with the largest group and sometimes includes the percent of total
population. The core characteristics and beliefs of the world's
major religions are described below.
Baha'i - Founded by Mirza Husayn-Ali (known as Baha'u'llah) in Iran
in 1852, Baha'i faith emphasizes monotheism and believes in one
eternal transcendent God. Its guiding focus is to encourage the
unity of all peoples on the earth so that justice and peace may be
achieved on earth. Baha'i revelation contends the prophets of major
world religions reflect some truth or element of the divine,
believes all were manifestations of God given to specific
communities in specific times, and that Baha'u'llah is an additional
prophet meant to call all humankind. Bahais are an open community,
located worldwide, with the greatest concentration of believers in
South Asia.
Buddhism - Religion or philosophy inspired by the 5th century B.C.
teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (also known as Gautama Buddha "the
enlightened one"). Buddhism focuses on the goal of spiritual
enlightenment centered on an understanding of Gautama Buddha's Four
Noble Truths on the nature of suffering, and on the Eightfold Path
of spiritual and moral practice, to break the cycle of suffering of
which we are a part. Buddhism ascribes to a karmic system of
rebirth. Several schools and sects of Buddhism exist, differing
often on the nature of the Buddha, the extent to which enlightenment
can be achieved - for one or for all, and by whom - religious orders
or laity.
Basic Groupings
Theravada Buddhism: The oldest Buddhist school, Theravada is
practiced mostly in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, and Thailand,
with minority representation elsewhere in Asia and the West.
Theravadans follow the Pali Canon of Buddha's teachings, and believe
that one may escape the cycle of rebirth, worldly attachment, and
suffering for oneself; this process may take one or several
lifetimes.
Mahayana Buddhism, including subsets Zen and Tibetan Buddhism:
Forms of Mahayana Buddhism are common in East Asia and Tibet, and
parts of the West. Mahayanas have additional scriptures beyond the
Pali Canon and believe the Buddha is eternal and still teaching.
Unlike Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana schools maintain the
Buddha-nature is present in all beings and all will ultimately
achieve enlightenment.
Christianity - Descending from Judaism, Christianity's central
belief maintains Jesus of Nazareth is the promised messiah of the
Hebrew Scriptures, and that his life, death, and resurrection are
salvific for the world. Christianity is one of the three
monotheistic Abrahamic faiths, along with Islam and Judaism, which
traces its spiritual lineage to Abraham of the Hebrew Scriptures.
Its sacred texts include the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament (or
the Christian Gospels).
Basic Groupings
Catholicism (or Roman Catholicism): This is the oldest
established western Christian church and the world's largest single
religious body. It is supranational, and recognizes a hierarchical
structure with the Pope, or Bishop of Rome, as its head, located at
the Vatican. Catholics believe the Pope is the divinely ordered head
of the Church from a direct spiritual legacy of Jesus' apostle
Peter. Catholicism is comprised of 23 particular Churches, or Rites
- one Western (Roman or Latin-Rite) and 22 Eastern. The Latin Rite
is by far the largest, making up about 98% of Catholic membership.
Eastern-Rite Churches, such as the Maronite Church and the Ukrainian
Catholic Church, are in communion with Rome although they preserve
their own worship traditions and their immediate hierarchy consists
of clergy within their own rite. The Catholic Church has a
comprehensive theological and moral doctrine specified for believers
in its catechism, which makes it unique among most forms of
Christianity.
Mormonism (including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints): Originating in 1830 in the United States under Joseph
Smith, Mormonism is not characterized as a form of Protestant
Christianity because it claims additional revealed Christian
scriptures after the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. The Book of
Mormon maintains there was an appearance of Jesus in the New World
following the Christian account of his resurrection, and that the
Americas are uniquely blessed continents. Mormonism believes earlier
Christian traditions, such as the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and
Protestant reform faiths, are apostasies and that Joseph Smith's
revelation of the Book of Mormon is a restoration of true
Christianity. Mormons have a hierarchical religious leadership
structure, and actively proselytize their faith; they are located
primarily in the Americas and in a number of other Western countries.
