World religions are 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 a doctrinal form (doctrine, faith), in religious actions (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 types of behavior, worldview, consecrated places that connect humanity with the supernatural or transcendental. But there is no scientific consensus as to what exactly constitutes 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 divine, sacred things. Religious practices include rituals, sermons, worship (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 aimed at explaining the origin of life, the universe, etc. Traditionally, faith, in addition to reason, is considered the source of religious belief.
History of religion
How many religions exist in the world no one can answer, but today there are about 10,000 different movements, 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, motivating movements, since the vision of the origin of the world, people (etc.) as a charismatic prophet generated the imagination of a large number of people looking for a more complete answer to their questions and problems. ... World religion is not characterized by a specific environment or ethnicity and can be widespread. Exists different types world religions, and each of them carries prejudices. The essence of this may be, among other things, that believers tend to view their own, and sometimes do not recognize other religions or as important.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, the humanistic denomination divided the 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 - they 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 trend (1st century AD), his life is set forth 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 can describe their faith as the Nicene Creed. As a religious teaching, Christianity originated from the 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):
- - Catholic Church headed by a bishop;
- - Eastern Christianity, including Eastern Orthodoxy and Eastern Church;
- - Protestantism, split from the Catholic Church in the 16th century Protestant Reformation 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 - a sacred book about the Prophet Muhammad, called the main political and religious figure, 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 widespread religion in Southeast Asia, North Africa, West Asia and Central Asia, and the Muslim majority lives in parts of South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Europe. There are several Islamic republics - Iran, Pakistan, Mauritania and Afghanistan.
Islam is subdivided into the following interpretations:
- - Sunni Islam is the largest denomination in Islam;
- - Shiite Islam is the second largest;
- - Ahmadiye.
There are Muslim revival movements such as Muwahidism and Salafism.
Other confessions of Islam include: Nation of Islam, Sufism, Kuranism, non-confessional 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, mostly based on teachings belonging to the Buddha. Buddhism originated in ancient India between the 6th and 4th centuries BC. e., from where it began to stretch across the territory of Asia. Scholars have identified two key surviving ramifications of Buddhism: Theravada ("School of Elders") and Mahayana ("Great Ship"). Buddhism is the fourth religion in the world with more than 520 million adherents - more than 7% of the world's population.
Buddhist schools differ in the exact nature of the path to liberation, the importance and canonicity of the various teachings and scriptures, especially their practices. Practical methods Buddhism means "going" to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, comprehension of the scriptures, following ethical and virtuous precepts, giving up attachment, practicing meditation, cultivating wisdom, mercy and compassion, the practice of Mahayana - bodhichitta and the practice of Vajrayana - the generation and completion stages.
In Theravada the ultimate goal becomes the cessation of klesha and the attainment of the exalted state of nirvana, achieved by the practice of the Noble Eightfold Path (Middle Path). Theravada is widespread in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.
Mahayana, which includes the Pure Land traditions, Zen, Nichiren Buddhism, Shingon and Tantai (Tendai), is found in East Asia. Instead of attaining Nirvana, the Mahayana seeks to the Buddha through the bodhisattva path - a state in which a person remains in the cycle of rebirth, a feature of this becomes helping other people achieve awakening.
Vajrayana, the body of teachings attributed to the Indian siddhas, can be seen as the 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, Abraham confession, which originated in ancient Israel. The Torah becomes the foundational scripture and part of a larger text known as the Tanach or Hebrew Bible. It is complemented by traditions written in later texts such as the Midrash and Talmud. Judaism encompasses a vast array of scriptures, practices, theological positions, and forms of organization. In this religion, there are many movements, most of which originated from rabbinical Judaism, which proclaims that God revealed his laws and commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai in the form of inscriptions on stones, and orally - the Torah. Historically, this claim has been challenged by various scientific groups. The largest Jewish religious movements are Orthodox Judaism (Haredi), conservative and reformist.
Shamanism
It is a practice that involves actions that achieve a change in 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 Evenk 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 begun to use the term broadly to describe unrelated magically-religious practices found in ethnic religions in other parts of Asia, Africa, Australia, and even completely unrelated parts of North and South America because they believed these practices were similar to each other.
Shamanism includes the assumption that shamans become intermediaries or messengers between the human world and the spiritual. Where this phenomenon is widespread, people believe that shamans cure diseases and heal the soul, that shamans can visit other worlds (dimensions). The shaman acts, first of all, which affects the human world. Restoring balance leads to the elimination of the disease.
National religions
Indigenous teachings or national teachings refer to a broad category of traditional religions that can be characterized by shamanism, animism and ancestor worship, where traditional means, indigenous or foundational, are passed down from generation to generation. These are religions that are closely related to a specific group of people, the same ethnicity or tribe, they often do not have formal creeds or scriptures. Some religions are syncretic, combining different religious beliefs and practices.
New religious movements
A new religious movement - a young religion or alternative spirituality, is a religious group, has modern origins and occupies a peripheral place in the dominant religious culture of society. May be new in origin or part of a wider religion, but different from pre-existing denominations. Scientists have calculated that this new movement has hundreds of thousands of followers around the world, with most 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 devoted to this issue. Researchers associate the growth of new religious movements in our time with responses to modern processes of secularization, globalization, fragmentation, reflexivity and individualization.
There is no single agreed upon criteria for defining a “new religious movement”. However, this term suggests that the group is of recent origin. One point of view is that "new" can mean that the doctrine is later in its origin than most of the known ones.
Thus, in this article we have looked at the world's religions from the “oldest” to the “youngest”, from the more significant to the less well-known.
