World religions are beliefs and practices that have gained recognition among the peoples of many countries and continents. Learn how many world religions there are, which ones are major religions, and which religious movements are on the list of national and new religions in this article.
Concept of Religion
Religion is a certain system of views based on belief in the supernatural. It includes the observance of moral norms as well as rituals, depending on the particular belief. The terms “religion” and “faith” are often used synonymously, because faith is the acceptance of any fact as truth without evidence or reasoning, which is precisely what is characteristic of religion.
Beliefs serve a number of important functions for society:
- forming a picture of the world and an understanding of oneself;
- defining the meaning and purpose of life for a particular person;
- psychological relief by turning to God (removal of stress, no feeling of loneliness);
- unification of people, but also the flip side – the opposition (in the case of different religions);
- the development of art through religious works;
- education and instruction in specific rules of behavior.
“The term ‘religion’ comes from the Latin religare, to bind, or religio, to worship. Thus, religion is the connection between man and God, the world of the material and the ideal, the profane (secular, worldly) and the sacred (sacred).
History of Religion
Scientists date the appearance of religion to the emergence of mankind. Although at that time faith was still primitive and took unfamiliar forms for our time, it nevertheless helped to comprehend the world, to describe certain life situations and strengthen communication between people.
Even primitive people believed in life after death, because they could not know exactly what happens to a person at the end of his earthly existence. This also includes natural phenomena, which influenced the life of communities – people sincerely believed that the rain was controlled by one God, and the wind by another. Even in animals people found in common with humans and ascribed supernatural abilities to them. Hence the first religions, such as totemism and animism.
Totemism is a religion based on the supernatural connection between humans and animals that are similar to them in external features or habits. It was believed that because people identified themselves as predators, they were better able to hunt or fight with other tribes. Also, totemism relieved the fear of death because people sincerely believed that their soul would move into their totem animal and get rid of the weak human body.
Animism was a religion that originated in dreams. People were convinced that if they could wander in dreams, it meant that the soul was capable of existing separately from the body and in real life. Man believed in the existence of the “spirit” and tried in every way to please him, for example, through ritual dances or offerings.
What are the world’s religions?
The exact number of religions in the world is unknown, but scientists count about 10,000 religious movements. Of these, only a few are considered world religions because of their mass appeal.
Christianity
One of the world’s largest religions (it has about 2.3 billion followers around the planet). It is based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The most popular currents in Christianity at the moment:
- Orthodoxy;
- Catholicism;
- Protestantism.
Christianity is based on several dogmas (doctrinal statements):
- belief in the resurrection of Christ and the universal resurrection of men;
- the unity of the Most High in three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit);
- the incarnation of the Son of God into a representative of the human race for the purpose of ridding the human race of its sins.
The list of other doctrines varies according to the direction of Christianity. Originally this religion spread only among the Jews, but then, through the actions of various historical figures, it took on a mass character and spread to other pagan (non-Christian) nations.
Islam
The second largest religion after Christianity (more than 1.8 billion people). The founder of Islam is Muhammad – a man of ignorant origin from Mecca, who was given a divine revelation. His followers regard him as a prophet.
There are two main branches in the Muslim religion:
- Sunnism;
- Shi’ism.
Islamic doctrine is based on six tenets (pillars):
- belief in One God;
- Faith in God’s prophets;
- Faith in the scriptures revealed to the prophets;
- faith in angels;
- faith in the Day of Judgment and the future life;
- belief in destiny and predestination.
Buddhism
A religion originating in northeastern India and named after its founder, the Buddha (Shakyamuni Buddha), whose former name was Siddhartha Gautama. Legend has it that he grew up in a wealthy family, unaware of many troubles, and one day, as an adult, went outside his palace. Seeing the misery people were experiencing, he decided to wander all the way to self-denial. Throughout his life he sought the truth, studied various techniques of self-knowledge, and eventually became a preacher, called the Buddha (the enlightened one).
The basic concepts of the Buddhist religion are:
- Sansara – the rebirth and reincarnation of a person in another body;
- Karma – understanding the connection between bad and good deeds, which have their reflection in the future;
- Nirvana – liberation from suffering through spiritual growth and meditation.
Buddha’s religion is practiced by over 520 million people around the world.
Judaism
The Jewish religion is first and foremost the religion of the Jewish people, so it is rightly considered a national creed. The name of the religion came from the name of the tribe of Judah.
Today Judaism, which is practiced by about 14 million people, consists of three main directions:
- Rtodox (a classical form of religion);
- Reform (renounces rituals entirely, but retains the injunctions);
- Conservative (renounces part of the rituals).
The main commandments of Judaism are:
- God is one and he is real;
- God is spirit – he is an absolute being;
- God is the creator of all things, it is a force that acts constantly and everywhere, rules the whole world.
Shamanism
A religion based on communion with spirits. Perhaps one of the most ancient faiths, which was formed at the dawn of humanity. Shamanism has its roots in magic and totemism, but also fits well into the modern ways of many peoples. The religion has no specific founder, but resonates with many because of its ideas.
The main features of shamanism are:
- all material things have a soul;
- man is a mediator between spirits and nature;
- the soul can travel through dimensions;
- active self-government and self-knowledge.
National Religions
In short, these are the religions of one nation or state. They include Judaism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shintoism, and many others.
The emergence and formation of such religions is directly related to the development of the nation. Every nation in its time needed an ideology and opposition to other nations (which, at times, can be traced even today), therefore the formation of new faiths or the adoption of existing ones was inevitable.
New Religious Movements
The very name “new religious movements” suggests the recent timing of their emergence. Some researchers suggest that those movements formed beginning in the second half of the 19th century be considered new. Others speak of the 2nd half of the 20th-beginning of the 21st century-this, in the expert’s opinion, is a more justified classification. These can include: altruria, anthoinism, oomoto, mahikari, kopimism, kerista, jedaism, and many others.
- According to the religious scholar, the reasons for the emergence of new religious movements are:
- The separation of the institution of the church from the state. This leads to a kind of uneducation about traditional religions and provides the ground for the spread of new religious movements;
- Globalization – the consolidation of societies, corporations, processes, etc. Linked to this phenomenon is one of the features of new religious movements – syncretism. That is, the connection of different religious beliefs into one. For example, “new age” (new era) combines Buddhism, neo-paganism, shamanism, oriental practices, magic, etc;
- connection of traditional and new beliefs, for example, on the basis of Christianity and Islam there are new cults, which go far from the teachings of these religions, bringing modern innovations (astrology, numerology)