Describe the religion briefly. Report: World religions (Buddhism, Christianity, Islam), their brief characteristics

Religion is a certain worldview that seeks to understand the higher mind, which is the root cause of everything that exists. Any belief reveals to a person the meaning of life, his purpose in the world, which helps him find a goal, and not an impersonal animal existence. There have always been and will be many different worldviews. Thanks to the eternal human search for the root cause, the religions of the world were formed, the list of which is classified according to two main criteria:

How many religions are there in the world?

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

World religions are called so because they have gone far beyond the borders of the nation, country, and have spread to a huge number of nationalities. Those who are not worldly confess within a smaller number of people. The monotheistic view is based on the belief in one God, while the pagan view assumes the existence of several deities.

The largest world religion, which originated 2,000 years ago in Palestine. It has about 2.3 billion believers. In the 11th century there was a division into Catholicism and Orthodoxy, and in the 16th century Protestantism also separated from Catholicism. These are three large branches, there are more than a thousand other small ones.

The basic essence of Christianity and its distinctive features from other religions are as follows:

Orthodox Christianity has adhered to a tradition of faith since apostolic times. Its foundations were formulated by the Ecumenical Councils and dogmatically enshrined in the Creed. The teaching is based on Holy Scripture (mainly the New Testament) and Holy Tradition. Divine services are performed in four circles, depending on the main holiday - Easter:

Daily.
Sedmichny.
Mobile annual.
Fixed annual.

In Orthodoxy there are seven main Sacraments:

Baptism.
Confirmation.
Eucharist (Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ).
Confession.
Unction.
Wedding.
Priesthood.

In the Orthodox understanding, God is one in three faces: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. The Ruler of the world is interpreted not as an angry avenger for the misdeeds of people, but as a Loving Heavenly Father, caring for his creation and bestowing the grace of the Holy Spirit in the Sacraments.

Man is recognized as the image and likeness of God, with free will, but fallen into the abyss of sin. The Lord helps those who want to restore their former holiness and get rid of passions on this path.

Catholic teaching is a major movement in Christianity, widespread mainly in Europe, Latin America and the USA. This doctrine has much in common with Orthodoxy in its understanding of God and the relationship between the Lord and man, but there are fundamental and important differences:

the infallibility of the head of the church, the Pope;
The Holy Tradition is formed from 21 Ecumenical Councils (the first 7 are recognized in Orthodoxy);
the distinction between the clergy and the laity: people in the rank are endowed with Divine Grace, they are assigned the role of shepherds, and the laity - the herd;
the doctrine of indulgences as a treasury of good deeds performed by Christ and the Saints, and the Pope, as the vicar of the Savior on earth, distributes forgiveness of sins to whomever wants and who needs it;
adding your understanding to the dogma of the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son;
introducing dogmas about the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary and Her bodily ascension;
the doctrine of purgatory as the average state of the human soul, cleansed of sins as a result of difficult trials.

There are also differences in the understanding and performance of some Sacraments:

It arose as a result of the Reformation in Germany and spread throughout Western Europe as a protest and desire to transform the Christian Church, getting rid of medieval ideas.

Protestants agree with Christian ideas about God as the Creator of the world, about human sinfulness, about the eternity of the soul and salvation. They share the understanding of hell and heaven, while rejecting Catholic purgatory.

Distinctive features of Protestantism from Catholicism and Orthodoxy:

minimizing church sacraments - until Baptism and Communion;
there is no division between clergy and laity, every well-prepared person in matters of Holy Scripture can be a priest for himself and for others;
the service is held in the native language and is based on joint prayer, reading psalms, and sermons;
there is no veneration of saints, icons, relics;
monasticism and the hierarchical structure of the church are not recognized;
salvation is understood only by faith, and good works will not help to justify oneself before God;
recognition of the exclusive authority of the Bible, and each believer interprets the words of Scripture at his own discretion, the criterion being the point of view of the founder of the church organization.

The main directions of Protestantism: Quakers, Methodists, Mennonites, Baptists, Adventists, Pentecostals, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons.

The world's youngest monotheistic religion. The number of believers is about 1.5 billion people. The founder is the prophet Muhammad. Holy book - Koran. For Muslims, the main thing is to live according to the prescribed rules:

pray five times a day;
observe the fast of Ramadan;
give alms 2.5% per year of income;
make a pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj).

Some researchers add a sixth duty of Muslims - jihad, which manifests itself in the struggle for faith, zeal, and diligence. There are five types of jihad:

internal self-improvement on the path to God;
armed struggle against non-believers;
struggle with your passions;
separation of good and evil;
taking action against criminals.

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

A world pagan religion that denies the existence of the Divine. Founded in India by Prince Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha). Briefly summarized by the teaching of the Four Noble Truths:

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

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

a correct understanding of the world as a lot of suffering and sorrow;
acquiring a firm intention to curtail your wishes and aspirations;
control of speech, which should be friendly;
performing virtuous actions;
trying not to harm living beings;
expulsion of evil thoughts and a positive attitude;
the realization that human flesh is evil;
perseverance and patience in achieving the goal.

The main branches of Buddhism are Hinayana and Mahayana. Along with it, there are other religions in India, widespread to varying degrees: Hinduism, Vedism, Brahmanism, Jainism, Shaivism.

What is the oldest religion in the world?

The ancient world was characterized by polytheism (polytheism). For example, Sumerian, ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman religions, Druidism, Asatru, Zoroastrianism.

One of the ancient monotheistic beliefs is Judaism - the national religion of the Jews, based on the 10 commandments given to Moses. The main book is the Old Testament.

Judaism has several branches:

Litvaks;
Hasidism;
Zionism;
orthodox modernism.

