Despite the development modern technologies and science, the inhabitants of the planet continue to identify themselves with one of the many beliefs. Hope in a higher power allows you to survive difficult times. life situations. Religion statistics show how many denominations exist and how many people consider themselves to be members of them.
Origin theory
There is one general theory origin of beliefs on earth. As soon as inequality appeared in human society, the need arose for some kind of highest value to reward people for their actions. The possessor of superpower must be endowed by a superbeing whose role is played by a specific deity.
What it is
When starting to get acquainted with beliefs, it is worth studying the very concept of religion. There are quite a lot of definitions of faith today. R religion is a form of view on the world which is based on belief in the supernatural.
Existing classifications
WITH how many religions are there in the world? Today there are more than 5 thousand official religious associations. This includes the world's largest religions. Beliefs can be very different from each other. Much depends on the customs and traditions of the country. There are also similarities between religions. They all involve faith in a higher power.
Today there are several classifications of religions according to various criteria. For example, the types of religions based on the number of gods are monotheistic and polytheistic. The latter are represented in countries of the African continent that have a tribal way of life. These peoples have not yet left paganism.
According to Hegel, the history of religion represents the path of the Spirit coming to full self-consciousness. Each of them is a step in awareness leading to the absolute goal of history. The structure of the classification according to Hegel is as follows:
- Natural religions(lowest level), based on sensory perception. To these he included all magical beliefs, the religions of China and India, as well as the ancient Persians, Syrians and Egyptians.
- Spiritual and individual religions(intermediate bar) – religion of the Jews (Judaism), beliefs Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.
- Absolute spirituality– Christianity.
The experience of studying the problem led to the creation of other classifications - according to the degree of prevalence or the number of followers. Here we distinguish local (within one clan-tribe), national (influencing the culture of one people, for example, Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, China with Shintoism, India with Hinduism). How do local movements differ from national religions? Greater prevalence among many, outstripping them in terms of the number of followers. Religious centers are present throughout the world.
What did ancient civilizations profess?
Totemism flourished in Ancient Egypt, as evidenced by the half-animal image of the Egyptian gods. Statistics of religions claim that during this period of time the idea of an afterlife and the connection between earthly life and the afterlife appeared. The idea of resurrection also arose (Osiris, the sun god, dies in the evening and is reborn in the morning). The belief dates back long before Jesus and Christianity.
The goddess Isis (mother of Osiris) became the prototype of the Virgin Mary. The religion of Egypt led to the fact that the temple during that period of time became a place of worship and science.
Wikipedia contains information that fairly developed religious movements include Zoroastrianism (named after the founder - Zarathustra). The idea of the struggle between good and evil, the concept of sin, the formulas “end of the world”, “last judgment” appear.
The religion of India is Hinduism. This is a whole philosophical doctrine. The essence of the belief is that the entire path of life (karma) consists of human reincarnations. Rebirth is necessary in order to become a god during life. Hinduism was created in India for the needs of the caste society of the state. It is not very common in the world today.
Chinese traditional beliefs are Confucianism and Taoism. Confucianism played the role of the main state religion, and its rules subjected the entire jurisdiction of the government. This direction made it possible to rationally organize human life. The path of Tao tends more towards mysticism; the highest goal for a Taoist is the desire to go back to the past order, primitive existence.
Ancient Greece represents the cult of the gods of Olympus. Each of them patronizes a separate polis - a city-state. Magic rituals, numerous myths, and the character of the gods themselves confirm the peacefulness of the Greeks. This is the main difference between religion and other movements. It is not surprising that the people were subsequently captured by the Romans, who brought little with them to the Greek religious cult, but rather borrowed the entire leisure aspect of Greece to establish their own cultural traditions.
Ancient Palestine, with the arrival of the Jewish people, gave rise to Judaism. This is where Christianity later originated. The modern interpretation of the belief originated in the 13th century BC. After the fall of Babylon, the legend of Moses appears in Judaism. Jews believe that there is one supreme God, Yahweh, and he can be worshiped by all nations that honor him and fulfill the terms of his treaty with the nations. As statistics of religions in Israel show, 80% of the population is Jewish.
