The birth of religions
The process of sociogenesis, which lasted 1.5 million years during the "Stone Age" (Paleolithic), ended approximately 35-40 thousand years ago. By this turn, the forefathers - Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons already knew how to make fire, had a tribal system, language, rituals, and painting. The presence of tribal relations meant that food and sexual instincts were placed under the control of society. There is an idea of ​​what is permitted and forbidden, totems appear - initially these are "sacred" symbols of animals. There are magical rites - symbolic actions aimed at a specific result.
In the IX-VII millennium BC, the so-called neolithic revolution- the invention of agriculture. The Neolithic period lasts until the appearance of the first cities in the 4th millennium BC, when the history of civilization is considered to have begun.
At this time, private property arises and, as a result, inequality. The processes of disunity that have arisen in society must be opposed by a system of values ​​and standards of behavior recognized by all. The totem is modified and becomes a symbol of a higher being that has unlimited power over a person. Thus, religion acquires a global character, finally taking shape as a socially integrating force.

Ancient Egypt
Arising on the banks of the Nile IV millennium BC Egyptian civilization one of the oldest. The influence of totemism in it is still very strong, and all the original Egyptian gods are animal-like. Faith in the afterlife retribution appears in religion, and existence after death is no different from earthly. For example, here are the words of the formula of self-justification of the deceased before Osiris: "... I did no harm ... I did not steal ... I did not envy ... I did not measure my face ... I did not lie ... I did not idle talk .. ... I did not commit adultery ... I was not deaf to right speech ... I did not offend another ... I did not raise my hand to the weak ... I did not cause tears ... I did not kill ... I did not cursed..."
It is believed that Osiris dies daily and is resurrected as the Sun, in which his wife Isis helps him. The idea of ​​resurrection will then be repeated in all religions of redemption, and the cult of Isis will exist in the time of Christianity, becoming the prototype of the cult of the Virgin Mary.
Egyptian temples are not only a place of worship - they are workshops, schools, libraries, and a gathering place not only for priests, but for scientists of that time. Religion and science, like other social institutions, did not yet have a clear differentiation at that time.

Ancient Mesopotamia
In the 4th millennium BC, in the valley between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the state of the Sumerians and Akkadians developed - Ancient Mesopotamia. The Sumerians invented writing, began to build cities. They passed on to their historical successors - the Babylonians and Assyrians, and through them - to the Greeks and Jews, their technical achievements, legal and moral norms. Sumerian legends about the global flood, the creation of a man from clay, and women from a man's rib became part of the Old Testament traditions. In the religious beliefs of the Sumerians, man is a lower being, his destiny is enmity and illness, and after death - existence in the gloomy underworld.
All the inhabitants of the Sumerians belonged to their temple as a community. The temple took care of orphans, widows, beggars, performed administrative functions, settled conflicts between the townspeople and the state.
The religion of the Sumerians was associated with the observation of the planets and the interpretation of the cosmic order - astrology, of which they became the founders. Religion in Mesopotamia did not have the character of strict dogmas, which was reflected in the freethinking of the ancient Greeks, who adopted a lot from the Sumerians.

Ancient Rome
The main religion of Rome was the cult of the polis gods - Jupiter (the main god), Hope, Peace, Valor, Justice. The mythology of the Romans is little developed, the gods are presented as abstract beginnings. At the forefront of the Roman Church is expediency, assistance in specific earthly affairs with the help of magical rites.

Judaism
Judaism - begins to take shape in its present form in the XIII century BC. when the Israelite tribes came to Palestine. The main god was Yahweh (Jehovah), whom the Jews considered their own god of their people, but did not exclude their gods from other peoples. In 587 BC. e. Jerusalem was captured by the troops of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. When Babylon fell 50 years later, a new era of Judaism begins: the myth of the prophet Moses arises, Yahweh is recognized as the only god of all things, and the people of Israel are the only God-chosen people, provided that they honor Yahweh and recognize his monotheism.
Religiosity in Judaism is reduced to a purely external worship, strict observance of all prescribed rituals, as the fulfillment of the terms of the "agreement" with Yahweh, in expectation of a "fair" retribution from him.
Kabbalah. In the 12th century, a new trend appeared in Judaism - cabal. The essence of which is the esoteric study of the Torah and other Jewish religious artifacts as sources of mystical knowledge.

