowledge and understanding. According to the Jain teachings, the followers of religion can achieve freedom from material existence or karma. As in Hinduism, this liberation from reincarnation is called "moksha".
Jains also teach that time is eternal and consists of a series of upward or downward movements that last for millions of years. During each of these periods, there are 24 Jainas. Only two of these teachers are known in the current movement: Parsva and Mahavira, who lived in the 9th and 6th centuries BC, respectively. In the absence of any higher gods or a creator god, followers of Jainism revere Jain.
Unlike Buddhism, which condemns suffering, the idea of Jainism is asceticism, self-denial. The Jain lifestyle is governed by the "Great Vows" which proclaim non-violence, honesty, sexual abstinence, renunciation. Although these vows are strictly observed by hermits, Jains also follow them according to their abilities and circumstances, with the aim of self-development along the 14-stage path of spiritual growth.

While other religions have had short periods of monotheism, Judaism is considered the world's oldest monotheistic faith. The religion is based on what the Bible describes as agreements between God and some of the founding fathers. Judaism is one of three religions that trace their origins to the patriarch Abraham, who lived in the 21st century BC. (The other two are Islam and Christianity.)
The Five Books of Moses enter the beginning of the Hebrew Bible, forming the Torah (Pentateuch), the Jewish people are the descendants of Abraham and will one day return to their country of Israel. Therefore, the Jews are sometimes called the "chosen people."
The religion is based on the ten commandments, which are a sacred agreement between God and people. Along with 613 other guidelines contained in the Torah, these ten commandments define the believer's way of life and thought. By following the laws, the Jews show their commitment to the will of God and strengthen their position in the religious community.
In rare unanimity, all three major world religions recognize the Ten Commandments as fundamental.

Zoroastrianism is based on the teachings of the Persian prophet Zarathustra, or Zoroaster, who lived between 1700 and 1500 BC. His teachings are revealed to the world in the form of 17 psalms called Gathas, which make up the Holy Scripture of Zoroastrianism, known as the Zend Avesta.
A key aspect of the Zoroastrian faith is ethical dualism, the constant struggle between good (Ahura Mazda) and evil (Angra Mainyu). Personal responsibility is of great importance to Zoroastrians, as their fate depends on the choice they make between these two powers. Followers believe that after death, the soul comes to the Bridge of Judgment, from where it goes either to heaven or to a place of torment, depending on which deeds prevailed during life: good or bad.
Since positive choices are not so difficult to make, Zoroastrianism is generally seen as an optimistic belief: Zarathustra is allegedly the only child who laughed at birth instead of crying. Zoroastrianism is currently one of the smallest of the world's major religions, but its influence is widely felt. Christianity, Judaism and Islam have all been shaped by his postulates.

Since ancient times, people have believed in supernatural forces and beings that control the phenomena and processes occurring in nature. One form or another of religious belief has survived to the present day in almost every corner of the globe. At present, there are more than five thousand different forms and types of religions in the world. So far, no one has been able to classify and generalize them, since all religions can be divided according to ethnic characteristics, and according to the time of their occurrence, and according to the level of organization, and according to state status.

Types of religions by time of development
Major Religions of the World
Types of religions of Eastern civilization
Types of early religions
- Magic
- Fetishism
- totemism
- Animism
Types of pagan religions

Types of religions by time of development

So, if we divide them according to the level of development, then we can identify the following types of typology of religion:

Early religions - beliefs that originated in the primitive era (magic, animism, totemism, fetishism).
Polytheistic - these include all types of national religious beliefs (except Sikhism and Judaism).
Monotheistic - Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism.
Syncretic - beliefs that arose as a result of mixing several types of religions.
New religious beliefs - religions that are distinguished by their non-traditional forms. These include the churches of the Antichrist, Satan, Krishna, Muna, as well as yogism, Shinto with the cults of karate and judo. This also includes the White Brotherhood, and various esoteric associations.

Major Religions of the World

The most common are:

Christianity.
Buddhism.
Islam.
Hinduism.

Christianity is the largest religion in the world. Currently, every country in the world has at least one Christian community, and the total number of adherents of this faith is 2.3 billion people. Christianity first appeared in the 1st century in Palestine and existed as a single form of religious belief until the Christian church split into the Eastern Orthodox and Western Catholic churches in 1054. Later, in the 17th century, another trend of the Catholic Church appeared - Protestantism.

In addition to the main religions, there are various types of tribal religions - various forms of worship of certain deities inherent in a particular ethnic group, tribe or people.