Religions are "primitive" and complex. Primitive means primarily the religions of people from the primitive era: totemism, magic, faith in the soul, fetishism. Most of these religions have long died (dead religions, archaic - in terms of the compilers of the USE), but some of their elements turned out to be so tenacious that they entered later, truly complex and deep religions, but as a rule not at the level of teaching , but at the level of practice. For example, elements of magic in Christianity, where some of the believers belong to church rites as a magic wand, at the wave of which diseases pass, and life becomes rich and prosperous. The depth and meaning of Christian teaching is ignored.
A person who denies any religion for himself is called an atheist. The main question of an atheist is "why is religion needed?"
Functions of religion
Almost every religion exists not only in the form of a worldview, but also in the form of an organization (church) conducting religious activities. The Church is an organization that broadcasts religious values, uniting believers. The concept of the church is inseparable from the concept of church sacraments, rituals and rules. They can exist as a direct prescription of the text of the doctrine (the sacrament of the Eucharist (communion) in Christianity is described in the New Testament), or it can be a product of church practice. For example, nowhere in the Bible do we find an injunction to confess. In the New Testament there is the idea of repentance, and the idea of confession (as one of the forms of repentance) was born already within the Christian church.
In religion, in the church, people find important ideas and meanings for themselves. Sometimes faith and the church become a person's way of life (monks, clergy, etc.)
In other words, the church meets a number of people's needs, which allows us to talk about functions of religion:
- Consolatory
- Communicative
- Solving existential issues (each person at a certain moment in his life thinks about death, loneliness, the meaning of life, and it is these questions that are at the heart of religions)
- Regulatory
- Worldview
Types of religions
According to the main classification of religions, there are:
- world religions
- national
- archaic
According to another popular classification, religions are divided into polytheistic (polytheism = paganism) and monotheistic (belief in one God-creator of all things).
There are only three world religions:
- Buddhism (the oldest of the world's religions)
- Christianity
- Islam (latest)
Buddhism appeared in the VI century. BC NS. in India. Its founder is the son of the Indian raja (king) Sidharta Gautama. The Raja was predicted that his son would become either a great king or a great saint. For the first chance to come true, Sitharta was specially brought up in conditions that seemed to exclude the possibility of awakening deep thoughts in the boy: Sidharta was surrounded by luxury and only young and happy faces. But one day the servants did not notice, and Sidharta found himself outside of his rich possessions. There, free, he met an old man, a leper, and a funeral procession. Thus, at the age of 30, Siddhartha first learned about the existence of suffering in the world. The news shocked him to such an extent that he left his family and went on a journey in search of truth. He indulged in austerity, meditated, contemplated and finally attained the state of nirvana and became the first enlightened person (Buddha). He had followers, a new religion began to spread throughout the world.
The essence of Buddhist beliefs in a very simplified form is as follows: human life is full of suffering, the cause of suffering is the person himself, his desires, his passions. you can overcome suffering through getting rid of desires and achieving a state of complete peace (nirvana). Buddhists believe in rebirth (samsara - an endless chain of rebirth) and in karma (reckoning). Nirvana interrupts the chain of rebirth, which means the chain of endless suffering. There is no concept of God in Buddhism. If a person becomes a Buddhist, he will try all his life to change his inner world in order to get rid of passions and desires. Here a number of practices come to his aid: yoga, meditation, retreats, going to a monastery, and so on.
Christianity arose with the birth of Jesus Christ. From this date, mankind is now reckoning. Jesus Christ is the same a real man like Sidharta Gautama. But Christians believe that he was a God-man. That he lived, preached to twelve disciples (apostles), worked miracles, and then was betrayed by Judas, crucified, and on the third day he rose again and later ascended to heaven. It is faith in the above (death, and then the resurrection of Christ) that turns a person into a Christian (in addition to baptism).
Christianity presupposes belief in one God, as well as in the Holy Trinity: the unity of the three hypostases of God - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Christians do not believe that peace is continuous suffering, on the contrary, Christians talk about the joy of life and peace, which are available to a person if he saw God and accordingly rebuilt his mind and soul. He turned from, for example, an embittered person who condemns everyone and envies everyone into a kind, open person, capable of forgiving and asking for forgiveness from others.
The main book of Christianity is the Bible. It consists of two parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is the Holy Scripture for another religion - Judaism, the religion of the Jewish people (Judaism belongs to national religions). For Christians, the New Testament is of paramount importance. It is he who contains the teachings of Jesus Christ and the main ideas of Christianity:
- Human freedom (all life decisions a person must accept himself, no one has the right to impose his will on another, even if it is for the good),
- Immortality of the soul (Christians believe that after the death of people the Great Judgment awaits, after which the world will be reborn and life will continue, but only for those who deserve paradise).