world religions

Buddhism
Buddhism originated in India in the 6th-5th century BC. e. in contrast to caste Hinduism, where only the highest castes of Brahmins can achieve enlightenment. At that time, in India, as well as in China, and Greece, there were processes of philosophical rethinking of existing norms, which led to the creation of a religion independent of caste, although the concept of karma (reincarnations) was not denied. The founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama Shakyamuni - the Buddha - was the son of a prince from the Shakya tribe, who did not belong to the Brahmin caste. For these reasons, Buddhism was not widely spread in India.
In the views of Buddhism, the world strives for peace, the absolute dissolution of everything in nirvana. Therefore, the only true aspiration of a person is nirvana, tranquility and merging with eternity. In Buddhism, no importance was attached to any social community and religious dogmas, and the main commandment was absolute mercy, non-resistance to any evil. A person could rely only on himself, no one will save and save him from the suffering of samsara, except for a righteous lifestyle. Therefore, in fact, Buddhism can be called a teaching, an "atheistic" religion.
In China, where Buddhism was very widespread, although not as much as Confucianism, Zen Buddhism arose in the 7th century, absorbing the rationalism inherent in the Chinese nation. It is not necessary to achieve nirvana, you just need to try to see the Truth around you - in nature, work, art and live in harmony with yourself.
Zen Buddhism also had a huge impact on the cultures of Japan and some other countries of the East.

Christianity
One of the fundamental differences between Christianity and other world religions is integrity historical description a world that exists once and is directed by God from creation to destruction - the coming of the Messiah and the Last Judgment. In the center of Christianity is the image of Jesus Christ, who is both god and man at the same time, whose teachings must be followed. The holy book of Christians is the Bible, in which to old testament(the holy book of the followers of Judaism) added the New Testament, which tells about the life and teachings of Christ. The New Testament includes four Gospels (from Greek - the gospel).
The Christian religion promised its followers the establishment of peace and justice on earth, as well as salvation from the terrible judgment, which, as the first Christians believed, was to take place soon.
Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire in the 4th century. In 395, the Roman Empire split into western and eastern parts, which led to the separation of the western church, headed by the pope, and the eastern churches, headed by the patriarchs - Constantinople, Antioch, Jerusalem and Alexandria. Formally, this gap ended in 1054.
Christianity brought to Russia from Byzantium a high level of culture, philosophical and theological thought, contributed to the spread of literacy, softening of morals. Orthodox Church in Russia, in fact, it was part of the state apparatus, always following the commandment "all power is from God." For example, leaving Orthodoxy until 1905 was considered a criminal offense.
IN Western Europe dominated Roman Catholic Church(Catholic - universal, universal). For the Catholic Church, claims to supreme power both in politics and in secular life are typical - theocracy. Related to this is the intolerance of the Catholic Church towards other confessions and worldviews. After Second Vatican Council(1962 - 1965) the positions of the Vatican were significantly adjusted in accordance with the realities of modern society.
The anti-feudal movement that began in the 16th century was also directed against Catholicism, as the ideological pillar of the feudal system. The leaders of the Reformation in Germany and Switzerland - Martin Luther, John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli - accused the Catholic Church of distorting true Christianity, calling for early Christians to return to the faith, eliminating intermediaries between man and God. The result of the Reformation was the creation of a new variety of Christianity - Protestantism.
The Protestants came up with the idea universal priesthood, abandoned indulgences, pilgrimages, church clergy, veneration of relics, etc. public relations.

Islam
Islam can be called a religion of humility and complete submission to the will of God. In VII, Islam was founded by the Prophet Mohammed on the foundation of the Arab tribal religions. He proclaimed the monotheism of Allah (al or el - the general Semitic root of the word "god") and obedience to his will (Islam, Muslims - from the word "submission").
Muslims explain the numerous coincidences of the Bible and the Koran by the fact that Allah had previously transmitted his commandments to the prophets - Moses and Jesus, but they were distorted by them.
In Islam, the will of God is incomprehensible, irrational, therefore, a person should not try to understand it, but should only blindly follow it. The Islamic Church is essentially a state itself, a theocracy. The laws of Islamic Sharia are the laws of Muslim law that regulate all aspects of life. Islam is a powerful motivating and unifying religious doctrine, which made it possible in a short time to create a highly developed civilization from a few Semitic tribes, which in the Middle Ages for some time became the head of world civilization.
After the death of Muhammad between his relatives there was a conflict, accompanied by a murder cousin Muhammad Ali ibn Abu Talib and his sons, who wished to continue the teachings of the prophet. What led to the split of Muslims into Shiites (minority) - recognizing the right to lead the Muslim community only for the descendants of Muhammad - imams, and Sunnis (majority) - according to which, power should belong to caliphs elected by the entire community.