Also available different kinds Judaism: conservative, reformist, reconstructionist, humanistic and renovationist.

Today it is difficult to give a definite answer to the question “What is the oldest religion in the world?”, since archaeologists regularly find new data to confirm the emergence of different worldviews. We can say that beliefs in the supernatural have been inherent in humanity at all times.

The huge diversity of worldviews and philosophical beliefs since the emergence of mankind does not make it possible to list all the religions of the world, the list of which is regularly updated with both new movements and branches from already existing world and other beliefs.

Religions can be “primitive” and complex. By primitive we mean, first of all, the religions of people from the primitive era: totemism, magic, belief in the soul, fetishism. Most of these religions have long died (dead religions, archaic - in the terms of the compilers of the Unified State Exam), but some of their elements turned out to be so tenacious that they were included in 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 believers regard church rituals as magic wand, by whose wave illnesses disappear, 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 transmits religious values and unites believers. The concept of 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 they can be a product of church practice. For example, nowhere in the Bible will 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 within christian church.

In religion, in church, people find ideas and meanings that are important to them. Sometimes faith and church become a person’s way of life (monks, clergy, etc.)

In other words, the church satisfies a number of people’s needs, which allows us to talk about functions of religion:

Comforting
Communicative
Solving existential questions (every person at some point in life thinks about death, loneliness, the meaning of life, and these questions are at the core 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, the 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 6th century. BC e. in India. Its founder is the son of Indian Raja (king) Sidharth Gautama. The Raja was predicted that his son would become either a great king or a great saint. In order for the first possibility to be fulfilled, Sithartha was specially brought up in conditions that seemed to exclude the possibility of awakening deep thoughts in the boy: Sidhartha was surrounded by luxury and only young and happy faces. But one day the servants did not notice, and Sidhartha found himself outside his rich possessions. There, in freedom, he met an old man, a leper and a funeral procession. So, at the age of 30, Sidhartha 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 the truth. He indulged in austerity, meditated, reflected and finally achieved the state of nirvana and became the first enlightened person (Buddha). He gained followers, and the new religion began to spread throughout the world.

The essence of Buddhist beliefs in a very simplified form is this: human life is full of suffering, the cause of suffering is the person himself, his desires, his passions. Suffering can be overcome through getting rid of desires and achieving a state of complete peace (nirvana). Buddhists believe in rebirth (samsara - an endless chain of rebirths) and karma (retribution). Nirvana breaks the chain of rebirths, which means the chain of endless suffering. There is no concept of God in Buddhism. If a person becomes a Buddhist, he will spend his whole life trying to change his inner world in order to get rid of passions and desires. Here a number of practices come to help him: yoga, meditation, retreats, going to a monastery, etc.

Christianity arose with the birth of Jesus Christ. From this date, humanity now calculates its chronology. Jesus Christ is as real a person as Sidhartha Gautama. But Christians believe that he was a god-man. That he lived, preached to the twelve disciples (apostles), performed miracles, and then was betrayed by Judas, crucified, and on the third day he was resurrected and later ascended to heaven. It is faith in the above (the death and then resurrection of Christ) that turns a person into a Christian (in addition to baptism).

Christianity presupposes faith 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 the world is full of suffering; on the contrary, Christians talk about the joy of life and peace that are available to a person if he has seen God and rebuilt his mind and soul accordingly. 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 is one of the national religions). For Christians, the New Testament is of primary importance. It contains the teachings of Jesus Christ and the main ideas of Christianity:

Human freedom (all life decisions a person must accept for 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 a Great Judgment awaits, after which the world will be reborn and life will continue, but only for those who have earned heaven).
Love for your neighbor (love another as yourself)

The story of Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh about how he came to faith

“Until I was fifteen years old, I knew nothing about God: I heard this word, I knew that they were talking about it, that there were people who believed, but He did not play any role in my life and simply did not exist for me. These were the early years of emigration, twenties, life was not easy, and sometimes very scary and difficult. And at some point there came a period of happiness, a period when there was no fear. It was the moment when for the first time (I was 15 years old) my grandmother, mother and I found ourselves under one roof, in one apartment, instead of wandering and not having your own shelter. And the first impression was bliss: this is a miracle, happiness... And after a while I was overcome by fear: happiness turned out to be aimless. While life was difficult, every moment it was necessary to fight with something or for something, every moment there was an immediate goal, but here, it turns out, there is no goal, emptiness. And I was so horrified by happiness that I decided that if within one year I won't find meaning in life, I'll commit suicide. It was absolutely 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. Before Lent, I attended a conversation with Father Sergius Bulgakov. He was a wonderful person, a pastor, a theologian, but he could not speak to children. My leader convinced me to go to this conversation, and when I told him that I don’t believe in God or the priest, he told me: “I’m not asking you to listen, 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 the Christian that he gave: sweet, humble, etc. - that is, everything that is not typical for a boy at 14-15 years old. I became so furious that after the conversation I went home and asked my mother if she had the Gospel, deciding to check whether it was so or not. And I decided that if I discover that the Christ whom Father Sergius described is the Christ of the Gospel, then I’m done with it. I was a practical boy and, having discovered that there were four Gospels, I decided that one was certainly shorter, and therefore chose to read the Gospel of Mark. And then something happened to me that took away from me any right to be proud of anything. While I was reading the Gospel, between the first and third chapters, it suddenly became absolutely, absolutely clear to me that on the other side of the table in front of which I was sitting was the living Christ. I stopped, looked, saw nothing, heard nothing, smelled nothing - there was no hallucination, it was just inner perfect, clear confidence. I remember that I then leaned back in my chair and thought: If Christ, alive, is in front of me, then everything that is said about His crucifixion and resurrection is true, and that means everything else is true... And this was a turn in my life. life from godlessness to the faith that I have. That’s the only thing I can say: my path was neither intellectual nor noble, but simply for some reason God saved my life.”