- Love for your neighbor (love another as yourself)
The story of Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh about how he came to faith
“Until the age of fifteen I knew nothing about God: I heard this word, I knew that they were talking about it, that there were believers, but in my life He did not play any role and for me simply did not exist. early years emigration, twenties, life was not easy, and sometimes very terrible and difficult. And at some point, a period of happiness came, a period when it was not scary. It was the moment when for the first time (I was 15 years old) my grandmother, my mother and I were under the same roof, in the same apartment, instead of wandering and not having our own shelter. And the first impression was bliss: this is a miracle, happiness ... And after a while I was seized by fear: happiness turned out to be aimless. While life was difficult, every moment one had to fight with something or for something, every moment had an immediate goal; but here, it turns out, there is no goal, emptiness. And I was so horrified with happiness that I decided that if within one year I did not find meaning in my life, I would commit suicide. It was perfectly clear. During this year, I didn’t look for anything special, because I didn’t know where to look or how, but something happened to me. I was present before the post at the conversation of Father Sergiy Bulgakov. He was a wonderful person, a pastor, a theologian, but he could not speak with children. I was convinced by my leader to go to this conversation, and when I told him that I do not believe in God or in a priest, he told me: “I don’t ask you to listen to you, just sit.” And I sat down with the intention of not listening, but Father Sergius spoke too loudly and prevented me from thinking; and I had to hear this picture about Christ and about a Christian, which he gave: sweet, humble, etc. - that is, everything that is not typical of a boy at the age of 14-15. I was so furious that after the conversation I went home, asked my mother if she had the Gospel, deciding to check whether it was so or not. And I decided that if I find that the Christ that Father Sergius described is the Gospel Christ, then I am done with it. I was a practical boy, and after discovering that there were four Gospels, I decided that one would certainly be shorter, and so I chose to read the Gospel of Mark. And then something happened to me that takes away from me any right to be exalted by anything. While I was reading the Gospel, between the first and third chapters, it suddenly became absolutely, completely clear to me that on the other side of the table in front of which I am sitting, there is the living Christ. I stopped, looked, saw nothing, heard nothing, smelled nothing - there was no hallucination, it was just an inner perfect, clear confidence. I remember then leaning back in my chair and thinking: If Christ, alive, is in front of me, then everything that is said about His crucifixion and resurrection is true, and it means that everything else is true. .. And it was a turn in my life from godlessness to the faith that I have. Here is the only thing I can say: my path was neither mental nor noble, but just for some reason God saved my life. "
The report on religion, summarized in this article, will tell you about the peculiarities of the most widespread religions in the world.
Religion message
If we talk about how many religions there are in the world, then this question is rather difficult to answer. The fact is that every day new confessions appear. Not to mention the sects. But the main trends can be distinguished.
- Christianity
Christianity was founded by Jesus Christ. Scientists believe that the belief was founded in the distant 1st century BC. She appeared in Palestine. But some say the following fact: people knew about Christianity even earlier, almost a thousand years before the officially recognized date.
Christians are divided into Orthodox Catholics and Protestants. The postulates of faith stipulate the existence of God in three guises - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. She preaches a belief in saving death, in the phenomenon of reincarnation, evil and good, which is represented by the guise of angels and the devil. Protestants and Catholics believe that after death, the soul of a person is brought to justice in purgatory. Here it is decided where a person goes: to hell or heaven. The ceremonies are performed with pomp and beauty. Protestants, on the other hand, don't believe it. They believe that belief in the salvation of the soul itself guarantees entry to heaven. Their ceremonies are not as magnificent as those of Catholics or Orthodox. They believe in sincerity, which is much more important than bombast.
This religious denomination is the oldest. The history of this religion has more than 2.5 millennia. India is considered the birthplace of Buddhism, and its founder is Siddhartha Guatama. He independently comprehended the faith and began to share it with others. His teachings formed the basis of the holy book Tripitaka. Buddhists believe that the main thing in a person's life is good karma, the state of which is improved by doing good deeds. Everyone must walk their own path to purification on their own through pain and hardship.
- Islam
This is the youngest world religion, it appeared only in the 7th century BC. Her homeland is Arabian Peninsula, inhabited by Greeks and Turks. Islam has a holy book, the Koran. It contains the basic laws of the confession. As in Christianity, such directions are distinguished here: Shiitism, Suniism and Kharijitism. The Sunnis believe in the four caliphs of the Prophet Mohammed and, in addition to the Koran, consider the instructions of the prophet to be a sacred book. Shiites and Kharijites believe that the blood heirs of Mohammed or his entourage can continue the prophetic mission.
Islam recognizes the existence of Allah, the Prophet Mohammed and life after death. Muslims are sure that after death a person can be reborn into anything. They pray without fail in the morning and evening, repeating the prayers 5 times.
- Confucianism
This religious denomination arose in the middle of the 1st millennium BC in China. Its founder is Confucius. Confucianism was a social and ethical teaching, and for many centuries it was a state ideology.
- Hinduism
Hinduism is not just a religion, it is a lifestyle that includes caste division, life principles, norms of behavior, ethical and social values, beliefs, ceremonies and cults. This belief was brought to the territory of India by the Aryan tribes in the middle of the 2nd millennium BC.
We hope that the report on religion helped you find out what religions are and how many there are in the world. And you can leave your message about religion through the comment form below.
Followers of Jesus Christ are united in more than 100 churches, movements and sects. These are the Eastern Catholic churches (22). Old Catholicism (32). Protestanism (13). Orthodoxy (27). Spiritual Christianity (9). Sects (6). It is the largest world religion, both in terms of the number of adherents, of which there are about 2.1 billion, and in terms of geographic distribution - almost every country in the world has at least one Christian community.
In the matter of relationships Christianity and science can be seen two extreme - albeit dominant, but equally incorrect points of view. Namely, firstly, that religion and science do not agree with each other in any way - religion, brought to its ultimate "foundations", does not need science and denies it, and vice versa, science, for its part, excludes religion to the extent that turns out to be able to explain the world without resorting to the services of religion. And, secondly, that between them, in fact, there are not and cannot be any fundamental disagreements - this is due to the fact that they have different subjects and different directions of their “metaphysical” interests. It is not difficult to see, however, that both points of view (1) dialectically presuppose each other and (2) dialectically (“antinomically”, etc.) are determined in relation to one principle (“unity” of the world, being, consciousness etc.) - in the first case, negative, in the second - positive.
Judaism splits into 11 movements: Orthodox Judaism, Litvaks, Hasidism, Orthodox Modernism, Religious Zionism, Conservative Judaism, Reform Judaism, Reconstructivist Judaism, Humanist Judaism Movement, Renovation Judaism of Rabbi Michael Lerner, Messianic Judaism. Has up to 14 million followers.
