The strongest faith in the world. What teachings exist

Knowledge begins with a question. Since childhood, comprehending the basics of knowledge, people seek their personal path to God. Everyone longs for spiritual light. They want to know the fundamental truths, concepts, sacraments, the essence of worship services, rituals. There are many questions! But there are also answers.

How many religions are there in the world

About five thousand religions are known to science. Several world religions have the largest number of adherents.

Christianity. Followers of Jesus Christ are united in more than 100 churches, movements and sects. These are Eastern Catholic churches. Old Catholicism. Protestantism. Orthodoxy. Spiritual Christianity. Sect. It is the largest world religion both in terms of the number of adherents, of which there are about 2.1 billion, and in terms of geographical distribution - almost every country in the world has at least one Christian community.

Islam is divided into 7 movements: Sunnis, Shiites, Ismailis, Kharijites, Sufism, Salafis (Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia), radical Islamists. Followers of Islam are called Muslims. Muslim communities exist in more than 120 countries and, according to various sources, unite up to 1.5 billion people.

Buddhism consists of three main and many local schools: Theravada - the most conservative school of Buddhism; Mahayana - the latest form of development of Buddhism; Vajrayana – occult modification of Buddhism (Lamaism); Shingon-shu is one of the main Buddhist schools of Japan, belonging to the Vajrayana movement. Estimates of the number of followers of Buddhism range from 350 to 500 million. According to the Buddha, “all that we are is the result of our thoughts, the mind is everything.”

Judaism is divided into 11 movements: Orthodox Judaism, Litvaks, Hasidism, Orthodox modernism, religious Zionism, Conservative Judaism, Reform Judaism, Reconstructionist Judaism, the movement of humanistic Judaism, Renovationist Judaism of Rabbi Michael Lerner, Messianic Judaism. Has up to 14 million followers.

Hinduism. A religion that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The historical name of Hinduism in Sanskrit is Sanatana Dharma, which translated means “eternal religion”, “eternal path” or “eternal law”. It has its roots in the Vedic civilization, which is why it is called the world's oldest religion. 1 billion followers.

The privileged caste is the Brahmins. Only they alone could be ministers of the cult.

Confucianism. Formally, Confucianism never had the institution of a church, but in terms of its significance, the degree of penetration into the soul and education of the consciousness of the people, it successfully played the role of a religion. In Imperial China, Confucianism was the philosophy of learned thinkers. Over 1 billion followers.

African traditional religions. Practiced by approximately 15% of Africans, they include a variety of concepts of fetishism, animism, totemism and ancestor worship. Some religious beliefs are common to many African ethnic groups, but they are usually unique to each ethnic group. Has 100 million followers.

Shintoism- traditional religion of Japan. Forms of Shinto: temple, imperial court, state, sectarian, folk and home. Only about 3 million Japanese turned out to be ardent supporters of Shintoism, who gave preference to this particular religion.

Voodoo. The general name for religious beliefs that emerged among the descendants of black slaves taken from Africa to South and Central America.

Shamanism. A well-established name in science for a set of people’s ideas about ways of conscious and purposeful interaction with the transcendental (“otherworldly”) world, primarily with spirits, which is carried out by a shaman.

The road to Abashevo was long. Our film crew went to the Temple of St. John the Warrior early in the morning. We had to overcome 350 kilometers.

Religion is a certain worldview that seeks to understand the higher mind, which is the root cause of everything that exists. Any belief reveals to a person the meaning of life, his purpose in the world, which helps him find a goal, and not an impersonal animal existence. There have always been and will be many different worldviews. Thanks to the eternal human search for the root cause, the religions of the world were formed, the list of which is classified according to two main criteria:

How many religions are there in the world?

The main world religions are Islam and Buddhism, each of which is divided into numerous large and small branches and sects. It is difficult to say how many religions, beliefs and convictions there are in the world, due to the regular creation of new groups, but according to some information, there are thousands of religious movements at the present stage.

World religions are called so because they have gone far beyond the borders of the nation, country, and have spread to a huge number of nationalities. Those who are not worldly confess within a smaller number of people. The monotheistic view is based on the belief in one God, while the pagan view assumes the existence of several deities.

The world's largest religion, which arose 2,000 years ago in Palestine. It has about 2.3 billion believers. In the 11th century there was a division into Catholicism and Orthodoxy, and in the 16th century Protestantism also separated from Catholicism. These are three large branches, there are more than a thousand other small ones.