World religious movements
Today there are three world religions. These include Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. They are the most common. Followers of the main beliefs can be found in almost every country on the globe:
- Russia.
- England.
- Belarus.
- Kazakhstan.
- North America.
At the moment, approximately 65% of the planet's population belongs to these movements. Buddhism, Islam and Christianity are the religions of civilization. They appeared long before the spread of Protestantism. In the 19th century the situation was not much different. To understand the true meaning of religion, it is worth studying all the pros and cons that adherents of faiths give. Statistics of world religions:
| Name | Quantity (percentage) |
| Christianity | 33% |
| 23% | |
| Hinduism | 14% |
| Buddhism | 6% |
| Local traditional beliefs | 6% |
| Hare Krishnas | Less than 1% |
| Jehovah witnesses | Less than 1% |
| Mormons | Less than 1% |
| Atheists, non-believers | 12% |
Christianity
The history of Christianity is difficult to present in a brief description. Today it is the dominant religion. Christianity originated in the 1st century AD on the territory of the Roman Empire.
The founder of the most widespread religion in the world is Jesus Christ. The holy book is the Bible. It includes the Old and New Testaments. Christianity promises its followers salvation from the Last Judgment that is about to take place. Today it is one of the most widespread movements in Europe.
Regardless of the collapse of the empire, the religion of Ancient Rome survived.
In 395 AD e. There was a split of Christianity into Eastern - Orthodoxy with its center in Constantinople (Byzantine Empire) and Western - Catholicism, the religious center of which is the Vatican.
The process was completed only in the 10th century. By 1054, the religion of the Romans was completely divided. And in the 16th century, the result of the struggle against the feudal lords was the separation of Protestants.
Statistics of religions in the world show that Orthodoxy is present in the following countries - Russia (72%), Albania (20%), Belarus (80%), Bulgaria (84%), Bosnia and Herzegovina (30%), Greece (98%) , Kazakhstan (44%), Kyrgyzstan (20%), South Korea (49%). The list continues with Macedonia (67%), Moldova (98.5%), Romania (70%), Ukraine (97%), Yugoslavia (65%). Religion is also present in other countries. The religion of Georgia is Orthodoxy.
Catholicism follows European conquests. This branch of Christianity has always been involved in politics. Catholicism has often been an aggressor towards other countries. Thanks to the spread of their influence in the Middle Ages, today 52% of the world's population are Catholics, while 12% are Orthodox. Catholicism:
- religion of Italy (90%);
- religion of Mexico (91%);
- religion of Norway (85%).
A large percentage of Catholics are present in other countries. The religion of Armenia is Christianity. However, the country is neither Orthodox nor Catholic.
Another popular religious movement is Protestantism. It is present in many countries in Europe and America. Protestantism:
- religion in Germany (40%);
- US religion (51%);
- religion in Canada (28%).
The youngest religion is Islam. It originated in the 7th century AD. e. The prophet of religion is Muhammad. He founded Islam. The holy book is the Koran. The meaning of religion is that a Muslim must submit to the will of Allah, without even trying to understand it. The Koran is a set of Sharia laws that prescribe moral, social, administrative and criminal standards for human life. Islam is a powerful factor in the formation of statehood (for example, Turkey - in the past the Ottoman Empire).
There was a split between Sunnis and Shiites. Sunnis recognize power only in the caliph elected by the community, and Shiites allow themselves to submit only to the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad - the imams.
As religion statistics show, many countries are Muslim. Beliefs are included in the main religious movements. Faith influences the characteristics of the formation of a worldview. Islam:
- religion of Azerbaijan (93%);
- religion of Kazakhstan (70%);
- religion of Turkey (90%).
Buddhism
The founder is considered to be Siddhartha Gautama Shakyamuni, later Buddha (5th–6th century BC). The main point is that a person can escape the cycle of life and achieve nirvana. This is done by achieving bliss through one’s own experience, rather than taking it for granted. Religion statistics show that Buddhism is common in many countries that are culturally distant from each other. This includes Vietnam (79%), Laos (60%), Mongolia (96%), Thailand (93%), Sri Lanka (70%).