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. Exists great amount, each of which has its own laws, procedures, memorable calendar dates, 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 different 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 perfectly 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 track 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 beauty, but sincerity, which is why the rites are not pompous, 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 the 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 creature 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 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.

Religion is a certain worldview, seeking to know the higher mind, which is the root cause of everything that exists. Any belief reveals to a person the meaning of life, his destiny in the world, helping to 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?

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

World religions are called so because they have gone far beyond the borders of the nation, the country, have spread to a huge number of nationalities. Non-worldly confessions within a smaller number of people. The basis of the monotheistic view is the belief in one God, while the pagan view suggests the presence of several deities.

The largest world religion that 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 essence of Christianity and its distinctive features from other religions are as follows:

Orthodox Christianity has adhered to the 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.
• Seven.
• Movable annual.
• Fixed annual.

In Orthodoxy, there are seven main Sacraments:

• Baptism.
• Chrismation.
• 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 who takes care of his creation and bestows 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. Those who wish to restore their former holiness, to get rid of passions, the Lord helps on this path.

Catholic teaching is a major trend in Christianity, spread mainly in Europe, Latin America and the United States. This creed has much in common with Orthodoxy in understanding God and the relationship between the Lord and man, but there are fundamental and important differences:

• the infallibility of the head of the church of the Pope;
• 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 rank are endowed with Divine Grace, they are assigned the role of shepherds, and the laity are herds;
• the doctrine of indulgence as a treasury of good deeds done by Christ and the Saints, and the Pope, as the vicar of the Savior on earth, distributes the forgiveness of sins to whom he wants and who needs it;
• adding your understanding to the dogma of the Holy Spirit emanating from the Father and the Son;
• introduction of dogmas on the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary and Her bodily ascension;
• the doctrine of purgatory as the middle state human soul cleansed from sins as a result of severe trials.

And 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 a 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 the Catholic purgatory.

Distinctive features of Protestantism from Catholicism and Orthodoxy:

• minimizing church sacraments - until Baptism and Communion;
• there is no division into clergy and laity, every well-prepared person in matters of Holy Scripture can be a priest for himself and for others;
• worship takes place on mother tongue, is based on joint prayer, reading psalms, 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 deeds will not help to be justified before God;
• recognition of the exclusive authority of the Bible, and each believer interprets the words of Scripture at his own discretion, the criterion is 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 youngest world monotheistic religion. The number of believers is about 1.5 billion people. The founder is the prophet Mohammed. 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 the sixth duty of Muslims - jihad, manifested in the struggle for faith, zeal, diligence. There are five types of jihad:

• inner self-perfection on the way to God;
• armed struggle against unbelievers;
• struggle with your passions;
• separation of good and evil;
• taking action against criminals.

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

A world pagan religion that denies the existence of a Deity. Founded in India by Prince Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha). Briefly boils down to the teaching of the four noble truths:

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

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

• a correct understanding of the world as a lot of suffering and sorrow;
• gaining a firm intention to curtail your wishes and aspirations;
• control of speech, which should be friendly;
• performing virtuous deeds;
• trying not to harm living beings;
• the expulsion of evil thoughts and the mood for good ones;
• 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, spread to varying degrees: Hinduism, Vedism, Brahminism, Jainism, Shaivism.

What is the oldest religion in the world?

For ancient world polytheism (polytheism) was characteristic. For example, the Sumerian, ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman religions, druidism, asatru, Zoroastrianism.

Judaism is considered one of the ancient monotheistic beliefs - 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.

Also available different kinds Judaism: Conservative, Reformist, Reconstructionist, Humanistic and Renovationist.

Today it is difficult to give an unambiguous answer to the question "What is the oldest religion in the world?", as archaeologists regularly find new data to confirm the emergence of different worldviews. We can say that beliefs in the supernatural have been inherent in mankind at all times.