The positive aspects of the interaction between science and the Torah are as follows. According to the Jewish worldview, the world was created for the sake of the Torah and the Torah was a plan for the creation of the world. Therefore, they potentially constitute a harmonious whole.
Islam splits into 7 movements: Sunnis, Shiites, Ismailis, Kharijites, Sufism, Salafis (Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia), radical Islamists. The adherents of Islam are called Muslims. There are Muslim communities in more than 120 countries and, according to various sources, unite up to 1.5 billion people.
The Quran encourages the development of science and scientific knowledge, encourages people to think about natural phenomena and study them. Muslims believe scientific activity an act of a religious order. By my own example, I can say that when working under contracts in Muslim countries I have always met with a warm welcome, respect and gratitude. In the Russian regions, however, they strive to get information “for free, pliz” and forget to say thank you.
Buddhism consists of three main and many local schools: Theravada - the most conservative school of Buddhism; mahayana - the later form of development of Buddhism; vajrayana - occult modification of Buddhism (Lamaism); Shingon-shu is one of the main Buddhist schools in Japan, belonging to the Vajrayana direction. Estimates of the number of followers of Buddhism fluctuate in the region of 350-500 million people. According to the Buddha, "everything that we are is the result of our thoughts, the mind is everything."
Shintoism Is the traditional religion of Japan. Forms of Shintoism: temple, imperial court, state, sectarian, folk and home. Only about 3 million Japanese were zealous adherents of Shinto, who preferred this particular religion. The development of science in Japan speaks for itself.
Religions of India. Sikhism. A religion based in the Punjab, in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent. 22 million followers.
Jainism. A dharmic religion that originated in India around the 6th century BC. e., preaches non-harm to all living things in this world. 5 million followers.
Hinduism. A religion that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The historical name of Hinduism in Sanskrit is sanatana-dharma, which means "eternal religion", "eternal path" or " eternal law". It is rooted in the Vedic civilization, which is why it is called the world's oldest religion. 1 billion followers.
The privileged caste is the brahmanas. Only they alone could be worshipers. Brahmanas in ancient india had great advantages. In addition to the monopoly on professional religious activity, they also had a monopoly on pedagogical and scientific activities.
Religions of China. Taoism. Chinese traditional teaching, including elements of religion, mysticism, fortune-telling, shamanism, meditation practice, science.
Confucianism. Formally, Confucianism never had the institution of the church, but in terms of its importance, the degree of penetration into the soul and education of the consciousness of the people, it successfully played the role of religion. In imperial China, Confucianism was the philosophy of scientific thinkers. More than 1 billion followers.
African traditional religions. Professed by about 15% of Africans, they include a variety of representations of fetishism, animism, totemism and ancestor worship. Some religious beliefs are common to many African ethnic groups, but they are usually unique to each ethnic group. Has 100 million followers.
Voodoo. Common name religious beliefs, who appeared among the descendants of black slaves exported from Africa to South and Central America.
It is difficult to say anything about the place of science in these religions, as there is a lot of magic there.
Shamanism. A well-established name in science for a complex of people's ideas about the ways of conscious and purposeful interaction with the transcendental ("otherworldly") world, first of all - with spirits, which is carried out by the shaman.
Cults. Phallic cults, ancestor cult. In Europe and America, the cult of ancestors has long ceased to exist, having changed to the study of genealogies. It still exists in Japan.
Adventism
Adventism(from Latin adventus - "coming") - a trend in Protestantism that arose in the United States in the 30s. XIX century. The founder of Albania, the farmer William Miller, predicted the imminence of the end of the world and the onset of the millennial Kingdom of Christ (he believed that this would happen in the forties of the 19th century). At present, belief in the imminent second coming remains the basis of A. His followers do not consider the soul to be immortal; in their opinion, she dies and is resurrected with her body. Adventists are confident that God will resurrect all people, but the righteous will receive eternal life, and the sinners will be destroyed along with Satan after the Last Judgment. The largest trend in Armenia is the Seventh Day Adventists, which formed in 1844 in New Hampshire (USA).
Anabaptism
Anabaptism(from the Greek. anabaptizo - "immerse again", "baptize again") - a trend in Protestantism that arose in Switzerland in the 30s. XVI century The Anabaptists advocated baptism at a conscious age (those who were baptized in infancy were baptized again), placed personal faith above the authority of Holy Scripture, demanded the complete separation of Church and state, and called for the introduction of community of property.
Anglican Church
Anglican Church b - the Protestant Church of England. In IS34, King Henry VIII broke off relations with the Pope and declared himself head of the Church, the doctrine of which was proclaimed in 1562. Many of its rituals are close to Catholic ( church hierarchy with the episcopate and celibate clergy; lush cult; liturgy, etc.). Anglicanism combines the Catholic doctrine of the saving power of the Church with the Protestant doctrine of salvation by personal faith. From the end of the 17th century. in Anglicanism, three parties emerged: "high" (closer to Catholicism), "low" (closer to Protestantism) and "broad" (occupies an intermediate position).
Armenian Gregorian Church
Armenian Gregorian Church- is part of the Ancient Eastern Churches. Founded in 301 by Bishop Saint Gregory the Illuminator. It is headed by the Supreme Patriarch - Catholicos of All Armenians, whose residence is in the city of Echmiadzin.
Baptism
Baptism(from the Greek. baptizo - "baptize", "immerse") - a trend in Protestantism that arose at the beginning of the 17th century. The founder of the first community in Amsterdam was the Anglican priest John Smith. B. considers it unnecessary to baptize babies whose parents are Christians. Baptism is seen as an act of conscious conversion to faith, spiritual rebirth. Baptists adhere to the doctrine of salvation for all who believe in Christ.