Statistics of religions in South Korea show that 47% of believers in the state profess Buddhism.
National religions
There are national and traditional religious movements, also with their own directions. They arose or became particularly widespread in certain countries, in contrast to the world. On this basis, the following types of beliefs are distinguished (enlarged list of religions):
- Hinduism is the religion of India;
- Confucianism and Taoism – China;
- Shintoism is the religion of Japan;
- paganism - Indian tribes, peoples of the North and Oceania.
Statistics of religions in Israel highlight Judaism as the main religion of the state, which is also included in the above list.
Classification by country
Beliefs are a factor in the formation of statehood. They lay down the attitude towards a woman and towards life in general. Statistics of religions by country will help you understand the diversity of world religions. Of course, beliefs changed over time. However, the main religions have survived to this day.
Russia
Statistics of religions in Russia show that the bulk of the country professes Orthodoxy (41%). They consider themselves believers, but have not decided on a religious movement (25%). People who consider themselves atheists (13%). The number of Muslims in the Russian Federation is 4.1%.
Kazakhstan
Statistics of religions in Kazakhstan report that the majority of the country's residents profess Islam (70%). Next comes Orthodoxy (26%). Only 3% of the country's population deny the existence of higher powers. Here it is even closely connected with religion.
Ukraine
What are the statistics of religions in Ukraine? Orthodoxy predominates in the country (74%). It is followed by Catholicism and Protestantism. Religion in Ukraine is very widespread. Less than 10% of residents identify themselves.
Religion statistics
The number of religious denominations and non-religious groups in human society exceeds 27 thousand. This includes official religions, unrecognized religious movements, sects and associations, as well as followers of philosophical agnosticism. The age of religions is enormous. Their history dates back hundreds of years. People began to believe in higher powers even before Babylon and Assyria.
Everyone makes their own choice of religion. Not everyone comes to faith right away. Some begin to identify themselves with a particular denomination after 40 years of age. Not always clear to a child character traits and basic religious approaches. The parents' task is to give short description the chosen denomination and explain its tenets in a simple and age-appropriate form. Religion in school can help you figure out which faith to choose and how to abandon the imposed worldview.
However, despite so many existing beliefs, religion statistics show competition within groups.
In the article we will examine the question of what religion is, define this concept, learn its history, and also briefly describe the known religions of the world.
Religion is a type of human consciousness that believes that the world is ruled by some kind of supernatural force. And this power is sacred, it is worshiped.
The main thing in any religion is belief in God. Since ancient times, people have been in great need of faith, salvation and consolation. And they put forward a hypothesis that there is some inexplicable force that helps, guides, does something contrary to the laws of the Earth. And this power is God. This is the high beginning of the world, the laws of morality.
Forms, characteristics, structure and types of religions
There are a lot of religions in the world, more than a hundred. Their origins began several thousand years ago.
It all started with simple types and forms of beliefs. Archaeological excavations confirm that ancient tribes worshiped someone, they had rituals and sacraments. They had gods.
Main forms of religions:
- Recognition of totems - sacred objects, animals, plants.
- Magic - a person with supernatural abilities could somehow influence people's events.
- Choosing a talisman that could bring good luck and protect from accidents.
- Belief in shamans, people who are endowed with sacred power.
- A form of religion in which all objects and plants have a soul, they are alive.
To understand religions, it is necessary to identify its structure. This includes religious consciousness, activities, and organizations.
Organizations are a system that unites all people belonging to a particular religion. An example of religious activity is wearing crosses, lighting candles, and bowing.
Each religion has its own characteristics that distinguish it from others. Without these signs, it would have been destroyed, transforming into the occult and shamanism.
First of all, this is the primary source of the ideal to which we must strive – this is God. Apart from this, people believe in various spirits. They can be both good and evil, they help, you can communicate with them.
Another sign is that man is a higher, spiritual being. He must take care of his inner soul first of all. All religions believe that the soul lives forever and can exist even after death. Through faith you can be spiritually isolated with God.
Religion is first and foremost a moral character. There are rules for how a person should behave, what values he should pursue in life, and how to take care of his soul. The material world is insignificant, but the spiritual world is the most important.