Adventism

Adventism(from Latin adventus - “coming”) - a movement in Protestantism that arose in the USA in the 30s. XIX century The founder of A. - farmer William Miller - predicted the imminence of the end of the world and the onset of the thousand-year Kingdom of Christ (he believed that this would happen in the forties of the 19th century). At present, the 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 sinners will be destroyed along with Satan after the Last Judgment. The largest movement of A. is the Seventh Day Adventists, formed in 1844 in New Hampshire (USA).

Anabaptism

Anabaptism(from the Greek anabaptizo - “I immerse again”, “I baptize again”) - a movement in Protestantism that arose in Switzerland in the 30s. XVI century Anabaptists advocated baptism at a conscious age (those 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 - Protestant Church of England. In IS34, King Henry VIII broke off relations with the Pope and declared himself the head of the Church, the doctrine of which was proclaimed in 1562. Many of its rituals are close to Catholic ones (church hierarchy with episcopate and celibate clergy; magnificent 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 were identified: “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 Etchmiadzin.

Baptistism

Baptistism(from the Greek baptizo - “baptize”, “immerse”) - a movement 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 infants 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- An ancient Indian religion that grew out of Vedism. It is based on the doctrine of Brahman - the divine basis of all things - and Atman - the individual spirit. B. spread to India in the middle of the 1st millennium BC. e. In this religious system, the primary role was given to brahmanas - experts in the Vedas. Under the influence of the Brahmanical teaching on karma, a strict caste system developed in India, built on the belief that all people are different from the very moment of birth (Brahmins were considered the highest caste). Animistic ideas and the cult of ancestors played a major role. B. is distinguished by complex rituals and strict ritual regulation of life. The main texts of B. are the Upanishads (lit., “sitting at the feet of the teacher”).

Buddhism

Buddhism- the oldest of the three world religions, which arose in northeast India in the 6th-5th centuries. BC e. Its founder is considered to be Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who later received the name Buddha (lit., “awakened” or “enlightened”). At the beginning of our era, B. was divided into two branches: Hinayana and Mahayana. In B. there is no opposition between subject and object, spirit and matter. The religion is based on the teaching 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 “flows” of immaterial particles - dharmas, the combinations of which determine the existence of everything that exists. Rebirth occurs 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 the Buddha.

Wahhabism

Wahhabism- a religious and political movement in Islam that emerged 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 movement. V. preaches the restoration of the purity of original Islam and monotheism. Wahhabis reject the cult of prophets and pilgrimages to holy places.

Vedism

Vedism(Vedic religion) is the oldest Indian religion, which developed in the 2nd millennium BC. e. 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. The concepts of samsara (the circle of existence) and karma (the law of retribution) first appeared in India.

Gnosticism

Gnosticism(from the Greek gnosis - “knowledge”) is 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 basis of the universe were 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 matter). The spirit strives to free itself from prison, so the world is filled with continuous struggle. The Gnostics argued that man is elevated above the world in order to catch the spark of reason emanating from the supreme deity.

Georgian Orthodox Church

Georgian Orthodox Church- is part of the Churches of Ecumenical Orthodoxy. Divine services are performed according to the Julian calendar, mainly in the Old Georgian language. The Church is headed by the Catholicos-Patriarch, whose residence is in Tbilisi.

Taoism

Taoism- Chinese religion that arose in the 6th-5th centuries. BC e. Traditionally, the sage Lao Tzu is considered its founder. His work “Tao Te Ching” is devoted to two basic concepts of Taoism: Tao (lit., “path”, “method”) and Te (lit., “grace”). Lao Tzu proposed a model of the world in which Tao - the mysterious force that governs the Universe - stands above all gods, acts at all levels of existence, and leads everything to harmony. The cornerstone of D. is the doctrine of immortality, the achievement of which, according to Taoists, is facilitated by religious contemplation, breathing and gymnastic training, sexual hygiene, and alchemy.

Jainism

Jainism- a religion that arose in the VI-V centuries. in the east of the Hindustan Peninsula. Its founder is considered to be the kshatriya Vardahamana. 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 its liberation from the earthly world occurs. Jains believe in the transmigration of souls and that a new incarnation depends on how a person lived his previous life. The final goal of a person should be liberation from rebirth - nirvana, which only an ascetic can achieve. Therefore in D. great importance attached to the practice of asceticism.

Zen

Zen- the Japanese name of one of the schools of Buddhism that penetrated into Japan from China in the 8th-12th centuries. The basis of the concept of D. is the proposition that it is impossible to express the truth in human language and images. The state of enlightenment can be achieved suddenly, solely through inner experience. In the field of dogmatics, D. went to the extreme denial of authorities, morality, good and evil.

Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism- an ancient monotheistic religion that arose at the turn of the 1st-2nd millennium BC. e. in the eastern regions of the Iranian Plateau. The prophet Zarathushtra (Zoroaster) is considered its founder; his revelations made up the sacred 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 Angra Mainyu (Ahriman). In the ethical concept of Z., the main attention is focused on human activity, based on the triad: good thought, good word, good deed. The worship of Ahura Mazda was expressed primarily in the worship of fire (which is why Zoroastrians are sometimes called fire worshipers).

Jerusalem Orthodox Church

Jerusalem Orthodox Church- is part of the Churches of Ecumenical Orthodoxy. The oldest of the Christian Churches. The Apostle James is considered the first bishop. The main Christian shrines are also located in Jerusalem: the Holy Sepulcher, Golgotha, etc.