Video about the main religions of the world:

Types of religions of Eastern civilization

What types of religions are inherent in Eastern civilization? The religions of the East are:

Hinduism (Nepal, India).
Buddhism (Sri Lanka, Laos).
Islam (Bangladesh, Indonesia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, etc.).
Lamaism (Mongolia).
Confucianism (Malaysia, Brunei).
Shinto (Japan).
Sunnism (Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan).

Types of early religions

On the basis of the early forms of religions, the beliefs that exist at the present time were developed. Primitive human society in the course of its development gradually formed various types of worship of natural phenomena: wind, thunder, rain. Due to the lack of knowledge about the processes that take place in the world around us, people believed that all phenomena are controlled by supernatural forces, each of which controls the weather, crops, etc. Early religions did not have a single deity - people believed in symbols, invisible spirits, fetishes and various powers.

The formation of the first religious beliefs depended on the structure of society, a certain established hierarchy of groups - a tribe, a state, a city, a village, or an individual family.

Early religious forms are characterized by the fact that they always distinguished the main gods and the deities who obeyed them. People endowed the main gods with certain personal qualities, likened them to the fathers of families, leaders or kings. The main god almost always had his own life story: birth, marriage, birth of heirs, who, as a rule, subsequently served as their assistants. In addition, the deities could be at enmity with each other, or, on the contrary, be friends, help people in agriculture, art, love, and, accordingly, a certain god was responsible for every phenomenon, be it war or love.

There are the following types of early religions:

Magic.
Fetishism.
Totemism.
Animism.

Magic

Magical beliefs are manifested in the belief in supernatural forces, in the fact that a person is able to influence any natural phenomenon by performing certain symbolic actions - conspiracies, spells, etc.

This type of religion arose in ancient times and continues to exist to this day. The initial ideas about magic were rather abstract, but over time this direction of religion differentiated and today there are a huge number of its types and directions. So, depending on the methods of influence or social orientation, there are the following types of magic:

Magic is harmful (corruption).
Therapeutic.
Military (to attract good luck in military affairs).
Love (lapels, love spells).
Meteorological (for weather changes).
Contact (magic effect by contact with the object).
Imitative (impact on the simulated likeness of the subject).
Partial (magical rites with the help of cut hair, nails or food debris).

Fetishism

In ancient times, people revered various objects that they believed brought good luck and protected from danger. This form of religious belief is called fetishism. Almost all types of primitive religion, including fetishism, exist in the modern life of many peoples. Today, people who use all kinds of talismans and amulets to attract various benefits - material or spiritual, are usually called fetishists.

Any thing or object that has fallen into the field of view of a person can become a fetish: it can be stones of an unusual shape, and animal skulls, and wooden, metal or clay products. These items are chosen by trial and error. For example, when a person noticed that any object brings him good luck, this object became his fetish, otherwise the fetishes were thrown away, destroyed and replaced by others, more successful.

totemism

Primitive people believed that between certain groups of people (tribe, family) and any species of animals or plants there is a kindred relationship. So, a tribe that considered itself related to some animal, rendered it a special cult and worshiped this animal. Wind, rain, sun, iron, water, etc. were often used as totems. Such beliefs were most common in Africa, North America, and Australia. Totemism has been preserved to this day in some tribes of these countries.

Animism

Animism is also a type of early religious form. This religion is characterized by belief in spirits and souls. Ancient people believed that nature and the objects around them possess supernatural powers and have a soul. Spirits were divided into evil and good. In order to appease any spirit, sacrifices were often practiced.

Animism is currently present in many modern religions. Today, spirits and evil spirits are modifications of the animistic ideas of primitive people. Although modern society considers them to be everyday superstitions and prejudices, almost all religious beliefs are associated with their existence.

Types of pagan religions

The term "paganism" comes from the word "language", which in Church Slavonic means "people". In the era of the Old Testament, the Jews called all non-Jewish Gentiles. This word contained a negative assessment both in relation to the peoples themselves, and to their customs, religious beliefs, moral and cultural values. In Christian vocabulary, the term "paganism" appeared thanks to the Jews, but Christians do not mean by this word any connection with a race or nation. There are the following types of pagan religions:

Shamanism.
Magic.
Satanism.
Materialism.
All kinds of polytheistic religions.

The characteristic features that unite most of the listed religions are idolatry, magicism, naturalism and mysticism.

What religion do you profess, and what religion would you like to know more about? Tell us in the comments about your attitude towards other religions.

There are more than 7 billion people in our World, in each of which there are different thoughts, feelings, faith. Therefore, a fairly large number of religions have appeared in the World, in connection with this, people choose different religions, most of them have faith in God, but some nations do not believe in him.

When we think about the word "religion", some thoughts appear in our minds, like some kind of gesture, like a belief, a vision about humanity in the whole World and the system of belief to various religious cultures. An interesting fact is that according to various studies and the Guinness Book of Records, Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world due to the large number of conversions to Islam every year.