Another main feature is that it is a cult with its own rules and regulations. These are certain actions that are performed to express the worship of a particular religion.
List and brief history of the world's major religions
There are three famous world religions. These are Christianity, Islam and Buddhism.
Christianity first appeared in the Roman Empire in the first century. From there came all the writings about the life of Jesus, who at a young age was crucified on the cross so that all the sins of people would be forgiven.
After this, he was resurrected and incarnated as the son of God, a supernatural force.
The Holy Scripture, which preserves the teachings of Christianity, is called the Bible. Consists of two collections: the Old Testament and the New Testament. People who believe in Christianity go to church, pray, fast, celebrate holidays, and perform various sacraments.
Types of Christianity: Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism.
Orthodoxy strictly follows the faith and recognizes all 7 sacraments: baptism, communion, confirmation, priesthood, repentance, wedding and unction. Catholicism is somewhat similar.
Protestantism does not recognize the Pope as its head, considers faith to be independent, and is against church policy.
Islam is the religion of Muslims. It appeared among Arab tribes at the beginning of the 7th century. It was founded by the prophet Muhammad. He was a hermit, a loner, and often thought and philosophized about morality and piety.
According to legend, on his fortieth birthday, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to him and left an inscription on his heart. God in Islam is called Allah. The religion is very different from Christianity.
Buddhism originated in the 6th century BC. This is the most ancient religion. The origins come from India, then it began to spread to China and the Far East.
The main founder is Buddha Gautama. At first he was an ordinary person. His parents once had a dream that their child would be a great man, a mentor. He was always very lonely, prone to thoughts, only religion and philosophy were important to him.
In Buddhism there is no specific God that everyone worships. Buddha is just an ideal of what one should become. Bright, pure, kind, highly moral. The goal of religion is to achieve a blissful state, achieve insight, free yourself from shackles, find yourself, find peace and tranquility.
In addition to the main three religions, there are others. This is very ancient Judaism.
It is based on the Ten Commandments that God prophesied to Moses.
This is also Taoism, which has teachings that all things appear from nowhere and go to nowhere, the main thing is harmony with nature.
It was founded by a philosopher who lived in the 4th century.
Other known religions are Confucianism, Jainism, and Sikhism.
Conclusion
Everyone chooses for themselves which religion they will worship. Different religions have one goal: increasing the spiritual morality of people.
Essay
World religions (Buddhism, Christianity, Islam), their brief characteristics
INTRODUCTION
... There is God, there is peace, they live forever,
And people's lives are instantaneous and miserable,
But a person contains everything within himself,
Who loves the world and believes in God.
By the end of the second millennium modern civilization all five billion people living on earth believe. Some believe in God, others believe that He does not exist; still others believe in progress, justice, reason. Faith is the most important part of a person’s worldview, his life position, belief, ethical and moral rule, norm and custom, according to which - more precisely, within which - he lives: acts, thinks and feels.
Faith is a universal property of human nature. Observing and comprehending the world around him and himself in it, man realized that he was surrounded not by chaos, but by an ordered universe, subject to the so-called laws of nature. To communicate with the invisible world, a person resorts to the help of a “mediator” - an object, a symbol, endowed with a special property - to serve as a container for invisible power. Thus, the ancient Greeks worshiped a rough, knotty log that personified one of the goddesses. The ancient Egyptians revered the powerful goddess Bastet in the form of a cat. A modern African tribe, discovered relatively recently, worshiped the propeller of an airplane that once fell from the sky onto their lands.
Faith takes many different forms, and these forms are called religion. Religion (from lat. religion- connection) is the worldview and behavior of people based on belief in the existence of one or many gods. The idea of the existence of God is the central point of the religious worldview. In Hinduism, for example, there are thousands of gods, in Judaism - one, but the basis of both religions is faith. Religious consciousness comes from the belief that, along with the real world, there is another - a higher, supernatural, sacred world. And this allows us to assume that the external diversity and diversity of cults, rituals, and philosophies of numerous religious systems are based on some common ideological ideas.
