Which world religion is the largest

Over years ago, Judaism was initiated in the Middle East region. Its beginnings go back to around the 8th century BC. It has a great history of religious text but Torah is the main and major religious document.

Their laws and their interpretation which exist in Torah are called Halakhah. Judaism is the oldest Abrahamic religion and is mainly observed in Israel. Their followers believe in one God. In Judaism, orthodox, conservative, and reform are the three observed branches. Around years ago in China, a religion was established known as Daoism. Today, Taoism has almost 12 million followers. Laozi is the founder of Taoism.

The book Daodejing, which is a basic tenet and text of this religion, is thought to have been written by him. Fasting and veganism are encouraged in this faith. This is because of physical and psychological health. The follower of this faith is known to believe in the occult and the metaphysical. Muism or Korean shamanism is a belief closely linked with traditional Korean history and culture.

Beliefs of this religion have a vital role in shaping the Korean Civilization. Around 6 million people follow the Confucianism teachings. The central hub of this faith in China. Confucianism teachings are based on Confucius who is regarded by many as one of the utmost humans to ever exist. By scrutinizing the above discussion into consideration, it can be said that Christianity is the largest religion and Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world.

Religion is the most important aspect of any individual life. So, there must be an authentic localization platform and vigilant translators to perform this important duty. This should be done for the sake of humanity because the history of man is full of bloodshed and religious wars just in the course of misinterpretation. Table of Contents.

Author Recent Posts. A part-time blogger who blog about Business, Information Technology, Digital Marketing, Real Estate, Digital Currencies, and Educational topics that can be of value to people who visit my website. Latest posts by Lawrence see all. Spread the love. Never miss out on future posts by following this site » If this content is beneficial to you, please leave a comment below and help to share the love!!! The worldwide population of Jewish people is estimated to be approximately 14 million.

There are multiple denominations of Judaism, including orthodox, conservative and reform. Core teachings and practices of the faith include:. While the five oldest religions, as detailed above, are generally considered to be the five main world religions, they are certainly not the only ones. Some newer religions are among the most popular faiths, defined as those religions that are most widely practiced worldwide.

These religions are among the oldest and most widely practiced, which is why they can be said to represent the five top religions in the world. There are multiple traditions within each one and many other religions exist. Start by learning how to identify differences between a cult and a religion. All rights reserved. Population percentages by religious affiliation break out as follows: Religion Population Percentage Christianity Christianity Overview Christianity is the largest religion in the world, with more than 2 billion believers worldwide.

Christianity is a monotheistic religion, which means that followers believe there is only one true God. Worship of God is an important aspect of Christianity.

There are several editions of the Christian bible; not all denominations use the same version. Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, sent to earth as a man and a messiah to save people from their sins.

After being entombed for three days, Jesus rose from the dead and then ascended from earth to heaven to be reunited with God. Christians have faith that there will be a second coming in which Jesus will return to Earth and take Christian believers back to heaven with him.

The Ten Commandments play an important role in Christian teachings. Islam Overview Islam is the second largest religion in the world, with an estimated 1. Key facts about Islam include: The Islamic faith is monotheistic, believing in Allah as the one true God. Islamic places of worship are referred to as mosques. Those who follow Islam commit to living life in submission to the will of Allah.

There are two major sects within Islam: Sunnis and Shiites. Muslims pray at five specific times throughout each day, following a specific prayer ritual. Followers of Islam are required to fast during the month of Ramadan.

Muslims are expected to complete a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca at least once in their lives. Many Muslim women wear a hijab that covers their hair, while others wear a niquab or burka , which conceals more of their appearance. The Quaran is the holy book of Islam. Hinduism Overview Hinduism began in India around B. The traditions and beliefs surrounding Buddhism can be traced to the original teachings of Gautama Buddha, a sagely thinker who is believed to have lived between the fourth and sixth centuries BCE.

The Buddha lived and taught in the eastern part of ancient India, providing the template for a faith based on the ideas of moral rectitude, freedom from material attachment or desire, the achievement of peace and illumination through meditation, and a life dedicated to wisdom, kindness, and compassion. Though its scriptures and traditions inform countless subsequent sects and ideologies, Buddhism is largely divided into two branches: Theravada — the goal of which is to achieve freedom from ignorance, material attachment, and anger by practicing the Noble Eightfold Path, all in pursuit of a sublime state called Nirvana; and Mahayana — the goal of which is aspire to Buddhahood by practicing the Zen principles of self-control, meditation, and expression of the insight of Buddha in your daily life, especially for the benefit of others, all to the end of achieving bodhisattva, or an ongoing cycle of rebirth by which you can continue to enlighten others.

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth. Christianity teaches that Jesus is the Son of God and the Messiah the savior of humanity foretold in the Torah, the primary scriptural doctrine of the Jewish faith. Christian scripture incorporates both the Torah referred to by Christians as the Old Testament with the story of Jesus, his teachings, and those of his contemporaneous disciples the New Testament.

These form the Bible , the central text of the Christian faith. This idea and its adherents spread rapidly through ancient Judea around the first century CE, then throughout the ancient world.