Brahmanism
Brahmanism is an ancient Indian religion that grew out of Vedism. It is based on the doctrine of Brahman - the divine basis of all that exists - and Atman - the individual spirit. B. spread in India in the middle of the 1st millennium BC. NS. In this religious system, the primary role was assigned to the brahmanas - experts in the Vedas. Under the influence of the brahminical teachings on karma, a strict caste system developed in India, built on the belief that all people are not the same from the very moment of birth (the brahmins were considered the highest caste). An important role was played by animistic representations and the cult of ancestors. B. is distinguished by complex rituals and strict ritual regulation of life. The main texts of B. are the Upanishads (literally, "sitting at the feet of the teacher").
Buddhism
Buddhism- the oldest of the three world religions, which arose in the north-east of India in the 6th-5th centuries. BC NS. Its founder is considered to be Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who later received the name of Buddha (literally, "awakened" or "enlightened"). At the beginning of our era, B. divided into two branches: the Hinayana and the Mahayana. In biology, there is no opposition between subject and object, spirit and matter. At the heart of religion is the doctrine of the "four noble truths": there is suffering, its cause, the state of liberation and the path to it. According to B., life is an expression of the "streams" of immaterial particles - dharmas, the combinations of which determine the existence of all that exists. Rebirth takes place in accordance with the law of karma - retribution depending on behavior in a previous life. Moral ideal B. - do not harm anyone. The goal of any Buddhist is to achieve nirvana - a state of peace, bliss, merging with Buddha.
Wahhabism
Wahhabism- a religious and political trend in Islam that arose at the end of the 18th century. in Arabia. Its name comes from the name of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, the first preacher of the current. V. preaches the restoration of the purity of the original Islam and monotheism. The Wahhabis reject the cult of the prophets and the pilgrimage to holy places.
Vedism
Vedism(Vedic religion) - the oldest Indian religion, formed in the II millennium BC. NS. after the invasion of the territory of India by nomadic tribes - the Aryans. The hymns and prayers of the Aryans made up a huge collection of sacred traditions - the Vedas. A characteristic feature of V. is the deification of the forces of nature. The basis of the Vedic cult is sacrifice, accompanied by a complex ritual. In India, the concepts of samsara (the circle of being) and karma (the law of retribution) first appeared.
Gnosticism
Gnosticism(from the Greek. gnosis - "knowledge") - a religious and philosophical teaching that spread in the first centuries of our era in the east of the Roman Empire. The Gnostics believed that the universe is based on two opposing principles - the Highest Spirit (World Soul Sophia) and matter. The highest spirit - the focus of light - is the source of spiritual particles (eons, ions). According to the Gnostics, people consist of body, soul and spirit (the latter is a particle of the Divine, imprisoned in the dungeon of matter). The spirit seeks to free itself from prison, therefore the world is filled with continuous struggle. The Gnostics argued that man is exalted above the world in order to catch the spark of reason emanating from the supreme deity.
Georgian Orthodox Church
Georgian Orthodox Church- is a member of the Churches of Ecumenical Orthodoxy. Divine services are performed according to the Julian calendar, mainly in the Old Georgian language. At the head of the Church is the Catholicos-Patriarch, whose residence is in Tbilisi.
Taoism
Taoism- Chinese religion that arose in the 6th-5th centuries. BC NS. Traditionally, the sage Lao Tzu is considered its founder. His work "Tao Te Ching" is devoted to two basic concepts of Taoism: Tao (lit. "way", "method") and Te (lit., "grace"). Lao Tzu proposed a model of the world in which Tao - the mysterious force that controls the Universe - stands above all gods, acts at all levels of being, and brings everything to harmony. The cornerstone in D. is the doctrine of immortality, the achievement of which, in the opinion of the Taoists, is facilitated by religious contemplation, breathing and gymnastic training, sexual hygiene, and alchemy.
Jainism
Jainism- a religion that arose in the 6th-5th centuries. in the east of the Indian subcontinent. The Kshatriya Vardahamana is considered to be its founder. Jains claim that the world exists forever, that it was never created by anyone. The main thing in their teaching is the self-improvement of the soul, thanks to which it is liberated from the earthly world. Jains believe in transmigration of souls and that a new incarnation depends on how a person lived his previous life. The ultimate goal of a person should be liberation from rebirth - nirvana, which can only be achieved by an ascetic. Therefore, D. great importance given to the practice of asceticism.
Zen
Zen- the Japanese name for one of the schools of Buddhism that penetrated Japan from China in the VIII-XII centuries. The basis of the concept of dialectic is the position that it is impossible to express truth in human language and images. The state of enlightenment can be achieved suddenly, solely through inner experience. In the field of dogma, D. went to the extreme of denying authority, morality, good and evil.
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism- an ancient monotheistic religion that arose at the turn of the 1st-2nd millennium BC. NS. in the eastern regions of the Iranian Highlands. Its founder is considered to be the prophet Zarathushtra (Zoroaster), his revelations made up the holy book 3. "Avesta". Zarathushtra taught to worship the highest and all-knowing God, the creator of all things - Ahura-Mazda, from whom all other deities originated. He is opposed by the evil deity Anhra Mainyu (Ahriman). In the ethical concept of Z., the main attention is focused on human activity based on the triad: a kind thought, a kind word, and a kind deed. The worship of Ahura-Mazda was expressed primarily in the worship of fire (this is why Zoroastrians are sometimes called fire worshipers).