There were and still are many different religions. They are divided by their belief in many gods - polytheism, and by faith in one God - monotheism. They also differ tribal religions, national(for example, Confucianism in China) and world religions, widespread in different countries and uniting a huge number of believers. World religions traditionally include Buddhism ,Christianity And Islam. According to the latest data, in the modern world there are about 1,400 million Christians, about 900 million adherents of Islam, and about 300 million Buddhists. In total, this is almost half of the Earth's inhabitants.
I will try to give a brief description of these religions in my work.
Buddhism is the oldest of the world's religions, which received its name from the name, or rather from the honorary title, of its founder Buddha, which means “ Enlightened" Buddha Shakyamuni ( sage from the Shakya tribe) lived in India in the V-IV centuries. BC e. Other world religions - Christianity and Islam - appeared later (five and twelve centuries later, respectively).
If we try to imagine this religion from a bird’s eye view, we will see a motley patchwork of trends, schools, sects, subsects, religious parties and organizations.
Buddhism has absorbed many diverse traditions of the peoples of those countries that fell into its sphere of influence, and also determined the way of life and thoughts of millions of people in these countries. Most adherents of Buddhism now live in South, Southeast, Central and East Asia: Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Mongolia, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Cambodia, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Thailand and Laos. In Russia, Buddhism is traditionally practiced by Buryats, Kalmyks and Tuvans.
Buddhism was and remains a religion that takes different forms depending on where it spreads. Chinese Buddhism is a religion that speaks to believers in the language of Chinese culture and national ideas about the most important values of life. Japanese Buddhism is a synthesis of Buddhist ideas, Shinto mythology, Japanese culture, etc.
Buddhists themselves count down the existence of their religion from the death of the Buddha, but among them there is no consensus about the years of his life. According to the tradition of the oldest Buddhist school - Theravada, Buddha lived from b24 to 544 BC. e. According to the scientific version, the life of the founder of Buddhism is from 566 to 486 BC. e. Some areas of Buddhism adhere to later dates: 488-368. BC e. The birthplace of Buddhism is India (more precisely, the Ganges Valley). Society Ancient India was divided into varnas (classes): brahmans (the highest class of spiritual mentors and priests), kshatriyas (warriors), vaishyas (merchants) and sudras (serving all other classes). Buddhism for the first time addressed a person not as a representative of any class, clan, tribe or a certain gender, but as an individual (unlike the followers of Brahmanism, the Buddha believed that women, on an equal basis with men, are capable of achieving the highest spiritual perfection). For Buddhism, only personal merit was important in a person. Thus, the word “brahman” is used by Buddha to call any noble and wise person, regardless of his origin.
Buddha's biography reflects fate real person framed by myths and legends, which over time almost completely pushed aside the historical figure of the founder of Buddhism. More than 25 centuries ago, in one of the small states in northeast India, a son, Siddhartha, was born to King Shuddhodana and his wife Maya. His family name was Gautama. The prince lived in luxury, without worries, eventually started a family and, probably, would have succeeded his father on the throne if fate had not decreed otherwise.
Having learned that there are diseases, old age and death in the world, the prince decided to save people from suffering and went in search of a recipe for universal happiness. In the area of Gaya (it is still called Bodh Gaya) he achieved Enlightenment, and the path to the salvation of humanity was revealed to him. This happened when Siddhartha was 35 years old. In the city of Benares, he delivered his first sermon and, as Buddhists say, “turned the wheel of Dharma” (as the teachings of the Buddha are sometimes called). He traveled with sermons in cities and villages, he had disciples and followers who were going to listen to the instructions of the Teacher, whom they began to call Buddha. At the age of 80, Buddha died. But even after the death of the Teacher, the disciples continued to preach his teaching throughout India. They created monastic communities, where this teaching was preserved and developed. These are the facts of the real biography of Buddha - the man who became the founder of a new religion.
