Religions of the World

We will examine things like: Number Listings History Beliefs Terminologies We will study in depth in later lessons

Ranked by Number of Adherents Sikhism 23 M Juche 19 M Spiritism 15 M Judaism 14 M Baha’I 7 M Jainism 4.2 M Shinto 4 M Cao Dai 4 M Zoroastrianism 2.6M Tenrikyo 2 M Christianity 2.1 B Islam 1.5 B Secular/ Nonreligious Agnostic/Atheist 1.1 Hinduism 900 M Chinese Trad. 394M Buddhism 376M Primal-indigenous 300M African Trad. 100M

Eleven Largest “Christian” Nations 1.USA 224,457,000 85% 2.Brazi1 139,000,000 93% 3.Mexico 86,120,000 99% 4.Russia 80,000,000 60% 5.China 70,000,000 5.7% 6.Germany 67,000,000 83% 7.Philippines 63,470,000 93% 8.United Kingdom 51,060,000 88% 9.Italy 47,690,000 90% 10.France 44,150,000 98% 11.Nigeria 38,180,000 45%

Ten Most “Christian” States 1. Utah 79.60% 1,371,000 2. North Dakota 75.90% 485,000 3. Rhode Island 75.10% 754,000 4. Alabama 70.70% 2,858,000 5. Louisiana 70.10% 2,959,000 6. Mississippi 70.10% 1,804,000 7. South Dakota 68.10% 474,000 8. Oklahoma 66.50% 2,097,000 9. Minnesota 64.20% 2,807,000 10.Wisconsin 63.90% 3,125,000

Classical World Religions A-Z Baha’I Buddhism Christianity Confucianism Hinduism Islam Jainism Judaism Shinto Sikhism Taoism Zoroastrianism

Christianity 33% of the world’s population adheres to some type of Christianity It is currently the largest of all religions This includes, Amish, Anglicans, Assemblies of God, Baptist, Catholics, Christian Science, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witness, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterian, church of Christ, Christian church, Eastern Orthodox, Salvation Army, Seventh Day Adventist, with many community non denominational churches springing up and don’t forget the Cowboy Churches.

Islam Between 1 billion and 1,800,000,000.00 High birth rates throughout the world is making their numbers grow dramatically Made up of mostly Sunni and Shi’ite but other groups include Sufis, Druze the US group known as Black Muslims and Ahmadiyya [ah-muh-dee-yuh] Many think there are more practicing Muslims in the world than Christians

Non Religious 16-20% of World That is about 1.2 billion or 1,200,000,000.00 persons Most are agnostics - a person who holds that the existence of the ultimate cause, as God, and the essential nature of things are unknown and unknowable, or that human knowledge is limited to experience. Many are atheist - a person who denies or disbelieves the existence of a supreme being or beings. Many of these are from China and Russia after Communist takeover.

In The Western World Europe is by far the place with the most self-avowed nonreligious, atheists and agnostics with Scandivavia being particularly high. There are about 41 million in Europe alone. Australia and New Zealand have about 15%. The United States is not far behind at 13.2 % of the population being nonreligious

Hinduism 1.4 billion as a possible high normally thought to be about 850 million to one billion Nepal’s population is 89% , India is 79% Mauritius [maw-rish-uh s ] 52% Guyana, Fiji, Suriname, Bhutan, Trinadad, Sri Lanka, Bangledesh and Indonesia US population is very small with New York leading and New Jersey a distant second

Buddhism Thailand at 95% of their population Cambodia at 90 % 230 to 500 million world wide Thailand at 95% of their population Cambodia at 90 % Myanmar [my-yahn-mar] at 88% Bhutan [boo-tahn] at 75% Sri Lanka at 70% Tibet at 65% Laos at 60% Vietnam at 55% Japan at 50%

Chinese Traditional Religions Includes Confucianism up to 350 million Taoism up to 200 million Chinese Buddhism Local and tribal customs About 23,000 in US Taoism has been declining greatly in China Many Confucianists in Korea – 5 million

Primal-Indigenous Tribal religionist – Ethnic religionist – Animist range from 100 to 457 million world wide Most are from Africa Siberia has many of this sect Many different beliefs based on local customs and traditions Many use oral rather than written canon There is a lack of rigid boundaries between sacred and secular aspects of life but it varies greatly among all groups.