Hinduism

Hinduism(Hindu-sama, Hindu-dharma - “religion of the Hindus”, “law of the Hindus”) - a religion originating in the Harappan or Indus civilization, which existed in the 3rd-2nd millennium BC. e. India is not actually a single religion, but is a system of local Indian beliefs. It does not have a coherent 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 recognition of the authority of the Vedas and the Brahmanical order based on it. Available general settings: karma (literally, “deed”, “deed”), samsara (literally, “circle of being”) and the need for liberation from them. Only a person who has at least one Indian parent can profess I.

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 ornaments with lotuses are often used in iconography.

Yantra(lit. amulet, magical drawing) - a diagram that can denote a deity or serve as a kind of map that helps to master or strengthen meditation. To address each revered deity, a specific yantra is prescribed.

Swastika- a sign of good wishes and prosperity. The swastika is a cross with the 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, and therefore of life and prosperity.

Ohm- the sound and the syllable representing it have been used since ancient times as bringing good. It is a symbol of totality, universal integrity and continuity; considered the source of all sounds and the main mantra. Yogis strive to comprehend its meaning in deep meditation; it is pronounced at the beginning and at the end of all significant affairs, 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 appeared as a prophet in Mecca in 610. The holy book of Islam is the Koran, compiled after the death of Muhammad according to his sayings.

Five main "pillars of Islam":

1) the belief that there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is His prophet (shahadah);
2) praying five times daily (salat); 3) alms in favor of the poor (zakat);
4) fasting in the month of Ramadan (sawi);
5) a pilgrimage to Mecca, performed at least once in a lifetime (Hajj). The entire legal system of India is based on a special set of rules - Sharia. Muslims recognize the immortality of the soul and the afterlife. Required condition For every believer there is a rite of circumcision. In India there is a ban on depicting living beings. In the 10th century a system of theoretical theology - kalam - was created.

Judaism

Judaism- the earliest monotheistic religion that arose in the 1st millennium BC. e. in Palestine. Distributed mainly among Jews. Jews believe in one God, the immortality of the soul, the afterlife, the coming coming of the Messiah, God's chosenness of the Jewish people (the idea of a “covenant,” a union of the people with God, in which the Jewish people act as the bearer of Divine revelation). The canon of sacred books of Israel includes the Torah (the 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, the origins of which are the work of the French theologian Jacques Calvin, “Instruction in the Christian Faith.” K. is characterized by the recognition only of the Holy Scriptures and the doctrine of predestination (God determined in advance for everyone his fate, which cannot be changed. A person’s success serves as a sign that he is faithfully fulfilling his destiny). Having appeared 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 that in the 20s of the 20th century. left the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate, accusing it of collaborating with the Soviet authorities, and took an illegal position. Catholicism is one of the three main directions in Christianity, which finally took shape after the division of churches in 1054. The Catholic Church is strictly centralized, has a single center in the Vatican, a single head - the Pope (the dogma of the infallibility of his judgments has been accepted). Holy Scripture is equalized with Holy Tradition. Seven sacraments accepted. Icons and saints are venerated. There is a dogma about the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary. Catholics believe in the existence of purgatory. Services take place in national languages, as well as in Latin.

Quakerism

Quakerism(from the English quake - “to shake”) is 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 internal conversation with God and preaching. Quakers developed a doctrine of absolute pacifism, rejecting any violence.

Confucianism

Confucianism- a philosophical and religious system that appeared in China in the 6th-5th centuries. BC e. The philosophical system of China was created by the wandering teacher Confucius (Kung Tzu). This religion is based on the concept of “heaven” and “heavenly decree” (fate). A person endowed by Heaven with certain qualities 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 occupied by the concept of Ren (humanity) - 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 Emperor Wu, China 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 Xing).

Krishnaism

Krishnaism(“International Society for Krishna Consciousness”) is one of the movements in Hinduism. The founder of the society is the Indian preacher Abdam Charin De (1896-1977). According to his teachings, 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 highest in achieving religious ecstasy through individual or group meditation.

Lutheranism

Lutheranism- a 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 gates of Wittenberg Cathedral. L. denies that the clergy is endowed with the grace of a mediator between God and people; asserts that a person is saved only by personal faith in Christ, and not by the special merits of saints and not by good deeds in favor of the Church. In L. there is a clear distinction between the sphere of the Gospel (religious) and the sphere of law (state). Sacraments such as confession and absolution are denied; it is believed that repentance includes only alms and faith.

Manichaeism

Manichaeism- ancient Iranian religious teaching about the eternal struggle between the forces of Light and Darkness, that is, between universal good and evil. The founder of the doctrine is the preacher and mystic Mani, who lived in the 11th century. n. e. M. attributes the act of creation of the world to the good Demiurge, called the Spirit of Life. Manichaeans believe that he created the world in order to separate the mixed particles of light and darkness from each other.

Mahayana

Mahayana Buddhism(Sanskrit mahayana - “great chariot”) is 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 just for members of the Buddhist community. A bodhisattva (literally, “one whose essence is Enlightenment” is 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- a Protestant movement that appeared in England in the 18th century, the founders of which were the brothers John and Charles Wesley. M. sets a goal for a person: to live according to the Gospel, devote his time to prayer and good deeds, 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) is a Protestant church founded in 1830 by the American Joseph Smith. By analogy with the early apostolic church, Mormons have established positions 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 Latin pietas - “piety”) - a religious movement in 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-mystical mood, formal piety.

Orthodoxy

Orthodoxy(Greek orthodoxia - “correct judgment”, “correct glory”) - 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. The Holy Scriptures are considered as part of the Holy Tradition. Seven sacraments accepted. In most countries, services are held in national languages.