Mythological biography is much more complex. According to legends, the future Buddha was reborn a total of 550 times (83 times as a saint, 58 as a king, 24 as a monk, 18 as a monkey, 13 as a merchant, 12 as a chicken, 8 as a goose, 6 as an elephant; in addition, as a fish, rat, carpenter, blacksmith, frog, hare, etc.). This was until the gods decided that the time had come for him, born in the guise of a man, to save the world, mired in the darkness of ignorance. The birth of Buddha into a kshatriya family was his last birth. That is why he was called Siddhartha (He who has achieved the goal). The boy was born with thirty-two signs of a “great man” (golden skin, a wheel sign on the foot, wide heels, a light circle of hair between the eyebrows, long fingers, long earlobes, etc.). A wandering ascetic astrologer predicted that a great future awaited him in one of two spheres: either he would become a powerful ruler, capable of establishing righteous order on earth, or he would be a great hermit. Mother Maya did not take part in raising Siddhartha - she died (and according to some legends, she retired to heaven so as not to die from admiring her son) shortly after his birth. The boy was raised by his aunt. The prince grew up in an atmosphere of luxury and prosperity. The father did everything possible to prevent the prediction from coming true: he surrounded his son with wonderful things, beautiful and carefree people, and created an atmosphere of eternal celebration so that he would never know about the sorrows of this world. Siddhartha grew up, got married at the age of 16, and had a son, Rahula. But the father's efforts were in vain. With the help of his servant, the prince managed to secretly escape from the palace three times. For the first time he met a sick person and realized that beauty is not eternal and there are ailments in the world that disfigure a person. The second time he saw the old man and realized that youth is not eternal. For the third time he watched a funeral procession, which showed him the fragility of human life.
Siddhartha decided to look for a way out of the trap illness - old age - death. According to some versions, he also met a hermit, which led him to think about the possibility of overcoming the suffering of this world by leading a solitary and contemplative lifestyle. When the prince decided on the great renunciation, he was 29 years old. After six years of ascetic practice and another unsuccessful attempt to achieve higher insight through fasting, he became convinced that the path of self-torture would not lead to the truth. Then, having regained his strength, he found a secluded place on the river bank, sat down under a tree (which from that time on was called the Bodhi tree, i.e., the “tree of Enlightenment”) and plunged into contemplation. Before Siddhartha's inner gaze, his own past lives, past, future and real life all living beings, and then the highest truth was revealed - Dharma. From that moment on, he became the Buddha - the Enlightened One, or the Awakened One - and decided to teach the Dharma to all people who seek truth, regardless of their origin, class, language, gender, age, character, temperament and mental abilities.
Buddha spent 45 years spreading his teachings in India. According to Buddhist sources, he won followers from all walks of life. Shortly before his death, the Buddha told his beloved disciple Ananda that he could have extended his life by a whole century, and then Ananda bitterly regretted that he had not thought to ask him about this. The cause of Buddha's death was a meal with the poor blacksmith Chunda, during which Buddha, knowing that the poor man was going to treat his guests to stale meat, asked to give all the meat to him. Buddha died in the town of Kushinagara, and his body was traditionally cremated, and the ashes were divided among eight followers, six of whom represented different communities. His ashes were buried in eight different places, and memorial tombstones were subsequently erected over these graves - stupas. According to legend, one of the students pulled out a Buddha tooth from the funeral pyre, which became the main relic of Buddhists. Now it is located in a temple in the city of Kandy on the island of Sri Lanka.
Like other religions, Buddhism promises people deliverance from the most painful aspects of human existence - suffering, adversity, passions, fear of death. However, not recognizing the immortality of the soul, not considering it something eternal and unchanging, Buddhism does not see the point in striving for eternal life in heaven, since eternal life from the point of view of Buddhism and other Indian religions is just an endless series of reincarnations, a change of bodily shells. In Buddhism, the term “samsara” is adopted to denote it.
Buddhism teaches that the essence of man is unchangeable; under the influence of his actions, only a person’s existence and perception of the world changes. By doing badly, he reaps illness, poverty, humiliation. By doing well, he tastes joy and peace. This is the law of karma (moral retribution), which determines a person’s fate both in this life and in future reincarnations.
Buddhism sees the highest goal of religious life in liberation from karma and exit from the circle of samsara. In Hinduism, the state of a person who has achieved liberation is called moksha, and in Buddhism - nirvana.
