There are two groups of religions: Abrahamic religions, like Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, and Indian religions, like Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. Christianity is the largest religion in the world, with close to two billion followers.
1. Being a Christian.
Christianity has been around for 2,000 years. It is based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The Bible is the most important book for the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox churches, and the Protestant churches. As missionaries and colonists spread Christianity around the world over the centuries, it became more and more important.
2. ISLAM
Islam is the second most popular religion in the world. About 1.8 billion people follow it. It began in Mecca, which is now in Saudi Arabia, in the seventh century CE. The Prophet Muhammad, whom Muslims believe to be God’s last prophet (570–632 CE), spread it. Islam’s holy book, the Qur’an, is where Allah’s teachings are written down. It is the spiritual text of the faith. Sunnis make up about 80% of Muslims, while Shiah make up about 15%. The rest is divided into smaller pieces.
3. Hinduism
Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world, with about 1.1 billion followers. It is also one of the oldest, with beliefs and rituals that date back to the 1500s BCE. Most Hindus live in India, Nepal, and Indonesia, where more than 80% of the people say they are Hindu. Even though no one knows where Hinduism came from, its teachings have a big effect on the lives of its followers. Some parts of Hinduism are becoming more popular in the West, like yoga and the use of chakras (energy centers located all over the body) to find out what’s wrong with someone and treat it.
4. Buddhism
Buddhism is the fourth most popular religion in the world. There are about 500 million Buddhists around the world, and more than 250 million of them live in China alone. The religion began in India more than 2,500 years ago, and it was based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha. Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism are the two main types of Buddhism. Buddhist beliefs include making a promise not to hurt anyone and acting in an ethical way in all parts of life.
5. Shinto — The religion of the Japanese (104 million followers)
Shint is a religion in Japan that believes in more than one god. It was built in the 8th century. Even though it’s not a traditional organized religion, many things in Japanese culture are based on it.
6. Sikhism (Sikhism)
It is a religion based on what Guru Nanak Dev taught (25 million followers). Sikhism is a religion that is not as old as many others. It was started in India in the 1500s CE and is based on what Guru Nanak and his nine followers taught.
7. JUDAISM
The Torah is the basis of Judaism as a religion (14 million followers). This one-god religion started in the Middle East in the 8th century BCE. It has three main branches: Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism, and Reform Judaism. Even though each branch has a similar theological philosophy, there are differences in how they understand the Bible and other religious traditions.See_More…