The basic essence of Christianity and its distinctive features from other religions are as follows:

Orthodox Christianity has adhered to a tradition of faith since apostolic times. Its foundations were formulated by the Ecumenical Councils and dogmatically enshrined in the Creed. The teaching is based on Holy Scripture (mainly the New Testament) and Holy Tradition. Divine services are performed in four circles, depending on the main holiday - Easter:

Daily.
Sedmichny.
Mobile annual.
Fixed annual.

In Orthodoxy there are seven main Sacraments:

Baptism.
Confirmation.
Eucharist (Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ).
Confession.
Unction.
Wedding.
Priesthood.

In the Orthodox understanding, God is one in three persons: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. The Ruler of the world is interpreted not as an angry avenger for the misdeeds of people, but as a Loving Heavenly Father, caring for his creation and bestowing the grace of the Holy Spirit in the Sacraments.

Man is recognized as the image and likeness of God, with free will, but fallen into the abyss of sin. The Lord helps those who want to restore their former holiness and get rid of passions on this path.

Catholic teaching is a major movement in Christianity, widespread mainly in Europe, Latin America and the USA. This doctrine has much in common with Orthodoxy in its understanding of God and the relationship between the Lord and man, but there are fundamental and important differences:

the infallibility of the head of the church, the Pope;
The Holy Tradition is formed from 21 Ecumenical Councils (the first 7 are recognized in Orthodoxy);
the distinction between the clergy and the laity: people in the rank are endowed with Divine Grace, they are assigned the role of shepherds, and the laity - the herd;
the doctrine of indulgences as a treasury of good deeds performed by Christ and the Saints, and the Pope, as the vicar of the Savior on earth, distributes forgiveness of sins to whomever wants and who needs it;
adding your understanding to the dogma of the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son;
introducing dogmas about the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary and Her bodily ascension;
the doctrine of purgatory as the average state of the human soul, cleansed of sins as a result of difficult trials.

There are also differences in the understanding and performance of some Sacraments:

It arose as a result of the Reformation in Germany and spread throughout Western Europe as a protest and desire to transform the Christian Church, getting rid of medieval ideas.

Protestants agree with Christian ideas about God as the Creator of the world, about human sinfulness, about the eternity of the soul and salvation. They share the understanding of hell and heaven, while rejecting Catholic purgatory.

Distinctive features of Protestantism from Catholicism and Orthodoxy:

minimizing church sacraments - until Baptism and Communion;
there is no division between clergy and laity, every well-prepared person in matters of Holy Scripture can be a priest for himself and for others;
the service is held in the native language and is based on joint prayer, reading psalms, and sermons;
there is no veneration of saints, icons, relics;
monasticism and the hierarchical structure of the church are not recognized;
salvation is understood only by faith, and good works will not help to justify oneself before God;
recognition of the exclusive authority of the Bible, and each believer interprets the words of Scripture at his own discretion, the criterion being the point of view of the founder of the church organization.

The main directions of Protestantism: Quakers, Methodists, Mennonites, Baptists, Adventists, Pentecostals, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons.

The world's youngest monotheistic religion. The number of believers is about 1.5 billion people. The founder is the prophet Muhammad. Holy book - Koran. For Muslims, the main thing is to live according to the prescribed rules:

pray five times a day;
observe the fast of Ramadan;
give alms 2.5% per year of income;
make a pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj).

Some researchers add a sixth duty of Muslims - jihad, which manifests itself in the struggle for faith, zeal, and diligence. There are five types of jihad:

internal self-improvement on the path to God;
armed struggle against non-believers;
struggle with your passions;
separation of good and evil;
taking action against criminals.

Currently, extremist groups use jihad of the sword as an ideology to justify their murderous activities.

A world pagan religion that denies the existence of the Divine. Founded in India by Prince Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha). Briefly summarized by the teaching of the Four Noble Truths:

All human life is suffering.
Desire is the cause of suffering.
To overcome suffering, you need to get rid of desire with the help of a specific state - nirvana.
To free yourself from desire, you need to follow eight basic rules.

According to the teachings of the Buddha, acquiring a calm state and intuition and clearing the mind will help:

a correct understanding of the world as a lot of suffering and sorrow;
acquiring a firm intention to curtail your wishes and aspirations;
control of speech, which should be friendly;
performing virtuous actions;
trying not to harm living beings;
expulsion of evil thoughts and a positive attitude;
the realization that human flesh is evil;
perseverance and patience in achieving the goal.