People who are superficially familiar with Buddhism believe that Nirvana is death. Wrong. Nirvana is peace, wisdom and bliss, the extinction of the life fire, and with it a significant part of emotions, desires, passions - everything that makes up life ordinary person. And yet this is not death, but life, but only in a different quality, the life of a perfect, free spirit.
I would like to note that Buddhism is neither a monotheistic (recognizing one God) nor a polytheistic (based on belief in many gods) religions. Buddha does not deny the existence of gods and other supernatural beings (demons, spirits, creatures of hell, gods in the form of animals, birds, etc.), but believes that they are also subject to the action of karma and, despite all their supernatural powers, cannot The most important thing is to get rid of reincarnations. Only a person is able to “take the path” and, by consistently changing himself, eradicate the cause of rebirth and achieve nirvana. To be freed from rebirth, gods and other beings will have to be born in human form. Only among people can the highest spiritual beings appear: Buddhas - people who have achieved Enlightenment and nirvana and preach the dharma, and bodhisattvas - those who postpone entering nirvana in order to help other creatures.
Unlike other world religions, the number of worlds in Buddhism is almost infinite. Buddhist texts say that they are more numerous than drops in the ocean or grains of sand in the Ganges. Each world has its own land, ocean, air, many heavens where gods live, and levels of hell inhabited by demons, the spirits of evil ancestors - pretami etc. In the center of the world stands the huge Mount Meru, surrounded by seven mountain ranges. At the top of the mountain there is a “sky of 33 gods”, headed by the god Shakra.
The most important concept for Buddhists is dharma - it represents the teachings of the Buddha, the highest truth that he revealed to all beings. “Dharma” literally means “support,” “that which supports.” The word “dharma” in Buddhism means moral virtue, primarily the moral and spiritual qualities of the Buddha, which believers should imitate. In addition, dharmas are the final elements into which, from the Buddhist point of view, the stream of existence is divided.
Buddha began preaching his teachings with the “four noble truths.” According to the first truth, the entire existence of man is suffering, dissatisfaction, disappointment. Even the happy moments of his life ultimately lead to suffering, since they involve “separation from the pleasant.” Although suffering is universal, it is not the original and inevitable condition of man, since it has its own cause - the desire or thirst for pleasure - which underlies the attachment of people to existence in this world. This is the second noble truth.
The pessimism of the first two noble truths is overcome by the next two. The third truth says that the cause of suffering, since it is generated by man himself, is subject to his will and can be eliminated by him - in order to put an end to suffering and disappointment, one must stop experiencing desires.
How to achieve this is explained by the fourth truth of the Noble Eightfold Path: “This noble eightfold path is: right views, right intentions, correct speech, correct actions, right living, right effort, right awareness and right concentration.” The Four Noble Truths are in many ways similar to the principles of treatment: medical history, diagnosis, recognition of the possibility of recovery, prescription of treatment. It is no coincidence that Buddhist texts compare the Buddha with a healer who is engaged not in general reasoning, but in the practical healing of people from spiritual suffering. And the Buddha calls on his followers to constantly work on themselves in the name of salvation, and not waste time ranting about subjects that they do not know from their own experience. He compares a lover of abstract conversations with a fool who, instead of allowing an arrow that has hit him to be pulled out, begins to talk about who fired it, what material it was made of, etc.
In Buddhism, unlike Christianity and Islam, there is no church, but there is a community of believers - sangha. This is a spiritual brotherhood that helps in progress along the Buddhist path. The community provides its members with strict discipline ( vinaya) and guidance from experienced mentors.
CHRISTIANITY
Christianity (from Greek. christos- “anointed one”, “Messiah”) is the second oldest of world religions. It originated as one of the sects of Judaism in the 1st century. AD in Palestine. This original relationship with Judaism - extremely important for understanding the roots of the Christian faith - is also manifested in the fact that the first part of the Bible, the Old Testament, is the sacred book of both Jews and Christians (the second part of the Bible, the New Testament, is recognized only by Christians and is for the most important of them). The New Testament consists of: four Gospels (from Greek - "evangelism") – “Gospel of Mark”, “Gospel of Luke”, “Gospel of John”, “Gospel of Matthew”, Epistles of the Apostles (letters to various Christian communities) – 14 of these Epistles are attributed to the Apostle Paul, 7 to other apostles, and Apocalypse, or Revelation of John the Theologian. The Church considers all these teachings to be divinely inspired, that is, written by people at the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, a Christian should respect their content as the highest truth.