Presbyterians

Presbyterians(from the Greek presbytes “elder”, “elder”) - a 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 centralized administrative leadership. Their doctrine is based on ideas about the ineradicable sinfulness of man and about 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. Belief in the direct and personal connection of the believer with Christ determines the 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 authority of the Pope, the mediation of the Virgin Mary, the intercession of saints, indulgences and sacraments not administered 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 Latin purus - “pure”) - a religious movement in the Anglican Church that arose in the second half of the 16th century. and fought to “cleanse” the Church of England of Catholicism. P. was united by the idea of the “kingdom of saints” and the “conciliar” Church; they sought freedom from episcopate control.

Revivalism

Revivalism(from the English revival - “rebirth”, “awakening”) - Protestant movement of the 17th century. in Britain and the American colonies. R. insisted on the possibility of cleansing not only personal sins, but also from 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 part of the Churches of Ecumenical Orthodoxy. Founded in 988 under Prince Vladimir I as a metropolis of the Church of Constantinople with its center in Kyiv. In 1589, Metropolitan Job of Moscow was elevated to the rank of patriarch. Divine services are performed 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 first of the Satanic sects of the New Age is considered to be the “Church of Satan”, founded in 1968 by Anthony LaVey.

Jehovah witnesses

Jehovah witnesses(Jehovah's Witnesses) - one of the later movements in Protestantism, founded by Charles Russell in 1870. Plaintiffs' Witnesses deny the dogma 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 enter the “government of Christ”; everyone else is promised eternal life after Armageddon.

Sikhism

Sikhism(from Sanskrit sikh - “student”) - one of the national religions of India. Formed at the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th centuries. under the influence of Islam that penetrated into India and originally represented a Protestant trend in Hinduism. The founder of Sikhism was guru (teacher) Nanak (1469-1539). This religion is based on the belief 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. It developed the path of spiritual improvement - nam-marg, or Sahaj Yoga.

Shintoism

Shintoism- a religion common in Japan. It arose from the pagan veneration of kami - the omnipresent manifestations of everything sacred. In the 7th century the unification of all local kami cults into a single whole began. The most ancient forms of beliefs (magic, totemism, fetishism) have been preserved in Shinto. In this religion there are no clear distinctions between humans and kami. S. does not promise salvation in some other world, but considers the harmonious coexistence of man with the world around him as an ideal.

Old Believers

Old Believers(Raskolnichestvo) - a set of religious movements that arose as a result of the schism 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 rituals and inaccuracies in the translation of liturgical books. The Old Believers retained the two-fingered sign of the cross, they only recognize the eight-pointed cross, etc.

Sunnism

Sunnism- the main direction of Islam, which considers the first caliphs - Abu Bakr, Omar and Osman - to be the legitimate successors of Mohammed. Along with the Koran, the Sunnah (traditions about the prophet) is recognized. When deciding on the highest Muslim authority, they feast “on the consent of the entire community” (its religious elite).

Sufism

Sufism(from Arabic, suf - “wool”) - a mystical trend in Islam that arose in the 8th-9th centuries. S. is based on intimate knowledge, thanks to which the individual received the opportunity for self-improvement. The basis of Sufi teaching is the desire to comprehend the secrets of faith. The method of Sufism was instant illumination. Through music and dance, Sufis try to achieve sacred ecstasy, which they understand as a state in which in consciousness there is no longer any division into good and evil, truth and falsehood, faith and unbelief.

Hinayana

Hinayana(from Sanskrit hinayana - “small vehicle”) - one of the main directions of Buddhism, which arose at the beginning of our era, includes 18 different schools. It established itself 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, “one who has achieved Enlightenment”), X. also requires monks to tirelessly work on themselves and complete loneliness on the path to the highest goal. Buddha in X. is a man who, after more than five hundred rebirths, 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. e. At the beginning of the 4th century. X. becomes the state religion of the Roman Empire, and by XIV it spreads throughout almost all of Europe. At the heart of X. is 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 characteristic feature of X. is that it can only exist in the form of a Church (this is either a community of believers, or a temple, or a form of the Christian faith). The sacred symbol of X is the cross. All Christians believe in the coming end light and the second coming of Christ.

Shamanism

Shamanism(from Evenk, saman - “excited”) - one of the oldest forms of religious practice of mankind, the central figure in which is the shaman - a mediator between the world of people and the world of spirits, who has the ability to heal people. Unlike priests and priests, he performs sacred acts 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 ritual. Currently, shamanism is widespread in many Asian countries, in Siberia, and interest in Indian shamans has increased.

Shiism

Shiism(from Arab, ah-shia - “followers”, “party”) - one of the directions in Islam. Initially formed as a political party that recognized Muhammad's son-in-law, Ali, as the prophet's successor. In Sh., the doctrine of the “hidden imam” arose, that is, about the mysteriously disappeared twelfth imam, 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

Hellenic (Greek) Orthodox Church- is part of the Churches of Ecumenical Orthodoxy. In 1850, according to church canons, it was recognized as “the Church of Constantinople itself.” The Gregorian calendar is used. The seat of the Archbishop of Athens and all of Hellas is Athens.

There are more than 7 billion people in our World, in each of whom different thoughts, feelings, and faith arise. Therefore, quite a large number of religions have appeared in the World, in connection with this, people choose different religions, most of them have faith in God, but some people do not believe in him.

When we think about the word “religion”, some thoughts appear in our minds, like some kind of gesture, like a belief, a vision about humanity throughout the World and the belief system of various religious cultures. An interesting fact is that according to various studies and the Guinness Book of World Records, Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world due to the large number of conversions to Islam every year.

That is why, here we have collected the most popular religions in the world for 2016.

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Judaism is one of the world's oldest religions, which was founded about 3,500 years ago in Canaan (now Israel), the Middle East and Egypt. Judaism has an estimated 14.5 million followers worldwide. Judaism is also mentioned in the Holy Book of the Bible: Abraham, who gave birth, and Moses, who freed Jewish prisoners from Egypt, are the founders of this faith, therefore, this is the oldest monotheistic religion in the world.