That is why, here we have collected the most popular religions in the world for 2016.

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Judaism is one of the oldest religions in the world, founded about 3,500 years ago in Canaan (now Israel), the Middle East and Egypt. Judaism is estimated to have about 14.5 million followers worldwide. Judaism is also mentioned in the Holy Book "Bible": Abraham, who gave birth and Moses, who freed Jewish prisoners from Egypt, are the founders of this faith, therefore, this is the most ancient monotheistic religion in the world.

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Sikhism is one of the most popular religions in the world, which appeared in the region of South Asia - Punjab about 500 years ago in the 15th century. The beliefs of Sikhism are described in the sacred writings of the Guru Granth Sahib and are called the youngest religion in the world. Guru Nanak, the founder of this religious culture, now rests in the Nankana Sahib region of Pakistan. It is estimated that there are between 25 and 28 million followers of this religion worldwide, and in Punjab, India, about 90 million Sikhs follow the teachings of Guru Nanak and ten successive Gurus.

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Religion Anglicanism is included in the Church of England and all other churches that are traditionally attached to it or profess similar worship and church structure. Thus, Anglicanism is based on Christianity and their holy book is the Bible, as well as the Anglican doctrine is based on the Holy Scriptures, the traditions of the Apostolic Church, the historical episcopate, the first four Ecumenical Councils and the teachings of the early Church Fathers. This religion is followed by about 85.5 million people around the world, which also gives it the right to be on our list.

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Atheism in the true sense is the faith of people who have no creed. In a broader sense, this religion consists in the rejection of belief in the existence of gods, spirits, the afterlife, otherworldly forces, etc. Atheism is based on the belief in the self-sufficiency of the natural world and not in the supernatural origin of all religions.

According to statistics, this religion is growing every year. About the emergence of Atheism, as its homeland, we can talk about America, however, in 2015, more than 61% of the followers of this religion are from China. For the first time, this religion was recognized in the 16th century in France and today has more than 150 million followers around the world.

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Buddhism is another historical religion of the world, founded about 2500 years ago in India, whose followers are based on the teachings of the Buddha. Initially, Buddhism spread throughout Asia, but a few years later, after the advent of Islam, most of it spread only to the territory of India.

According to available data, about 7% of the world's population practice Buddhism, and this is more than 500 million followers, including most of them in Burma, Japan, China and Sri Lanka. The founder of Buddhism is Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) and his teachings.

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Agnosticism

Agnosticism is a special religion, because its true beliefs are philosophical. Followers of Agnosticism are constantly looking for an answer to the question: "Is God a divine or supernatural being?". That is why it is the religion of the philosophers. Its followers are always in search of God, and the roots of this religion go far into the past - about the 5th century. BC, so there are now about 640 million religious philosophers around the world.

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Another of the oldest religions in the world is Hinduism. According to history, this religion has no beginning, and it exists mainly in India and Nepal. The main Hindu religions are karma, dharma, samsara, maya, moksha and yoga. There are about 1 billion followers of Hinduism worldwide, most of them are in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Malaysia, which is 15% of the total world population.

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Catholicism is also one of the most popular and largest religions in the world, characterized by organizational centralization and the largest number of adherents among Christian churches. The head of the Catholic Church is the Pope, who heads the Holy See and the Vatican City State in Rome. Catholicism is a fairly old religion, so there is a large number of followers of this religion around the world - 1.2 billion Catholics.

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Christianity is the world's largest monotheistic religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. It has over 2.4 billion followers worldwide who call themselves Christians. According to Christianity, Jesus Christ is the son of God and also the Savior of all mankind. The Holy Scripture of Christianity is the Bible, but despite this, Christianity is the most ancient religion of the world, which is followed by many countries - Europe, North America and Oceania, and it also quickly spread to India, Syria, Ethiopia and even Asia, due to which Hinduism is rapidly declining .

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Islam

Islam is the world's other largest religion, and according to the Guinness Book of World Records, Islam is the world's fastest growing religion. Islam was founded about 1,500 years ago, and Muslims around the world follow the teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, which is called the Sunnah, and the Holy Book is the Koran.

According to statistics, about 23% of the total population of the globe practice Islam, which is approximately 1.7 billion people. Muslims believe that God is one, and Muhammad is the last prophet of Allah (God). Most Muslims are concentrated in Indonesia, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and 20% in the Middle East, Europe, Russia, America and China. Despite this, Islam has small communities in every country in the world. We can safely say that Islam is the most popular religion of the early 21st century.

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Conclusion

It was about the most popular religions in the world. We hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for your attention!