The main branches of Buddhism are Hinayana and Mahayana. Along with it, there are other religions in India, widespread to varying degrees: Hinduism, Vedism, Brahmanism, Jainism, Shaivism.

What is the oldest religion in the world?

The ancient world was characterized by polytheism (polytheism). For example, Sumerian, ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman religions, Druidism, Asatru, Zoroastrianism.

One of the ancient monotheistic beliefs is Judaism - the national religion of the Jews, based on the 10 commandments given to Moses. The main book is the Old Testament.

Judaism has several branches:

Litvaks;
Hasidism;
Zionism;
orthodox modernism.

There are also different types of Judaism: Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, Humanistic and Renovationist.

Today it is difficult to give a definite answer to the question “What is the oldest religion in the world?”, since archaeologists regularly find new data to confirm the emergence of different worldviews. We can say that beliefs in the supernatural have been inherent in humanity at all times.

The huge diversity of worldviews and philosophical beliefs since the emergence of mankind does not make it possible to list all the religions of the world, the list of which is regularly updated with both new movements and branches from already existing world and other beliefs.

Despite the development of modern technology and science, the inhabitants of the planet continue to consider themselves one of the many beliefs. Hope in a higher power allows you to survive difficult life situations. Religion statistics show how many denominations exist and how many people consider themselves to be members of them.

Origin theory

There is one general theory of the origin of beliefs on earth. As soon as inequality appeared in human society, the need arose for some kind of highest value to reward people for their actions. The possessor of superpower must be endowed by a superbeing whose role is played by a specific deity.

What it is

When starting to get acquainted with beliefs, it is worth studying the very concept of religion. There are quite a lot of definitions of faith today. R Religion is a form of viewing the world around us, which is based on belief in the supernatural.

Existing classifications

WITH how many religions are there in the world? Today there are more than 5 thousand official religious associations. This includes the world's largest religions. Beliefs can be very different from each other. Much depends on the customs and traditions of the country. There are also similarities between religions. They all involve faith in a higher power.

Today there are several classifications of religions according to various criteria. For example, the types of religions based on the number of gods are monotheistic and polytheistic. The latter are represented in countries of the African continent that have a tribal way of life. These peoples have not yet left paganism.

According to Hegel, the history of religion represents the path of the Spirit coming to full self-consciousness. Each of them is a step in awareness leading to the absolute goal of history. The structure of the classification according to Hegel is as follows:

Natural religions(lowest level), based on sensory perception. To these he included all magical beliefs, the religions of China and India, as well as the ancient Persians, Syrians and Egyptians.
Spiritual and individual religions(intermediate bar) - the religion of the Jews (Judaism), the beliefs of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.
Absolute spirituality– Christianity.

The experience of studying the problem led to the creation of other classifications - according to the degree of prevalence or the number of followers. Here we distinguish local (within one clan-tribe), national (influencing the culture of one people, for example, Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, China with Shintoism, India with Hinduism). How do local movements differ from national religions? Greater prevalence among many, outstripping them in terms of the number of followers. Religious centers are present throughout the world.

What did ancient civilizations profess?

Totemism flourished in Ancient Egypt, as evidenced by the half-animal image of the Egyptian gods. Statistics of religions claim that during this period of time the idea of an afterlife and the connection between earthly life and the afterlife appeared. The idea of resurrection also arose (Osiris, the sun god, dies in the evening and is reborn in the morning). The belief dates back long before Jesus and Christianity.

The goddess Isis (mother of Osiris) became the prototype of the Virgin Mary. The religion of Egypt led to the fact that the temple during that period of time became a place of worship and science.

Wikipedia contains information that fairly developed religious movements include Zoroastrianism (named after the founder - Zarathustra). The idea of the struggle between good and evil, the concept of sin, the formulas “end of the world”, “last judgment” appear.

The religion of India is Hinduism. This is a whole philosophical doctrine. The essence of the belief is that the entire path of life (karma) consists of human reincarnations. Rebirth is necessary in order to become a god during life. Hinduism was created in India for the needs of the caste society of the state. It is not very common in the world today.

Chinese traditional beliefs are Confucianism and Taoism. Confucianism played the role of the main state religion, and its rules subjected the entire jurisdiction of the government. This direction made it possible to rationally organize human life. The path of Tao tends more towards mysticism; the highest goal for a Taoist is the desire to go back to the past order, primitive existence.