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Sikhism is one of the most popular religions in the world, which originated in the South Asian Punjab region about 500 years ago in the 15th century. The beliefs of Sikhism are described in the sacred scripture of the Guru Granth Sahib and is called the youngest religion in the world. Guru Nanak, the founder of this religious culture, now rests in the Nankana Sahib region of Pakistan. It is estimated that there are between 25 and 28 million followers of this religion worldwide, and in Punjab in India, about 90 million Sikhs follow the teachings of Guru Nanak and ten successive Gurus.

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Religion Anglicanism is included in the Church of England and all other churches that are traditionally affiliated with it or profess similar worship and ecclesiastical structure. Thus, Anglicanism is based on Christianity and their holy book is the Bible, and the Anglican creed is based on the Holy Scriptures, the traditions of the Apostolic Church, the historical episcopate, the first four Ecumenical Councils and the teachings of the early Fathers of the Church. This religion is followed by about 85.5 million people around the world, which also gives it the right to be on our list.

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Atheism in the true sense is the faith of people who have no belief. In a broader sense, this religion consists of the rejection of belief in the existence of gods, spirits, afterlife, otherworldly forces, etc. Atheism is based on the belief in the self-sufficiency of the natural world and not in the supernatural origin of all religions.

According to statistics, this religion is growing every year. We can talk about the emergence of Atheism as its homeland in America, however, in 2015, more than 61% of the followers of this religion are from China. For the first time, this religion was recognized in the 16th century in France and today has more than 150 million followers around the world.

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Buddhism is another historical religion of the world, founded about 2500 years ago in India, whose followers are based on the teachings of Buddha. Initially, Buddhism spread throughout Asia, but a few years later, after the advent of Islam, most of it spread only to India.

According to available data, about 7% of the world's population professes Buddhism, with more than 500 million followers, including most in Burma, Japan, China and Sri Lanka. The founder of Buddhism is Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) and his teachings.

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Agnosticism

Agnosticism is a special religion, because its true beliefs are philosophical. Followers of Agnosticism are constantly searching for an answer to the question: “Is God a divine or supernatural being?” That is why it is the religion of philosophers. Its followers are always in search of God, and the roots of this religion go far into the past - around the 5th century. BC, so there are now about 640 million religious philosophers worldwide.

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Another one of the most ancient religions in the world is Hinduism. According to history, this religion has no beginning, but exists mainly in India and Nepal. The main religious principles for Hinduism include karma, dharma, samsara, maya, moksha and yoga. There are about 1 billion followers of Hinduism worldwide, most of them in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Malaysia, which is 15% of the world's population.

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Catholicism is also one of the most popular and largest religions in the world, characterized by organizational centralization and the largest number of adherents among Christian churches. The head of the Catholic Church is the Pope, who heads the Holy See and the Vatican City State in Rome. Catholicism is a fairly old religion, so there are a large number of followers of this religion around the world - 1.2 billion Catholics.

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Christianity is the largest monotheistic religion in the world, based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. It has more than 2.4 billion followers around the world who call themselves Christians. According to Christianity, Jesus Christ is the son of God, as well as the Savior of all mankind. The Holy Scripture of Christianity is the Bible, but despite this, Christianity is the most ancient religion world, which is followed by many countries - Europe, North America and Oceania, and also it quickly spread across India, Syria, Ethiopia and even Asia, due to which Hinduism is rapidly declining.

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Islam

Islam is the world's other largest religion, and according to the Guinness Book of World Records, Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. Islam was founded about 1,500 years ago, and Muslims around the world follow the teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, which is called the Sunnah, and the Holy Book is the Quran.

According to statistics, about 23% of the total population of the globe profess Islam, which is approximately 1.7 billion people. Muslims believe that God is one and Muhammad is the last prophet of Allah (God). Most Muslims are concentrated in Indonesia, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and 20% in the Middle East, Europe, Russia, America and China. Despite this, Islam has small communities in every country in the world. We can safely say that Islam is the most popular religion of the early 21st century.

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Conclusion

It was about the most popular religions in the world. We hope you found it interesting. Thank you for your attention!

All world religions, with the exception of Buddhism, originate from a relatively small corner of the planet, located between the deserted shores of the Mediterranean, Red and Caspian seas. From here come Christianity, Islam, Judaism and the now almost extinct Zoroastrianism.

Christianity. The most widespread of the world's religions is Christianity, with 1.6 billion followers. Christianity retains its strongest position in Europe, America and Australia.

Christianity appeared at the beginning of our era as a development of biblical wisdom that had been created over the previous 2000 years. The Bible teaches us to understand and realize the meaning of life. Biblical thinking attaches decisive importance to the issue of life and death, the end of the world.

Jesus Christ preached the ideas of brotherhood, hard work, non-covetousness and love of peace. The service of wealth was condemned and the superiority of spiritual values over material values was proclaimed.

The First Ecumenical Council, which met in Nicaea in 325, laid the dogmatic foundations of the One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church for many centuries to come.

Christianity adopted the view of the “inseparable and inseparable” union of two natures in Jesus Christ - divine and human. In the 5th century supporters of Archbishop Nestor were condemned, who recognized the basic human nature of Christ (later separated into Nestorians), and followers of Archimandrite Eutyches, who argued that in Jesus Christ there is only one divine nature. Supporters of the one nature of Jesus Christ began to be called Monophysites. Adherents of monophysics make up a certain proportion among modern Orthodox Christians.

In 1054, the main split of the Christian Church took place into the Eastern (Orthodox, centered in Constantinople (now Istanbul)) and the Western (Catholic) church, centered in the Vatican. This division runs through the entire history of the world.