Jerusalem Orthodox Church
Jerusalem Orthodox Church- is a member of the Churches of Ecumenical Orthodoxy. The oldest of the Christian Churches. The first bishop is the apostle James. The main Christian shrines are also located in Jerusalem: the Holy Sepulcher, Golgotha, etc.
Hinduism
Hinduism(Hindu-sama, Hindu-dharma - "religion of the Hindus", "the law of the Hindus") is a religion originating in the Harappan or Indian civilization that existed in the III-II millennium BC. NS. India is actually not a single religion, but is a system of local Indian beliefs. It does not have a harmonious system of doctrine, a single symbol of faith and uniform dogmas. The key concept of I. is dharma - a universal and eternal order that preserves the integrity of the world. The main sign of belonging to Hinduism should be considered the recognition of the authority of the Vedas and the brahminical order based on it. There are general settings: karma (literally, "deed", "deed"), samsara (literally, "the circle of being") and the need for liberation from them. Confession of I. can only be a person who has at least one Indian parent.
The main symbols of Hinduism
Lotus- one of the oldest and leading symbols of Hinduism. Its flowers open in the light of the sun, and its numerous petals resemble its rays. That is why the lotus became the emblem of the sun and the life-giving cosmic force that brings life, as well as unsullied purity and spiritual perfection. The lotus has become a symbol and attribute of many solar deities - Surya, Vishnu, Lakshmi, who are often depicted sitting on lotus thrones. As a symbol of fertility, it is also associated with the Mother Goddess, conveying the image of the creative womb and special sacred power. Rosettes, medallions and lotus ornaments are often used in iconography.
Yantra(lit. amulet, magic drawing) - a diagram that can represent a deity or serve as a kind of card that helps to master or strengthen meditation. A specific yantra is prescribed for addressing each worshiped deity.
Swastika- a sign of goodwill and prosperity. The swastika is a cross with ends bent clockwise or counterclockwise (right- and left-handed swastika). The right-handed swastika is regarded as benevolent, the left as malicious. Since ancient times, the swastika has been a sign of the sun and light, which means life and prosperity.
Ohm- the sound and the syllable that depicts it has been used since antiquity as bringing good. It is a symbol of totality, universal integrity and continuity; is considered the source of all sounds and the main mantra. Yoga strives to comprehend its meaning deep meditation; it is pronounced at the beginning and at the end of all significant matters, in the titles of texts, etc.
Islam
Islam- one of the three world religions that arose in the 7th century. in Arabia. Its founder is Muhammad, who in 610 spoke in Mecca as a prophet. The holy book of Islam is the Koran, compiled after the death of Muhammad according to his sayings.
The five main "pillars of Islam":
- 1) the belief that there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is His prophet (shahada);
- 2) five times daily prayer (salad); 3) charity in favor of the poor (zakat);
- 4) fasting in the month of Ramadan (saui);
- 5) a pilgrimage to Mecca, performed at least once in a lifetime (Hajj). The entire legal system of India is laid down in a special set of rules - Sharia. Muslims recognize the immortality of the soul and the afterlife. A prerequisite for every believer is the rite of circumcision. In India there is a ban on the depiction of living beings. In the X century. a system of theoretical theology - kalam - was created.
Judaism
Judaism- the earliest monotheistic religion that arose in the 1st millennium BC. NS. in Palestine. Distributed mainly among Jews. The Jews believe in one God, the immortality of the soul, the afterlife, the coming coming of the Messiah, God's chosen people of the Jewish people (the idea of a "covenant", the union of the people with God, in which the Jewish people act as the bearer of Divine revelation). The canon of the sacred books of I. includes the Torah ("Pentateuch of Moses"), the books of the prophets and the Scriptures. Various interpretations and commentaries on the canon are collected in the Talmud.
Calvinism
Calvinism- one of the Protestant movements, at the origins of which is the work of the French theologian Jacques Calvin "Instructions in the Christian Faith." For K. is characterized only by the recognition of Holy Scripture and the doctrine of predestination (God predetermined each of his destiny, which cannot be changed. A person's successes serve as a sign that he is faithfully fulfilling his destiny). Appearing in Geneva, K. spread to France, the Netherlands, Scotland and England.
Catacomb church
Catacomb church- a collective name for that part of the Orthodox clergy and Orthodox communities, which in the 20s of the XX century. withdrew from the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate, accusing it of cooperation with the Soviet authorities, and took an illegal position. Catholicism is one of the three main directions in the Christian, which finally took shape after the division of the churches in 1054. The Catholic Church is strictly centralized, has a single center in the Vatican, a single head - the Pope (adopted the dogma of the infallibility of his judgments). Holy Scripture is equated with Holy Tradition. Seven ordinances received. Icons and saints are venerated. There is a dogma about immaculate conception Virgin Mary. Catholics believe in the existence of purgatory. Divine services are held in national languages, as well as in Latin.
Quakerism
Quakerism(from the English quake - "to shake") - one of the Protestant denominations, founded in the 17th century. in England by George Fox. Quakers emphasize the need to be in constant awe of God. Their worship consists of an internal conversation with God and preaching. Quakers developed the doctrine of absolute pacifism, rejecting all violence.
Confucianism
Confucianism- a philosophical and religious system that appeared in China in the 6th-5th centuries. BC NS. K.'s philosophical system was created by the wandering teacher Confucius (Kun-tzu). This religion is based on the concept of "heaven" and "heavenly command" (fate). A person endowed with certain qualities by Heaven must act in accordance with them, as well as the moral laws of the Tao (path) and improve his qualities through training. One of the central places in Confucianism is the concept of Ren (humanity) - the ideal relationship between people in the family, society and state. The basic principle of this concept is: “What you don’t wish for yourself, don’t do to others”. Characteristic feature this religion is anthropocentrism. Under the Emperor Wu-di, K. occupied a dominant position in China (it was combined with the doctrine of the cosmic forces of Yin and Yang and the five primary elements of Wu-hsing).