The huge variety 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 currents and branches from existing world and other beliefs.

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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10

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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9

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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8

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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7

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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6

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 the majority in Burma, Japan, China and Sri Lanka. The founder of Buddhism is Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) and his teachings.

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5

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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4

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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3

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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2

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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1

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!

World religions - a system of beliefs and practices that defines the relationship between the divine realm, and a particular society, group or individual. It manifests itself in the doctrinal form (doctrine, faith), in religious activities (worship, ritual), in the social and organizational sphere (religious community, church) and in the sphere of individual spirituality.

Also, religion is any cultural system of certain behaviors, worldviews, sacred places that connect humanity with the supernatural or transcendental. But there is no scientific consensus on what exactly constitutes a religion.

According to Cicero, this name comes from the Latin word relegere or religere.

Different kinds of religions may or may not contain different elements of divine, sacred things. Religious practices include rituals, sermons, worship (of deities, idols), sacrifices, festivals, holidays, trances, initiations, funeral services, meditations, prayers, music, art, dance, community services, or other aspects of human culture. Almost every religion has sacred stories and narratives preserved in scriptures, as well as symbols and holy places to give meaning to life. Religions contain symbolic stories to explain the origin of life, the universe, and so on. Traditionally, faith, in addition to reason, is considered the source of religious beliefs.

History of religion

No one can answer how many religions exist in the world, but there are about 10,000 different currents known today, although about 84% of the world's population is associated with one of the five largest: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, or forms of "national religion" .

There are a number of theories regarding the origins of religious practices. According to authoritative anthropologists, many of the world's religions began as activating, inciting movements, as the vision of the origin of the world, people (etc.) by a charismatic prophet gave rise to the imagination of a large number of people looking for a more complete answer to their questions and problems . A world religion is not characterized by a particular environment or ethnicity and can be widespread. Exist different types world religions, and each of them carries prejudices. The essence of this may be, among other things, that believers tend to consider their own, and sometimes do not recognize other religions or the same, as important.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the humanistic denomination divided religious faith into certain philosophical categories - "world religions".

The five largest religious groups in the world include 5.8 billion people - 84% of the population - these are Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism and traditional folk beliefs.

Christianity

Christianity is based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who is considered the founder of this movement (1st century AD), his life is set out in the Bible (Old and New Testaments). Christian faith is the belief in Jesus as the Son of God, Savior and Lord. Almost all Christians believe in the Trinity, which teaches the unity of the Father, Son (Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit as three in one Deity. Christians may describe their faith as the Nicene Creed. As a religious doctrine, Christianity originated from Byzantine civilization in the first millennium and spread throughout Western Europe during colonization and further around the world. The main branches of Christianity are (according to the number of adherents):

• - The Catholic Church, headed by a bishop;
• – Eastern Christianity, including Eastern Orthodoxy and the Eastern Church;
• – Protestantism, split off from the Catholic Church in the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century and divided into thousands of denominations.

The main branches of Protestantism include: Anglicanism, Baptism, Calvinism, Lutheranism and Methodism, each of which contains many different denominations or groups.

Islam

Based on the Koran - the holy book about the Prophet Muhammad, called the main political and religious leader who lived in the seventh century AD. Islam is based on the fundamental unity of religious philosophies and accepts all the prophets of Judaism, Christianity and other Abrahamic beliefs. It is the most widely practiced religion in Southeast Asia, North Africa, West Asia, and Central Asia, and has a Muslim majority in parts of South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Europe. There are several Islamic republics - Iran, Pakistan, Mauritania and Afghanistan.

Islam is divided into the following interpretations:

1. – Sunni Islam is the largest denomination in Islam;
2. - Shiite Islam - the second largest;
3. - Ahmadiyya.

There are Muslim revivalist movements such as Muwakhidism and Salafism.

Other denominations of Islam include: the Nation of Islam, Sufism, Quranism, non-denominational Muslims and Wahhabism, which is the dominant Muslim school in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Buddhism

Covers a variety of traditions, beliefs and spiritual practices, most based on the teachings of the Buddha. Buddhism originated in ancient India between the 6th and 4th centuries BC. e., from where it began to spread across Asia. Scholars identify two key surviving branches of Buddhism: Theravada ("School of Elders") and Mahayana ("Great Ship"). Buddhism is the fourth religion in the world with over 520 million adherents - more than 7% of the world's population.