Orthodoxyestablished itself mainly among the peoples of Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The largest number of adherents of Orthodoxy are Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Greeks, Romanians, Serbs, Macedonians, Moldavians, Georgians, Karelians, Komi, peoples of the Volga region (Mari, Mordovians, Udmurts, Chuvash). There are pockets of Orthodoxy in the USA, Canada, and a number of Western European countries.

A tragic split occurred in the history of Russian Orthodoxy, which led to the emergence of the Old Believers. The origins of the schism go back to the years of the adoption of Christianity by Russia. In those days, two closely related statutes dominated in Byzantium, according to which the rite of worship was carried out. In the east of Byzantium, the most widespread was the Jerusalem Charter, and in the west the Studian (Constantinople) Charter prevailed. The latter became the basis of the Russian charter, while in Byzantium the Jerusalem Charter (St. Sava) increasingly became predominant. From time to time, certain innovations were introduced into the Jerusalem Rule, so that it began to be called modern Greek.

Russian Church until the middle of the 17th century. conducted the ritual according to the archaic Studite Rule with two-fingered baptism, preserving Orthodoxy in the highest purity. Many Orthodox peoples looked at Moscow as a spiritual center.

Outside the Russian state, including in Ukraine, church ceremonies were carried out according to the modern Greek model. Since the union of Ukraine and Russia in 1654, Kyiv begins to exert a huge influence on the spiritual life of Moscow. Under its influence, Moscow begins to turn away from antiquity and adopts a new way of life, more pleasing to Kyiv. Patriarch Nikon introduces new ranks and rituals. The icons are updated according to Kyiv and Lviv models. Patriarch Nikon edits Church Slavonic liturgical books based on modern Greek editions of the Italian press.

In 1658, Nikon founded the New Jerusalem Monastery and the city of New Jerusalem near Moscow, according to his plan, the future capital of the Christian world.

As a result of Nikon's reforms, six major innovations were introduced into the canon. The two-fingered sign of the cross was replaced by a three-fingered sign, instead of “Jesus” it was ordered to write and pronounce “Jesus”, during the sacraments it was ordered to walk around the temple against the sun.

The introduction of non-Orthodox veneration of the king placed him above religious spiritual dominion. This reduced the role of the church in the state, reducing it to the position of the Church Prikaz (prikaz, this is a kind of ministry in Russia at that time). Many believers perceived Nikon's reforms as a deep tragedy, secretly professed the old faith, went to torment for it, burned themselves, went into forests and swamps. The fateful year of 1666 led to a catastrophic split of the Russian people into those who accepted new rite and those who rejected him. The latter retained the name “Old Believers”.

Catholicism is the other main branch of Christianity.It is common in Northern and South America. Catholics include Italians, Spaniards, Portuguese, part of the French, most of the Belgians, part of the Austrians and Germans (southern lands of Germany), Poles, Lithuanians, Croats, Slovenes, most of the Hungarians, Irish, some Ukrainians (in the form of Uniatism or Greek Catholicism). A major center of Catholicism in Asia is the Philippines (the influence of Spanish colonization). There are many Catholics in the countries of Africa, Australia, and Oceania.

The Western Catholic Church boldly discarded the old ones and came up with new rituals that were closer in spirit to the Europeans and their ideas about the world as a space calling for conquest. Expansionism and enrichment of the church were dogmatically justified. The speeches of non-Catholics and heretics were brutally suppressed. The result was continuous wars, massive repressions of the Inquisition and a decline in the authority of the Catholic Church.

In the XIV-XV centuries. ideas of humanism and renaissance arose in Europe. During the Reformation of the 16th century. Protestantism separated from Catholicism. Protestantism, which arose in Germany, was formed in the form of several independent movements, the most important of which were Anglicanism (closest to Catholicism), Lutheranism and Calvinism. From the Protestant churches, new movements were formed that were sectarian in nature, their number currently exceeds 250. Thus, Methodism spun off from Anglicanism, and the Salvation Army, organized on a military scale, is closely associated with Methodism. Baptism is genetically related to Calvinism. Pentecostal sects emerged from Baptistism, and the Jehovah's Witnesses sect also separated. Mormons of non-Christian confession occupy a special place in the Protestant environment.

The stronghold of Protestantism is Northern and Central Europe. In the United States, about 64% of the population is Protestant. The largest group of American Protestants are Baptists, followed by Methodists, Lutherans, and Presbyterians. In Canada and South Africa, Protestants make up about half the population. There are many adherents of Protestantism in Nigeria. Protestantism predominates in Australia and most countries in Oceania. Certain forms of this branch of Christianity (especially Baptism and Adventism) are common in Russia and Ukraine.

The founder of Protestantism, the Catholic monk M. Luther, came out with demands to limit the excessive power of the church and calls for hard work and frugality. At the same time, he argued that the salvation of the human soul and deliverance from sins is accomplished by God himself, and not by human forces. The Calvinist Reformation went even further. According to Calvin, God pre-eternally chose some people for salvation and others for destruction, regardless of their will. Over time, these ideas turned into a revision of Christian dogmas. Calvinism turned out to be imbued with an anti-Christian denial of asceticism and the desire to replace it with the cult of the natural man. Protestantism has become the ideological justification of capitalism, the deification of Progress, and the fetishization of money and goods. Protestantism, like no other religion, reinforces the dogma of the conquest of nature, which was later adopted by Marxism.

Islam the youngest world religion. Islam dates back to 622 AD. e., when the Prophet Muhammad and his followers moved from Mecca to Medina and the Bedouin Arab tribes began to join him.

Traces of Christianity and Judaism can be seen in the teachings of Muhammad. Islam recognizes Moses and Jesus Christ as the penultimate prophet as prophets, but places them below Muhammad.