African Traditional and Diasporic Yoruba [yawr-uh-buh] Pre-technological peoples Dated back before any influences due to European colonialism Cohesive rituals, beliefs and organization were spread throughout the world of Yoruba and other tribal groups such as Fon 100 million belong to this group Santeria [sahn-tuh-ree-uh] merge with Catholic , Camdomble, Vodoun [vo doon] - Spell or curse- also in Haiti, Cuba and Benin –Diasporic Religion (dī-ās'pər-ə)

Spiritism 15 Million in Brazil and the world Cross between Yoruba [yawr-uh-buh ] and Catholic Began in France A belief in the existence of spirits - non-physical beings that live in the invisible or spirit world - and the possibility of communication between these spirits and living people through mediums.

Sikhism [see-kiz-uh m] founded on the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev fifth-largest organized religion in the world Sikhism advocates the pursuit of salvation through disciplined, personal meditation on the name and message of God. A key distinctive feature of Sikhism is a non-anthropomorphic concept of God, to the extent that one can interpret God as the Universe itself. Most Sikhs live in Punjab in India and, until India's partition, millions of Sikhs lived in what is now Pakistani Punjab

Juche North Korean religion Juche religion is modeled after Christianity. Instead of God the Father, the Juche religion worships Kim Il-sung, North Korea's original dictator who died in 1994 yet continues to rule as North Korea's "Eternal President" and official head of state. The Juche religion teaches North Koreans that upon death, they will be reunited with Kim Il-sung and be with him forever.

Recognizing the power of Christianity, Kim wanted it to be directed at himself. So he took Christianity, removed God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, set up himself, his wife and son as the new trinity, and called it Juche. At its core, Juche is a counterfeit Christianity that is deathly afraid of true version, and rightfully so. Why did the North Koreans let him get away with it? They apparently tried to stop him and many groups, including Christians, rose up in protest, but were brutally crushed. Those who weren't shot were sent to and remain in concentration camps.

The country that most needs smuggled Bibles today - much more than China does - is North Korea, where possessing even just one Bible is grounds for execution. Unfortunately, North Korea is also the country that Bible smuggling organizations have the toughest time penetrating.

Judaism 12 to 17 million worldwide 5.7 million in the US and almost 400,000 in Canada Jews consider Judaism to be the expression of the covenantal relationship between the Children of Israel (later, the Jewish nation) and God. Judaism can claim a historical continuity spanning close to three millennia. It is one of the oldest monotheistic religions, and the oldest surviving.

Babi & Baha’I 5 to 6 million world wide The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in nineteenth-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. The Bahá'í Faith teaches a doctrine of the oneness of the entire human race and the basic unity of all religions. Religious history is seen to have unfolded through a series of divine messengers, each of whom established a religion that was suited to the needs of the time and the capacity of the people. These messengers have included Abraham, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad and others, including most recently Bahá'u'lláh

Jainism 4.9 million followers in India an ancient dharmic religion from India that prescribes a path of non-violence for all forms of living beings in this world. Its philosophy and practice relies mainly on self-effort in progressing the soul on the spiritual ladder to divine consciousness. Any soul which has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state of supreme being is called jina Jains practice a unique concept of restricted vegetarianism. They do not consume root vegetables such as potatoes, garlic, onions, carrots, radishes, cassava, sweet potatoes, turnips, etc. However, they consume rhizomes such as turmeric, ginger, peanuts.

Shinto [shin-toh] The word Shinto ("Way of the Gods") was adopted from the written Chinese (神道),[1] combining two kanji: "shin" (神?), meaning gods or spirits and "tō" (道?), or "do" meaning a philosophical path or study (originally from the Chinese word tao). Religion of Japan Shinto is characterized by the worship of nature, ancestors, polytheism, and animism, with a strong focus on ritual purity, involving honoring and celebrating the existence of Kami (神?). Kami are defined in English as "spirit", "essence" or "deities", It may be best thought of as "sacred" elements and energies.

Zoroastrianism [zawr-oh-as-tree-uh-niz-uh m Is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings ascribed to the prophet Zoroaster - 2 to 3.5 million Zoroastrianism is of great antiquity. In some form, it served as the national- or state religion of a significant portion of the Iranian peoples for many centuries before it was gradually marginalized by Islam from the 7th century onwards. The term Zoroastrianism is, in general usage, essentially synonymous with Mazdaism, i.e. the worship of Ahura Mazda, exalted by Zoroaster (Zarathustra) as the supreme divine authority.