Buddhist schools differ on the precise nature of the path to liberation, the importance and canonicity of various teachings and scriptures, especially their practices. The practical methods of Buddhism include "going" to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, comprehending the scriptures, following ethical and virtuous precepts, renouncing attachment, practicing meditation, cultivating wisdom, grace and compassion, practicing Mahayana - bodhichitta and practicing Vajrayana - stages of generation and stage completion.

In Theravada, the ultimate goal is to end the kleshas and achieve the exalted state of nirvana through the practice of the Noble Eightfold Path (Middle Path). Theravada is widespread in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.

Mahayana, which includes the Pure Land, Zen, Nichiren Buddhism, Shingon and Tantai (Tendai) traditions, is found in East Asia. Instead of reaching Nirvana, the Mahayana seeks the Buddha through the path of the bodhisattva, a state in which a person remains in the cycle of rebirth, the peculiarity of this is to help other people achieve awakening.

The Vajrayana, the body of teachings attributed to the Indian Siddhas, can be considered as a third branch or simply part of the Mahayana. Tibetan Buddhism, which preserves the Vajrayana teachings, is practiced in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, Mongolia, and Kalmykia.

Judaism

- the oldest in age, the Abrahamic denomination, which originated in ancient Israel. The Torah becomes the foundational scripture and part of the larger text known as the Tanakh or the Hebrew Bible. It is complemented by traditions written down in later texts such as the Midrash and the Talmud. Judaism includes a vast body of scriptures, practices, theological positions, and forms of organization. There are many movements in this religion, most of which came from rabbinic Judaism, which proclaims that God revealed his laws and commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai in the form of inscriptions on stones, and oral form - the Torah. Historically, this claim has been disputed by various scientific groups. The largest Jewish religious movements are Orthodox Judaism (Haredi), conservative and reformist.

shamanism

It is a practice that includes actions that achieve a change of consciousness in order to perceive and interact with the spirit world.

A shaman is one who has access to the world of good and evil spirits. The shaman enters a trance state during the ritual and practice of divination and healing. The word "shaman" probably comes from the Evenki language of North Asia. This term became widely known after Russian troops conquered the shamanic khanate of Kazan in 1552.

The term "shamanism" was first used by Western anthropologists for the ancient religion of the Turks and Mongols, as well as the neighboring Tungus and Samoyed peoples. Observing and comparing more religious traditions around the world, some Western anthropologists have come to use the term in a broad sense to describe the unrelated magical-religious practices found in the ethnic religions of other parts of Asia, Africa, Australia, and even completely unrelated parts of North and South America, since they believed that these practices were similar to each other.

Shamanism involves the assumption that shamans become mediators or messengers between human world and spiritual. Where this phenomenon is common, people believe that shamans cure diseases and heal the soul, that shamans can visit other worlds (dimensions). The shaman acts, first of all, which influences the human world. Restoring balance leads to the elimination of the disease.

National religions

Indigenous or national teachings belong to a broad category of traditional religions that can be characterized by shamanism, animism and ancestor worship, where traditional means, whether indigenous or foundational, are passed down from generation to generation. These are religions that are closely associated with a particular group of people, one ethnicity or tribe, they often do not have formal creeds or scriptures. Some religions are syncretic, bringing together different religious beliefs and practices.

New religious currents

A new religious movement - a young religion or alternative spirituality, is a religious group, has a modern origin and occupies a peripheral place in the dominant religious culture of society. May be new in origin or part of a larger religion, but distinct from pre-existing denominations. It has been estimated by scholars that this new movement has hundreds of thousands of followers worldwide, with the majority of its members living in Asia and Africa.

New religions often face hostile reception from traditional religious organizations and various secular institutions. Currently, there are several scientific organizations and peer-reviewed journals dedicated to this issue. Researchers attribute the rise of new religious movements in modern times to responses to contemporary processes of secularization, globalization, fragmentation, reflexivity, and individualization.

There are no single agreed criteria for defining a "new religious movement". However, the term suggests that the group is of recent origin. One view is that "new" may mean that the teaching is more recent in origin than most known ones.

Thus, in this article, we have reviewed the world's religions from the "oldest" to the "youngest", from the most significant to the least known.