Christians believe Jesus successfully met and completed all the requirements of the Old Testament laws, took upon himself the sins of the world during his crucifixion, died, and rose to life again so that those who place their faith in him are forgiven their sins, reconciled to God, and granted grace for daily living. Christians maintain that heaven with God awaits them after bodily death, whereas eternal separation from God in hell awaits those who neither received forgiveness for their sins nor acknowledged Jesus as Lord.

Christianity has seen countless reformation movements, which spawned innumerable sects and offshoot denominations. Combined, Christianity is the largest religion in the world, with roughly 2.

Its impact on the shape of world history and on present-day world culture is incalculable. Confucianism was a dominant form of philosophy and religious orientation in ancient China, one that emerged from the teachings of Chinese philosopher Confucius, who lived — BCE. Confucius viewed himself as a channel for the theological ideas emerging from the imperial dynasties that came before him. With an emphasis on family and social harmony, Confucianism was a distinctly humanist and even secularist religious ideology.

Confucianism had a profound impact on the development of Eastern legal customs and the emergence of a scholar class and with it, a meritocratic way of governing. As Buddhism became the dominant spiritual force in China, Confucianism declined in practice. And with the emergence of communism and Maoism in the 20th century, the mainstream practice of Confucianism was largely at an end.

However, it remains a foundational ideology and force underlying Asian and Chinese attitudes toward scholarly, legal, and professional pursuits. Indeed, the strong work ethic advocated by Confucianism is seen as a major catalyst for the late 20th century rise of the Asian economies.

Today, there are various independent Confucian congregations, but it was only in that congregation leaders in China gathered together to form the Holy Confucian Church. Druze refers to an Arabic ethnoreligious group that originated in and still largely inhabits the Mountain of Druze region in southern Syria. Despite a small population of adherents, the Druze nonetheless play an important role in the development of their region known in historical shorthand as the Levant. The Druze view themselves as the direct descendants of Jethro of Midian, distinguished in Jewish scripture as the father-in-law of Moses.

As such, the Druze are considered related to Judaism by marriage. Like their in-laws, the Druze are monotheistic, professing faith in only one God. Druze ideologies are something of a hybrid though, drawing from the cultural teachings of Islam, but also incorporating the wisdom of Greek philosophers, such as Plato, and concepts of reincarnation similar to those in Hindu canon.

Indeed, its present-day scriptures and community remain somewhat insular. The close-knit communities rooted in present day Syria, Lebanon, and Israel have long been subject to persecution, particularly at the hands of Islamic theocracies. This may be one reason that the Druze, while participating actively in the politics and affairs of their home nations, shield their customs and practices from the eyes of outsiders.

Today, there are between , and one million Druze adherents, nearly all of them concentrated in the Middle East. A term adapted in modern historical discourse, gnosticism concerns the variety of religious systems and beliefs in the ancient world that emerged from the Judeo-Christian tradition. These belief systems held that emanations from a single God were responsible for the creation of the material world and that, as such, all humans carried the divine spark of God.

Emerging in the first century CE — in close concert with the emergence of Christianity — gnosticism is perhaps best understand as the intermediary set of ideas shared by portions of the world as Christianity gradually eclipsed Judaism in size and scope. During this period, — BCE, civilization transitioned from tribal and pastoral living into settled and agricultural living. From this emerged social classes, state-entities, and monarchies. The primary texts retelling this period of history are called the Vedas and would significantly inform the so-called Hindu Synthesis.

The Hindu Synthesis was a period of time, roughly BCE to CE, in which the precepts of Hinduism solidified from multiple intertwining strands of Indian spiritual and cultural tradition, emerging from a broad range of philosophies to share a unifying set of concepts. Critical among these concepts is the theme of the Four Purusarthas , or goals, of human life: Dharma ethics and duties , Artha prosperity and work , Kama desires and passions , and Moksha liberation and salvation.

Other important concepts include karma, which asserts a universal relationship between action, intent, and consequences; samsara, the Hindu concept of rebirth; and a wide range of Yogic practices merging the body, mind, and elements. Though no one figure or group is credited with its founding, Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world today. Islam is a monotheistic religion that — like Christianity and Judaism — traces its roots to the Garden of Eden, Adam, and the prophet Abraham.

Islam teaches that Allah is the only God and that Muhammed is his messenger. Islam holds that God spoke to Muhammed through the archangel Gabriel some time around CE, delivering the revelations that would form the Quran. This primary text of the Islamic faith is believed by adherents to contain the exact words of God and therefore provides a full and nonnegotiable blueprint for how to live.

The Quran and the Islamic legal code known as Sharia inform every aspect of life, from ethics and worship to family matters and business dealings. In the centuries to follow, Islam would simultaneously produce countless wars of succession and a growing sense of spiritual unity within the Arab World.

This dichotomy between internal conflict and cultural unity remains a presence in the Islamic faith today. This dichotomy would also give way to a division between the two dominant sects of Islam, Sunni and Shia. With more than 1. Jainism is an ancient Indian religion that — according to its adherents — can be traced through a succession of 24 sagely teachers.

The first of these teachers is thought to have been Rishabhanatha, who lived millions of years ago. These and other concepts are outlined in the Acaranga Sutra, the oldest of the Jainist scriptures. As one of the earliest extant religious traditions to emerge from the spiritually fertile Indian subcontinent, Jainism both shares with and diverges from features of the Hindu and Buddhist traditions that also emerged there.