Orthodox Christianity: The oldest established eastern form of
Christianity, the Holy Orthodox Church, has a ceremonial head in the
Bishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), also known as a Patriarch, but
its various regional forms (e.g., Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox,
Serbian Orthodox, Ukrainian Orthodox) are autocephalous (independent
of Constantinople's authority, and have their own Patriarchs).
Orthodox churches are highly nationalist and ethnic. The Orthodox
Christian faith shares many theological tenets with the Roman
Catholic Church, but diverges on some key premises and does not
recognize the governing authority of the Pope.
Protestant Christianity: Protestant Christianity originated in
the 16th century as an attempt to reform Roman Catholicism's
practices, dogma, and theology. It encompasses several forms or
denominations which are extremely varied in structure, beliefs,
relationship to state, clergy, and governance. Many protestant
theologies emphasize the primary role of scripture in their faith,
advocating individual interpretation of Christian texts without the
mediation of a final religious authority such as the Roman Pope. The
oldest Protestant Christianities include Lutheranism, Calvinism
(Presbyterians), and Anglican Christianity (Episcopalians), which
have established liturgies, governing structure, and formal clergy.
Other variants on Protestant Christianity, including Pentecostal
movements and independent churches, may lack one or more of these
elements, and their leadership and beliefs are individualized and
dynamic.
Hinduism - Originating in the Vedic civilization of India (second
and first millennium B.C.), Hinduism is an extremely diverse set of
beliefs and practices with no single founder or religious authority.
Hinduism has many scriptures; the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the
Bhagavad-Gita are among some of the most important. Hindus may
worship one or many deities, usually with prayer rituals within
their own home. The most common figures of devotion are the gods
Vishnu, Shiva, and a mother goddess, Devi. Most Hindus believe the
soul, or atman, is eternal, and goes through a cycle of birth,
death, and rebirth (samsara) determined by one's positive or
negative karma, or the consequences of one's actions. The goal of
religious life is to learn to act so as to finally achieve
liberation (moksha) of one's soul, escaping the rebirth cycle.
Islam - The third of the monotheistic Abrahamic faiths, Islam
originated with the teachings of Muhammad in the 7th century.
Muslims believe Muhammad is the final of all religious prophets
(beginning with Abraham) and that the Qu'ran, which is the Islamic
scripture, was revealed to him by God. Islam derives from the word
submission, and obedience to God is a primary theme in this
religion. In order to live an Islamic life, believers must follow
the five pillars, or tenets, of Islam, which are the testimony of
faith (shahada), daily prayer (salah), giving alms (zakah), fasting
during Ramadan (sawm), and the pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj).
Basic Groupings
The two primary branches of Islam are Sunni and Shia, which split
from each other over a religio-political leadership dispute about
the rightful successor to Muhammad. The Shia believe Muhammad's
cousin and son-in-law, Ali, was the only divinely ordained Imam
(religious leader), while the Sunni maintain the first three caliphs
after Muhammad were also legitimate authorities. In modern Islam,
Sunnis and Shia continue to have different views of acceptable
schools of Islamic jurisprudence, and who is a proper Islamic
religious authority. Islam also has an active mystical branch,
Sufism, with various Sunni and Shia subsets.
Sunni Islam accounts for over 75% of the world's Muslim
population. It recognizes the Abu Bakr as the first caliph after
Muhammad. Sunni has four schools of Islamic doctrine and law -
Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali - which uniquely interpret the
Hadith, or recorded oral traditions of Muhammad. A Sunni Muslim may
elect to follow any one of these schools, as all are considered
equally valid.
Shia Islam represents 10-20% of Muslims worldwide, and its
distinguishing feature is its reverence for Ali as an infallible,
divinely inspired leader, and as the first Imam of the Muslim
community after Muhammad. A majority of Shia are known as
"Twelvers," because they believe that the 11 familial successor
imams after Muhammad culminate in a 12th Imam (al-Mahdi) who is
hidden in the world and will reappear at its end to redeem the
righteous.
Variants
Ismaili faith: A sect of Shia Islam, its adherents are also known
as "Seveners," because they believe that the rightful seventh Imam
in Islamic leadership was Isma'il, the elder son of Imam Jafar
al-Sadiq. Ismaili tradition awaits the return of the seventh Imam as
the Mahdi, or Islamic messianic figure. Ismailis are located in
various parts of the world, particularly South Asia and the Levant.