Cao Dai [ghow di] South Vietnam religion 2 to 3 million The term Cao Đài literally means "Kingdom of Heaven." Figuratively, it means that highest place where God reigns. Caodaiists credit God as the religion's founder. They believe the teachings, symbolism and organization were communicated directly from God Adherents engage in ethical practices such as prayer, veneration of ancestors, nonviolence, and vegetarianism with the minimum goal of rejoining God the Father in Heaven and the ultimate goal of freedom from the cycle of birth and death

Tenrikyo Tenrikyo (天理教 Tenrikyō) is a monotheist religion originating in revelations to a Japanese woman named Miki Nakayama The primary operations of Tenrikyo today include 16,833 locally managed churches 1.75 million in Japan and 2 million total Tenrikyo utilises traditional musical instruments in its otsutome (lit. service or duty), Hyoshigi (wooden clappers), Chanpon (cymbals), Surigane (small gongs), Taiko (large drums), Tsuzumi (shoulder drums), Fue (bamboo flutes),

Scientology Church of Scientology – 373 churches in 129 countries – 1/2 to 1 million worldwide Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by L. Ron Hubbard (Dianetics) Scientology teaches that people are immortal spiritual beings who have forgotten their true nature. Its method of spiritual rehabilitation is a type of counseling known as auditing, in which practitioners aim to consciously re-experience painful or traumatic events in their past, in order to free themselves of their limiting effects.

Scientology sponsors a variety of social service programs Scientology sponsors a variety of social service programs. These include a set of moral guidelines expressed in a brochure called The Way to Happiness, the Narconon anti-drug program, the Criminon prison rehabilitation program, the Study Tech education methodology, a volunteer organization, and a business management method.

Unitarians Unitarianism as a theology is the belief in the single personality of God, in contrast to the doctrine of the Trinity (three persons in one God). Unitarians believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ as found in the New Testament and other early Christian writings. Adhering to strict monotheism, they maintain that Jesus was a great man and a prophet of God, perhaps even a supernatural being, but not God himself. They believe Jesus did not claim to be God, nor did his teachings hint at the existence of a triune God.

the belief in One God and the oneness or unity of God. the life and teachings of Jesus Christ as the exemplar model for living one's own life. that reason, rational thought, science, and philosophy coexist with faith in God. that man has the ability to exercise free will in a responsible, constructive and ethical manner with the assistance of religion. the belief that human nature in its present condition is neither inherently corrupt nor depraved, but capable of both good and evil, as God intended.

the conviction that no religion can claim an absolute monopoly on the Holy Spirit or theological truth. the belief that, though the authors of the Bible were inspired by God, they were humans and therefore subject to human error. the rejection of traditional doctrines that they believe malign God's character or veil the true nature and mission of Jesus Christ, such as the doctrines of predestination, eternal damnation, and the vicarious sacrifice or satisfaction theory of the Atonement.

Rastafarian [ras-tuh-fair-ee-uh n] 800,000 world wide The Rastafari movement is a monotheistic, Abrahamic, new religious movement that accepts Haile Selassie I, the former, and final, Emperor of Ethiopia, as the incarnation of God, called Jah or Jah Rastafari. The Rastafari movement predominantly emerged in Jamaica in the 20th century Haile Selassie I (1892-1975) was the Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. Rastas claim that he was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ and therefore an incarnation of Jah onto the Earth. They also claim that he will lead the righteous into creating a perfect world, called "Zion."

Neo Paganism Neopaganism or Neo-Paganism is an umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious movements, particularly those influenced by pre-Christian pagan beliefs of Europe In the 1920s Margaret Murray theorized that a Witchcraft religion existed underground and in secret, and had survived through the witchcraft prosecutions that had been enacted by the ecclesiastical and secular courts

The 1960s and 1970s saw a resurgence in Neodruidism as well as the rise of Germanic Neopaganism in the United States and in Iceland Many Neopagan traditions include occult or "magical" elements in their beliefs and practices. Wicca in particular emphasises the role of witchcraft and ritual. Wicca is the largest Neopagan religion in the United States. It was first publicized in 1954 by Gerald Gardner. Gardner claimed that the religion was a modern survival of an old witch cult, originating in the pre-Christian Paganism of Europe and existing in secret for centuries.