Ancient Greece represents the cult of the gods of Olympus. Each of them patronizes a separate polis - a city-state. Magic rituals, numerous myths, and the character of the gods themselves confirm the peacefulness of the Greeks. This is the main difference between religion and other movements. It is not surprising that the people were subsequently captured by the Romans, who brought little with them to the Greek religious cult, but rather borrowed the entire leisure aspect of Greece to establish their own cultural traditions.

Ancient Palestine, with the arrival of the Jewish people, gave rise to Judaism. This is where Christianity later originated. The modern interpretation of the belief originated in the 13th century BC. After the fall of Babylon, the legend of Moses appears in Judaism. Jews believe that there is one supreme God, Yahweh, and he can be worshiped by all nations that honor him and fulfill the terms of his treaty with the nations. As statistics of religions in Israel show, 80% of the population is Jewish.

World religious movements

Today there are three world religions. These include Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. They are the most common. Followers of the main beliefs can be found in almost every country on the globe:

Russia.
England.
Belarus.
Kazakhstan.
North America.

At the moment, approximately 65% of the planet's population belongs to these movements. Buddhism, Islam and Christianity are the religions of civilization. They appeared long before the spread of Protestantism. In the 19th century the situation was not much different. To understand the true meaning of religion, it is worth studying all the pros and cons that adherents of faiths give. Statistics of world religions:

Name	Quantity (percentage)
Christianity	33%
	23%
Hinduism	14%
Buddhism	6%
Local traditional beliefs	6%
Hare Krishnas	Less than 1%
Jehovah witnesses	Less than 1%
Mormons	Less than 1%
Atheists, non-believers	12%

Christianity

The history of Christianity is difficult to present in a brief description. Today it is the dominant religion. Christianity originated in the 1st century AD on the territory of the Roman Empire.

The founder of the most widespread religion in the world is Jesus Christ. The holy book is the Bible. It includes the Old and New Testaments. Christianity promises its followers salvation from the Last Judgment that is about to take place. Today it is one of the most widespread movements in Europe.

Regardless of the collapse of the empire, the religion of Ancient Rome survived.

In 395 AD e. There was a split of Christianity into Eastern - Orthodoxy with its center in Constantinople (Byzantine Empire) and Western - Catholicism, the religious center of which is the Vatican.

The process was completed only in the 10th century. By 1054, the religion of the Romans was completely divided. And in the 16th century, the result of the struggle against the feudal lords was the separation of Protestants.

Statistics of religions in the world show that Orthodoxy is present in the following countries - Russia (72%), Albania (20%), Belarus (80%), Bulgaria (84%), Bosnia and Herzegovina (30%), Greece (98%) , Kazakhstan (44%), Kyrgyzstan (20%), South Korea (49%). The list continues with Macedonia (67%), Moldova (98.5%), Romania (70%), Ukraine (97%), Yugoslavia (65%). Religion is also present in other countries. The religion of Georgia is Orthodoxy.

Catholicism follows European conquests. This branch of Christianity has always been involved in politics. Catholicism has often been an aggressor towards other countries. Thanks to the spread of their influence in the Middle Ages, today 52% of the world's population are Catholics, while 12% are Orthodox. Catholicism:

religion of Italy (90%);
religion of Mexico (91%);
religion of Norway (85%).

A large percentage of Catholics are present in other countries. The religion of Armenia is Christianity. However, the country is neither Orthodox nor Catholic.

Another popular religious movement is Protestantism. It is present in many countries in Europe and America. Protestantism:

religion in Germany (40%);
US religion (51%);
religion in Canada (28%).

The youngest religion is Islam. It originated in the 7th century AD. e. The prophet of religion is Muhammad. He founded Islam. The holy book is the Koran. The meaning of religion is that a Muslim must submit to the will of Allah, without even trying to understand it. The Koran is a set of Sharia laws that prescribe moral, social, administrative and criminal standards for human life. Islam is a powerful factor in the formation of statehood (for example, Turkey - in the past the Ottoman Empire).

There was a split between Sunnis and Shiites. Sunnis recognize power only in the caliph elected by the community, and Shiites allow themselves to submit only to the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad - the imams.

As religion statistics show, many countries are Muslim. Beliefs are included in the main religious movements. Faith influences the characteristics of the formation of a worldview. Islam:

religion of Azerbaijan (93%);
religion of Kazakhstan (70%);
religion of Turkey (90%).