In private life, Muhammad prohibited pork, alcoholic beverages and gambling. Wars are not rejected by Islam and are even encouraged if they are fought for faith (holy war of jihad).

All the foundations and rules of the Muslim religion are united in the Koran. Explanations and interpretations of obscure passages of the Koran made by Muhammad were recorded by his close people and Muslim theologians and compiled a collection of traditions known as the sunnah. Later, Muslims who recognized the Koran and the Sunnah began to be called Sunnis, and Muslims who recognized only one Koran, and of the Sunnah only sections based on the authority of the prophet’s relatives, were called Shiites. This division still exists today.

Religious dogma formed the basis of Islamic law, Sharia - a set of legal and religious norms based on the Koran.

Sunnis make up about 90% of Muslims. Shiism predominates in Iran and southern Iraq. In Bahrain, Yemen, Azerbaijan and mountainous Tajikistan, half the population is Shiite.

Sunnism and Shiism gave rise to a number of sects. From Sunnism came Wahhabism, which is dominant in Saudi Arabia and is spreading among the Chechens and some peoples of Dagestan. The main Shiite sects were Zaydism and Ismailism, influenced by atheism and Buddhism.

In Oman, the third branch of Islam, Ibadism, has become widespread, whose followers are called Ibadis.

Buddhism. The oldest of the world's religions is Buddhism, which arose in the middle of the 1st millennium BC. e. in India. After more than 15 centuries of dominance in India, Buddhism gave way to Hinduism. However, Buddhism spread widely throughout the countries of Southeast Asia, penetrating into Sri Lanka, China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, and Mongolia. The number of Buddhist adherents is estimated at approximately 500 million people.

In Buddhism, all the social and moral dogmas of Hinduism are preserved, but the requirements of caste and asceticism are weakened. Buddhism pays more attention to current life.

At the beginning of the first millennium, Buddhism split into two major branches. The first of them - Theravada, or Hinayana - requires believers to undergo mandatory monasticism. Its adherents - Theravadins - live in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand (about 90% of the population of these countries), as well as in Sri Lanka (about 60%).

Another branch of Buddhism - Mahayana - admits that lay people can also be saved. Mahayana followers are concentrated in China (including Tibet), Japan, Korea, and Nepal. There are some Buddhists in Pakistan, India, and among Chinese and Japanese immigrants to the Americas.

Judaism. Judaism can be classified among the world religions with a certain degree of convention. This is the national religion of the Jews, which arose in Palestine in the 1st century. BC e. Most adherents are concentrated in Israel (the official religion of the state), the USA, European countries and Russia.

Judaism retained the ideas of brotherhood and mutual assistance from the Egyptian religion with the ideas of righteousness and sinfulness, heaven and hell. New dogmas responded to the unity of the Jewish tribes and the increase in their belligerence. The sources of the doctrine of this religion are the Old Testament (recognized by later Christianity) and the Talmud (“commentaries” to the Old Testament books).

National religions. The most common national religions are those of India. What is noteworthy is the introversion of Indian religions, their focus on such an internal and spiritual connection that opens up wide opportunities for self-improvement, creates a feeling of freedom, bliss, humility, dedication, tranquility, and is capable of compressing and collapsing the phenomenal world until a complete coincidence of the world essence and the human soul.

Religion of China consisted of several parts. The earliest beliefs are those associated with agriculture, developed in the 7th millennium BC. They believed that there was nothing higher than in which a country man finds peace and beauty. About 3.5 thousand years ago, previous beliefs were supplemented by the cult of veneration of great ancestors - sages and heroes. These cults were embodied in Confucianism, formulated by the philosopher Confucius, or Kung Fu Tzu (551-479 BC).

The ideal of Confucianism was the perfect man - modest, selfless, with self-esteem and love for people. Social order is presented in Confucianism as one in which everyone acts in the interests of the people represented big family. The goal of every Confucian is moral self-improvement, respectful respect for elders, honoring parents and family traditions.

At one time, Brahmanism and Buddhism penetrated into China. On the basis of Brahmanism, almost simultaneously with Confucianism, the doctrine of Taoism arose. Chan Buddhism, which spread in Japan under the name Zen Buddhism, is internally connected with Taoism. Together with Taoism and Confucianism, Chinese religions have developed into a worldview, the main features of which are the worship of the family (ancestors, descendants, home) and a poetic perception of nature, the desire to enjoy life and its beauty (S. Myagkov, 2002, N. Kormin, 1994 G.).

Religion of Japan. From about the 5th century. AD The Japanese became acquainted with the wisdom of India and China, adopted a Buddhist-Taoist attitude towards the world, which did not contradict their primordial faith, Shintoism, the belief that everything is full of spirits, gods (ka-mi), and therefore deserves a reverent attitude. The main feature of Japanese Shintoism, transformed under Chinese influence, is that it, like Taoism, does not teach goodness and does not expose evil, for “the tangled threads of happiness and misfortune cannot be separated.” The eradicated evil will inevitably emerge in such vigorous growth that the world builder did not even suspect about it. The Japanese perceive their homeland as the sacred property of the nation, which is in the temporary care of the living for transmission to descendants. Several million Japanese are adherents of Shintoism (T. Grigorieva, 1994).

Zoroastrianism distributed mainly in India (Parsis), Iran (Gebras) and Pakistan.

In addition to the major religions, there are dozens of local traditional beliefs in the world, mainly in the form of fetishism, animism and shamanism. There are especially many of them in Africa, primarily in Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Togo, and Benin.

In Asia, followers of tribal cults predominate only in East Timor, but are also common on the islands of western Oceania and among the peoples of Northern Russia (shamanism).