Krishnaism
Krishnaism("International Society for Krishna Consciousness") - one of the trends in Hinduism. The founder of the society is the Indian preacher Abdam Charin De (1896-1977). According to his teaching, there is only one absolute God - Krishna. The goal of K.'s cult practice is to achieve the so-called "Krishna consciousness" - a state in which the believer is freed from power material world and returns to God. Love for Krishna is supremely manifested in the attainment of religious ecstasy through individual or collective meditation.
Lutheranism
Lutheranism- Protestant movement, the beginning of which can be considered October 31, 1517, when the monk Martin Luther nailed a list of 95 theses to the gate of Wittenberg Cathedral. L. denies that the clergy is endowed with the grace of an intermediary between God and people; asserts that a person is saved only by personal faith in Christ, and not by the special merits of the saints and not by good deeds in favor of the Church. In Latvia, the sphere of the gospel (religious) and the sphere of law (state) are clearly distinguished. Such sacraments as confession and remission of sins are denied; it is believed that repentance includes only charity and faith.
Manichaeism
Manichaeism- the ancient Iranian religious teaching about the eternal struggle between the forces of Light and Darkness, that is, between the universal good and evil. The founder of the doctrine is the preacher and mystic Mani, who lived in the 11th century. n. NS. M. attributes the act of the creation of the world to the good Demiurge, called the Spirit of Life. The Manicheans believe that he created the world in order to separate the mixed particles of light and darkness from each other.
Mahayana
Mahayana Buddhism(Skt. mahayana - "big chariot") - the largest direction of Buddhism, which took shape in the first centuries of our era. From India, M. spread to China, Tibet, Nepal, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, and southern Siberia, receiving the name Northern Buddhism. M. argues that salvation is possible for everyone, and not only for members of the Buddhist community. Bodhisattva (literally, "the one whose essence is Enlightenment" - the ideal of M.) must take care of the salvation of all living beings. In M., Buddha is no longer just a Teacher, but a supernatural being who can be worshiped as a deity.
Methodism
Methodism- Protestant movement that appeared in England in the 18th century, founded by the brothers John and Charles Wesley. M. sets a goal for a person: to live according to the Gospel, to devote his time to prayer and good deeds, to study the Holy Scriptures in the original, strictly adhering to the established method, observing discipline and order.
Mormons
Mormons(Church of Jesus Christ of Saints last day) - Protestant church, formed in 1830 by the American Joseph Smith. By analogy with the early Apostolic Church, Mormons have established the offices of apostles, prophets, shepherds, teachers, and evangelists. The central theological theme of Mormon teaching is "the gathering of the tribes of Israel and the restoration of the true Christian church."
Pietism
Pietism(from Lat. pietas - "piety") - a religious trend and Lutheranism that arose in Germany at the end of the 17th century. P. puts religious feelings above all theological dogmas, church authorities, etc. His supporters opposed philosophy and culture. In a broad sense, "pietism" denotes a religious and mystical attitude, formal piety.
Orthodoxy
Orthodoxy(Greek orthodoxia - "correct judgment", "correct glory") is one of the three main directions of Christianity. It became independent after the division of the churches into Western and Eastern in 1054. There is no strict organizational unity, there are numerous differences in ritual and canonical issues. The dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God is not recognized. Holy Scripture is viewed as part of Holy Tradition. Seven ordinances received. In most countries, worship is conducted in national languages.
Presbyterians
Presbyterians(from the Greek. presbytes "elder", "elder") - Protestant movement that arose in the second half of the 16th century. in England and Scotland under the influence of Calvinism. The name itself indicates a special form of church organization. P. does not have a centralized administrative leadership. Their doctrine is based on the idea of the ineradicable sinfulness of man and of salvation as an undeserved and predetermined grace of God.
Protestantism
Protestantism- one of the three main directions of Christianity. Its appearance is associated with the Reformation - a powerful anti-Catholic movement in the 16th century. in Europe. The name of P. is associated with the protest of 6 German princes and 14 cities against the decision of the Speyer Reichstag (1529), which voted for an intolerant attitude towards Lutheranism in Germany. Faith in the direct and personal connection of the believer with Christ defines three basic principles of P: 1) Only Holy Scripture is true, and the Bible is the only source of divine revelation. 2) Salvation is God's gift, embodied in the atoning death and resurrection of Christ; it is achieved only by personal faith. 3) Every believer is a priest. Protestants deny the power of the Pope, the mediation of the Virgin Mary, the intercession of the saints, indulgences and sacraments not taught by Christ (in most Protestant churches only baptism and communion are recognized). The first Protestants were actively involved in translating the Bible into national languages.
Puritans
Puritans(from Lat. purus - "pure") - a religious trend in the Anglican Church, which arose in the second half of the 16th century. and fought for the "cleansing" of the Church of England from Catholicism. P. united the idea of the "kingdom of the saints" and the "catholic" Church; they strove for freedom from the control of the episcopate.
Revivelism
Revivelism(from the English revival - "rebirth", "awakening") - Protestant movement of the XVII century. in Britain and the American colonies. R. insisted on the possibility of cleansing not only or personal sins, but also from the original human sin. This is achieved through "being born again" - a spiritual rebirth that miraculously changes the whole person.
Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church(ROC) - is a member of the Churches of Ecumenical Orthodoxy. Founded in 988 under Prince Vladimir I as the Metropolitanate of the Church of Constantinople with the center in Kiev. In 1589, Metropolitan Job of Moscow was elevated to the patriarchal dignity. Divine services are held according to the Julian calendar. The main language of worship is Church Slavonic.