Buddhism

The founder is considered to be Siddhartha Gautama Shakyamuni, later Buddha (5th–6th century BC). The main point is that a person can escape the cycle of life and achieve nirvana. This is done by achieving bliss through one’s own experience, rather than taking it for granted. Religion statistics show that Buddhism is common in many countries that are culturally distant from each other. This includes Vietnam (79%), Laos (60%), Mongolia (96%), Thailand (93%), Sri Lanka (70%).

Statistics of religions in South Korea show that 47% of believers in the state profess Buddhism.

National religions

There are national and traditional religious movements, also with their own directions. They arose or became particularly widespread in certain countries, in contrast to the world. On this basis, the following types of beliefs are distinguished (enlarged list of religions):

Hinduism is the religion of India;
Confucianism and Taoism – China;
Shintoism is the religion of Japan;
paganism - Indian tribes, peoples of the North and Oceania.

Statistics of religions in Israel highlight Judaism as the main religion of the state, which is also included in the above list.

Classification by country

Beliefs are a factor in the formation of statehood. They lay down the attitude towards a woman and towards life in general. Statistics of religions by country will help you understand the diversity of world religions. Of course, beliefs changed over time. However, the main religions have survived to this day.

Russia

Statistics of religions in Russia show that the bulk of the country professes Orthodoxy (41%). They consider themselves believers, but have not decided on a religious movement (25%). People who consider themselves atheists (13%). The number of Muslims in the Russian Federation is 4.1%.

Kazakhstan

Statistics of religions in Kazakhstan report that the majority of the country's residents profess Islam (70%). Next comes Orthodoxy (26%). Only 3% of the country's population deny the existence of higher powers. Here it is even closely connected with religion.

Ukraine

What are the statistics of religions in Ukraine? Orthodoxy predominates in the country (74%). It is followed by Catholicism and Protestantism. Religion in Ukraine is very widespread. Less than 10% of residents identify themselves.

Religion Statistics

The number of religious denominations and non-religious groups in human society exceeds 27 thousand. This includes official religions, unrecognized religious movements, sects and associations, as well as followers of philosophical agnosticism. The age of religions is enormous. Their history dates back hundreds of years. People began to believe in higher powers even before Babylon and Assyria.

Everyone makes their own choice of religion. Not everyone comes to faith right away. Some begin to identify themselves with a particular denomination after 40 years of age. For a child, the characteristic features and basic approaches of religion are not always clear. The parents' task is to give a brief description of the chosen denomination and explain its postulates in a simple and age-appropriate form. Religion in school can help you figure out which faith to choose and how to abandon the imposed worldview.

However, despite so many existing beliefs, religion statistics show competition within groups.

A special perception of the world, which is based on belief in supernatural forces. Believers have a set of certain laws, moral rules, as well as their own special rituals. They unite to serve God in certain buildings, for example, Christians in churches, Muslims in mosques, etc. The most widespread religion in the world is Christianity. There are also others, less numerous, but no less significant. Any religion is based on belief in something that cannot be seen and confirmed by scientific facts. Believers rely on their inner vision; their beliefs can neither be proven nor disproved.

What teachings exist

The most widespread religion in the modern world, as already written above, besides it, there are two more world religions - Islam and Buddhism.

Christianity is characterized by the belief that God is one, but exists in three forms; God made an atoning sacrifice by giving his Son for the sins of the human race; there is life after death; there are good and evil spirits.

Islam is a younger teaching. His main theses: the one God is Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet. For Muslims, the obligatory rituals are:

daily five times prayer,
fasting (Ramadan),
almsgiving and pilgrimage to Mecca.

Holy Book - Koran.

Buddhism is the oldest of its kind. It is based on a story about a prince who left home to look for the meaning of life and at the age of 35 became enlightened - Buddha. According to his teaching, human life is suffering, and passion is to blame. Getting rid of them and achieving nirvana is the greatest benefit. According to Buddhism, after death there is a rebirth in a new incarnation, and what kind of incarnation it will be depends on behavior in past lives.

The most widespread religion in the world accounts for 32% of the total population of the Earth, Islam - 23% of the world population, and Buddhism - about 7%.

In addition to these main religions, there is also Hinduism, Judaism and many other movements.

What is the most widespread religion in the world?