Alawi faith: Another Shia sect of Islam, the name reflects
followers' devotion to the religious authority of Ali. Alawites are
a closed, secretive religious group who assert they are Shia
Muslims, although outside scholars speculate their beliefs may have
a syncretic mix with other faiths originating in the Middle East.
Alawis live mostly in Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey.
Druze faith: A highly secretive tradition and a closed community
that derives from the Ismaili sect of Islam; its core beliefs are
thought to emphasize a combination of Gnostic principles believing
that the Fatimid caliph, al-Hakin, is the one who embodies the key
aspects of goodness of the universe, which are, the intellect, the
word, the soul, the preceder, and the follower. The Druze have a key
presence in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel.
Jainism - Originating in India, Jain spiritual philosophy believes
in an eternal human soul, the eternal universe, and a principle of
"the own nature of things." It emphasizes compassion for all living
things, seeks liberation of the human soul from reincarnation
through enlightenment, and values personal responsibility due to the
belief in the immediate consequences of one's behavior. Jain
philosophy teaches non-violence and prescribes vegetarianism for
monks and laity alike; its adherents are a highly influential
religious minority in Indian society.
Judaism - One of the first known monotheistic religions, likely
dating to between 2000-1500 B.C., Judaism is the native faith of the
Jewish people, based upon the belief in a covenant of responsibility
between a sole omnipotent creator God and Abraham, the patriarch of
Judaism's Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh. Divine revelation of principles
and prohibitions in the Hebrew Scriptures form the basis of Jewish
law, or halakhah, which is a key component of the faith. While there
are extensive traditions of Jewish halakhic and theological
discourse, there is no final dogmatic authority in the tradition.
Local communities have their own religious leadership. Modern
Judaism has three basic categories of faith: Orthodox, Conservative,
and Reform/Liberal. These differ in their views and observance of
Jewish law, with the Orthodox representing the most traditional
practice, and Reform/Liberal communities the most accommodating of
individualized interpretations of Jewish identity and faith.
Shintoism - A native animist tradition of Japan, Shinto practice is
based upon the premise that every being and object has its own
spirit or kami. Shinto practitioners worship several particular
kamis, including the kamis of nature, and families often have
shrines to their ancestors' kamis. Shintoism has no fixed tradition
of prayers or prescribed dogma, but is characterized by individual
ritual. Respect for the kamis in nature is a key Shinto value. Prior
to the end of World War II, Shinto was the state religion of Japan,
and bolstered the cult of the Japanese emperor.
Sikhism - Founded by the Guru Nanak (born 1469), Sikhism believes in
a non-anthropomorphic, supreme, eternal, creator God; centering
one's devotion to God is seen as a means of escaping the cycle of
rebirth. Sikhs follow the teachings of Nanak and nine subsequent
gurus. Their scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib - also known as the
Adi Granth - is considered the living Guru, or final authority of
Sikh faith and theology. Sikhism emphasizes equality of humankind
and disavows caste, class, or gender discrimination.
Taoism - Chinese philosophy or religion based upon Lao Tzu's Tao Te
Ching, which centers on belief in the Tao, or the way, as the flow
of the universe and the nature of things. Taoism encourages a
principle of non-force, or wu-wei, as the means to live harmoniously
with the Tao. Taoists believe the esoteric world is made up of a
perfect harmonious balance and nature, while in the manifest world -
particularly in the body - balance is distorted. The Three Jewels of
the Tao - compassion, simplicity, and humility - serve as the basis
for Taoist ethics.
Zoroastrianism - Originating from the teachings of Zoroaster in
about the 9th or 10th century B.C., Zoroastrianism may be the oldest
continuing creedal religion. Its key beliefs center on a
transcendent creator God, Ahura Mazda, and the concept of free will.
The key ethical tenets of Zoroastrianism expressed in its scripture,
the Avesta, are based on a dualistic worldview where one may prevent
chaos if one chooses to serve God and exercises good thoughts, good
words, and good deeds. Zoroastrianism is generally a closed religion
and members are almost always born to Zoroastrian parents. Prior to
the spread of Islam, Zoroastrianism dominated greater Iran. Today,
though a minority, Zoroastrians remain primarily in Iran, India, and
Pakistan.
Rank country (%) Date of Information