Satanism
Satanism- a generalized name for anti-Christian sects, whose members worship Satan. The Church of Satan, founded in 1968 by Anthony La Vey, is considered the first of the Satanist sects of the modern era.
Jehovah witnesses
Jehovah witnesses(Jehovah's Witnesses) - one of the later currents in Protestantism, founded by Charles Russell in 1870. Witnesses Plaintiffs deny the doctrine of the Trinity, but recognize all three of its hypostases. Jehovah God is considered the source of all life. Jesus Christ is the only begotten son of the supreme God; only he was created by Jehovah directly, everything else was created through Christ. Jehovah's Witnesses are confident that the leaders of their organization and religious authorities will be resurrected immediately after death and will fall into the “government of Christ,” everyone else is promised eternal life after Armageddon.
Sikhism
Sikhism(from Skt. sikh - "student") - one of the national religions of India. It was formed at the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th centuries. under the influence of Islam penetrated into India and originally represented a Protestant trend in Hinduism. The founder of Sikhism was the guru (teacher) Nanak (1469-1539). This religion is based on the premise that true devotion to God lies in deep inner faith. Sikhism is monotheistic, does not recognize the clergy, denies public worship, external attributes and caste differences. He developed a path of spiritual improvement - nam-marg, or sahaj yoga.
Shintoism
Shintoism- a religion widespread in Japan. It arose from the pagan worship of kami - the omnipresent manifestations of everything sacred. In the VII century. the unification of all local cults of the Kami into a single whole began. The most ancient forms of belief (magic, totemism, fetishism) have been preserved in Shinto. In this religion, there is no clear distinction between humans and kami. S. does not promise salvation in some other world, but considers the ideal to be the harmonious coexistence of man with the world around him.
Old Belief
Old Belief(Schismatism) - a set of religious movements that arose as a result of the split of the Russian Orthodox Church in the middle of the 17th century. Opponents of Nikon's reform, who sought to unite the Russian and Greek Orthodox Churches, believed that after this reform, official Orthodoxy ceased to exist. There are practically no dogmatic differences between the Old Believers and the Russian Orthodox Church. The discrepancies concern only some of the rituals and inaccuracies in the translation of liturgical books. The Old Believers have retained the sign of the cross with two fingers, recognize only the eight-pointed cross, etc.
Sunnism
Sunnism- the main direction of Islam, which considers the first sin of the caliphs - Abu-Bakr, Omar and Osman - to be the legitimate successors of Mohammed. Along with the Koran, the Sunnah (legends about the prophet) are recognized. When deciding the question of the highest Muslim power, they feast on "the consent of the entire community" (its religious elite).
Sufism
Sufism(from Arab, suf - "wool") - a mystical trend in Islam, which arose in the VIII-IX centuries. S. is based on intimate knowledge, thanks to which the person received the opportunity for self-improvement. At the heart of the Sufi teaching is the desire to comprehend the secrets of faith. The method of Sufism was instantaneous insight. By means of music and dances, Sufis try to achieve sacred ecstasy, understood by them as a state in which there is no longer division into good and evil, truth and falsehood, faith and unbelief in consciousness.
Hinayana
Hinayana(from Skt. hinayana - "small chariot") - one of the main directions of Buddhism, which arose at the beginning of our era, includes 18 different schools... Established in Southeast Asia, receiving the name "Southern Buddhism". X. believes that only members of the Buddhist community, that is, monks, can achieve nirvana. The ideal of X. is an arhat (literally, "who has attained Enlightenment"), X. also requires monks to work tirelessly on themselves and complete loneliness on the way to the highest goal. Buddha in X. is a man who, after more than five hundred reincarnations, was destined to reveal the "four noble truths" to living beings.
Christianity
Christianity- one of the three world religions that arose in Palestine in the 1st century. n. NS. At the beginning of the IV century. X. becomes the state religion of the Roman Empire, and by XIV it spreads almost throughout Europe. X is based on the belief that two thousand years ago God sent into the world his son, the God-man Jesus Christ, who lived, preached, suffered and died on the cross as a man. The main book of Christians is the Bible. X. believe in one God existing in three persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The concept of original sin is very important for Christians. Another one characteristic feature X. - it can exist only in the form of the Church (this is either a community of believers, or a temple, or a form of Christian faith). Sacred symbol X. - cross. All Christians believe in the coming end light and the second coming of Christ.
Shamanism
Shamanism(from Evenk, saman - "agitated") - one of the oldest forms of religious practice of mankind, the central figure in which is a shaman - an intermediary between the world of people and the world of spirits, who has the ability to heal people. Unlike priests and priests, he performs the sacraments with the help of spirits. In addition, the shaman undergoes "re-creation" in another world. Communication with spirits, during which the shaman falls into a trance, is called a ritual. At present, shamanism is widespread in many Asian countries, in Siberia; interest in Indian shamans has increased.
Shiism
Shiism(from Arab, ah-shia - "adherents", "party") - one of the directions in Islam. Originally formed as political party who recognized Muhammad's son-in-law, Ali, as the successor of the prophet. In Sh. The doctrine of the "hidden imam" arose, that is, the twelfth imam who had mysteriously disappeared, who must return to earth at the appointed hour and restore justice. Shiites do not recognize the Sunnah and have their own tradition.
Greek Orthodox Church
Hellas (Greek) Orthodox Church- is a member of the Churches of Ecumenical Orthodoxy. In 1850, according to church canons, it was recognized as "the Church of Constantinople itself." Gregorian chronology is used. The seat of the Archbishop of Athens and all Hellas is Athens.