Christianity is the largest in terms of both the number of followers and its geographical distribution. Christianity is based on the idea of the appearance of God through His incarnation in the form of the God-man - Jesus Christ. God's Word was subsequently recorded in the Holy Scriptures. The most widespread religion in the world has several movements. The largest of them are Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism. According to Christian dogmas, Jesus Christ came to Earth to save humanity from sins and open the way for them to unite with the Lord. He was crucified, died and rose again on the third day. The doctrine of the Resurrection is key to Christianity. There are seven sacraments in this religion: repentance, baptism, priesthood, marriage, consecration of oil, confirmation and communion. The main commandments in Christianity are: love for the Lord and neighbors.

Fastest growing religion

If the doctrine of Jesus Christ is the most widespread religion in the world, then Islam is one of the fastest growing. According to some reports, the number of Muslims has recently exceeded even the followers of Christ. This is more based on the fact that Christianity is divided into separate branches, and the comparison is not the total number of believers, but the number of Catholics. The issue is controversial, but in any case it is worth noting that even if Islam is not the largest religion today, the fact that the number of its followers is rapidly increasing every year is beyond doubt.

Rivalry between Islam and Christianity

Many people today have a question: “Which religion is the most widespread in the world”? Christianity and Islam have recently entered into global rivalry. Against the background of intense propaganda of Islam, the number of people who have accepted this faith is growing. At the same time, in Islamic countries the number of citizens who have converted to Christianity is increasing. The balance of power in different states is constantly changing. The increase in the number of Muslims is associated with many factors, one of them is the high birth rate in families preaching Islam. A very pressing question has recently become: will the confrontation between the two largest religions in the world develop into open hostility?

The role of religion in society

The religious affiliation of the population plays a huge role in the economic and social sphere. It largely determines the key sectors of the economy (for example, in Muslim countries, due to the ban on consuming pork and wine, these sectors practically do not develop), the population reproduction regime, the level of female employment, etc. That is why knowledge of the religious composition of the population helps to better understand many phenomena and processes occurring in a particular country.

Faith in God surrounds a person from infancy. In childhood, this still unconscious choice is associated with family traditions that exist in every home. But later a person can consciously change his religion. How are they similar and how are they different from each other?

The concept of religion and the prerequisites for its appearance

The word “religion” comes from the Latin religio (piety, sacredness). This is an attitude, behavior, actions based on faith in something that surpasses human understanding and is supernatural, that is, sacred. The beginning and meaning of any religion is faith in God, regardless of whether he is personified or impersonal.

There are several known preconditions for the emergence of religion. Firstly, from time immemorial man has been trying to go beyond the boundaries of this world. He strives to find salvation and consolation beyond his borders and sincerely needs faith.

Secondly, a person wants to give an objective assessment of the world. And then, when he cannot explain the origin of earthly life only by natural laws, he makes the assumption that a supernatural force is attached to all this.

Thirdly, a person believes that various events and incidents of a religious nature confirm the existence of God. The list of religions for believers already serves as real proof of the existence of God. They explain this very simply. If God did not exist, there would be no religion.

The most ancient types, forms of religion

The origin of religion occurred 40 thousand years ago. It was then that the emergence of the simplest forms of religious beliefs was noted. It was possible to learn about them thanks to the discovered burials, as well as rock and cave paintings.

In accordance with this, the following types of ancient religions are distinguished:

Totemism. A totem is a plant, animal or object that was considered sacred by one or another group of people, tribe, clan. The basis of this ancient religion was the belief in the supernatural power of the amulet (totem).

Magic. This is a form of religion based on belief in human magical abilities. With the help of symbolic actions, a magician is able to influence the behavior of other people, natural phenomena and objects from a positive and negative side.
Fetishism. From among any objects (an animal or human skull, a stone or a piece of wood, for example), one was selected to which supernatural properties were attributed. It was supposed to bring good luck and protect from danger.
Animism. All natural phenomena, objects and people have a soul. She is immortal and continues to live outside the body even after its death. All modern types of religions are based on the belief in the existence of souls and spirits.
Shamanism. The tribal leader or priest was believed to have supernatural powers. He entered into conversation with the spirits, listened to their advice and fulfilled their demands. Belief in the power of the shaman is at the core of this form of religion.

List of religions

There are more than a hundred different religious movements in the world, including ancient forms and modern movements. They have their own time of occurrence and differ in the number of followers. But at the heart of this large list are the three most numerous world religions: Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. Each of them has different directions.

World religions in the form of a list can be presented as follows:

1. Christianity (almost 1.5 billion people):

Orthodoxy (Russia, Greece, Georgia, Bulgaria, Serbia);
Catholicism (Western European countries, Poland, Czech Republic, Lithuania and others);
Protestantism (USA, UK, Canada, South Africa, Australia).

2. Islam (about 1.3 billion people):

Sunnism (Africa, Central and South Asia);
Shiism (Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan).

3. Buddhism (300 million people):

Hinayana (Myanmar, Laos, Thailand);
Mahayana (Tibet, Mongolia, Korea, Vietnam).

National religions

In addition, in every corner of the world there are national and traditional religions, also with their own directions. They originated or became particularly widespread in certain countries. On this basis, the following types of religions are distinguished:

Hinduism (India);
Confucianism (China);
Taoism (China);
Judaism (Israel);
Sikhism (Punjab state in India);
Shintoism (Japan);
paganism (Indian tribes, peoples of the North and Oceania).

Christianity

This religion originated in Palestine in the Eastern part of the Roman Empire in the 1st century AD. Its appearance is associated with faith in the birth of Jesus Christ. At the age of 33, he suffered martyrdom on the cross to atone for human sins, after which he was resurrected and ascended to heaven. Thus, the son of God, who embodied supernatural and human nature, became the founder of Christianity.

The documentary basis of the doctrine is the Bible (or Holy Scripture), consisting of two independent collections of the Old and New Testaments. The writing of the first of them is closely related to Judaism, from which Christianity originates. The New Testament was written after the birth of religion.

Symbols of Christianity are the Orthodox and Catholic cross. The main provisions of faith are defined in dogmas, which are based on faith in God, who created the world and man himself. Objects of worship are God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit.

Islam

Islam, or Islam, originated among the Arab tribes of Western Arabia at the beginning of the 7th century in Mecca. The founder of the religion was the Prophet Muhammad. This man was prone to loneliness from childhood and often indulged in pious reflections. According to the teachings of Islam, at the age of 40, the heavenly messenger Jabrail (Archangel Gabriel) appeared to him on Mount Hira, who left an inscription in his heart. Like many other world religions, Islam is based on belief in one God, but in Islam he is called Allah.

Holy Scripture - Koran. The symbols of Islam are the star and crescent. The main provisions of the Muslim faith are contained in dogmas. They must be recognized and unquestioningly implemented by all believers.

The main types of religion are Sunnism and Shiism. Their appearance is associated with political disagreements between believers. Thus, Shiites to this day believe that only the direct descendants of the Prophet Muhammad carry the truth, while Sunnis think that this should be a chosen member of the Muslim community.

Buddhism

Buddhism originated in the 6th century BC. Its homeland is India, after which the teaching spread to the countries of Southeast, South, Central Asia and the Far East. Considering how many other most numerous types of religions exist, we can safely say that Buddhism is the most ancient of them.

The founder of the spiritual tradition is Buddha Gautama. This was an ordinary person, whose parents were awarded the vision that their son would grow up to be a Great Teacher. The Buddha was also lonely and brooding, and very quickly turned to religion.

There is no object of worship in this religion. The goal of all believers is to achieve nirvana, a blissful state of insight, to free themselves from their own shackles. Buddha for them represents a certain ideal that should be equaled.

At the heart of Buddhism is the teaching of the Four Noble Truths: about suffering, about the origin and causes of suffering, about the true cessation of suffering and the elimination of its sources, about the true path to the cessation of suffering. This path consists of several steps and is divided into three stages: wisdom, morality and concentration.

New religious movements

In addition to those religions that originated a long time ago, new faiths still continue to appear in the modern world. They are still based on faith in God.

The following types of modern religions can be noted:

Scientology;
neo-shamanism;
neopaganism;
Burkhanism;
neo-Hinduism;
Raelites;
oomoto;
and other currents.

This list is constantly modified and supplemented. Some types of religions are especially popular among show business stars. For example, Tom Cruise, Will Smith, and John Travolta are seriously interested in Scientology.

This religion arose in 1950 thanks to science fiction writer L. R. Hubbard. Scientologists believe that every person is inherently good, his success and peace of mind depend on himself. According to the fundamental principles of this religion, people are immortal beings. Their experience lasts longer than one human life, and their abilities are unlimited.

But everything is not so simple in this religion. In many countries it is believed that Scientology is a sect, a pseudo-religion with a lot of capital. Despite this, the trend is very popular, especially in Hollywood.