The basis of Christianity is the thesis that after the Fall, people themselves could not return to communion with God. Now only God himself could come out to meet them. The Lord goes out in search of a person to return himself to us. Christ, the son of God, born through the Holy Spirit from the earthly girl Mary (the Mother of God), the God-man, took upon himself not only all the hardships of human life, having lived among people for 33 years. To atone for human sins, Jesus Christ voluntarily accepted death on the cross, was buried and rose again on the third day, foreshadowing the future resurrection of all Christians. Christ took upon Himself the consequences of human sins; Christ filled that aura of death with which people surrounded themselves, isolating themselves from God. Man, according to Christian teaching, was created as a bearer of the “image and likeness” of God. However, the Fall committed by the first people destroyed man's godlikeness, placing on him the stain of original sin. Christ, having suffered on the cross and death, “redeemed” people, suffering for the entire human race. Therefore, Christianity emphasizes the cleansing role of suffering, any limitation by a person of his desires and passions: “by accepting his cross,” a person can overcome evil in himself and in the world around him. Thus, a person not only fulfills God’s commandments, but also transforms himself and ascends to God, becoming closer to him. This is the purpose of the Christian, his justification of the sacrificial death of Christ. Associated with this view of man is the concept characteristic only of Christianity sacraments- a special cult action designed to really introduce the divine into human life. This is, first of all, baptism, communion, confession (repentance), marriage, unction.
In Christianity, what is important is not so much that God died for people, but that He escaped from death. The resurrection of Christ confirmed that the existence of love is stronger than the presence of death.
The cardinal difference between Christianity and other religions is that the founders of the latter acted not as an object of faith, but as its intermediaries. It was not the personalities of Buddha, Mohammed or Moses that were the real content of the new faith, but their teaching. The Gospel of Christ reveals itself as the Gospel about Christ; it is a message about a Person, not a concept. Christ is not only the means of Revelation through which God speaks to people. Since He is the God-man, he turns out to be both the subject and the content of this Revelation. Christ is the One who entered into fellowship with man, and the One of whom this message speaks.
Another difference between Christianity is that any ethical and religious system is a path, following which people come to a certain goal. And Christ begins precisely with this goal. He speaks of life flowing from God to men, and not of human efforts that can lift them up to God.
Spreading among the Jews of Palestine and the Mediterranean, Christianity already in the first decades of its existence won adherents among other peoples. Even then, the universalism inherent in Christianity was revealed: communities scattered across the vast expanse of the Roman Empire nevertheless felt their unity. People of different nationalities became members of the communities. The New Testament thesis “there is neither Greek nor Jew” proclaimed the equality before God of all believers and predetermined the further development of Christianity as a world religion that knows no national and linguistic boundaries.
I would like to note that from the moment of the birth of this religion, its adherents were subjected to severe persecution (for example, during the time of Nero), but at the beginning of the 4th century Christianity became officially permitted, and by the end of the century, under Emperor Constantine, the dominant religion supported by the state. By the 10th century, almost all of Europe had become Christian. From Byzantium, Christianity was adopted in 988 by Kievan Rus, where it became the official religion.
Since the 4th century, the Christian Church periodically gathers the highest clergy at the so-called ecumenical councils. At these councils, a system of dogma was developed and approved, canonical norms and liturgical rules were formed, and methods of combating heresies were determined. The first ecumenical council, held in Nicaea in 325, adopted the Christian Creed - a short set of main dogmas that form the basis of the doctrine.
Christianity develops the idea of one God, the possessor of absolute goodness, absolute knowledge and absolute power, which matured in Judaism. All beings and objects are His creations, all created by a free act of the Divine will. The two central dogmas of Christianity speak of the trinity of God and the Incarnation. According to the first, inner life deity is the relationship of three “hypostases,” or persons: the Father (the beginningless principle), the Son or Logos (the semantic and formative principle), and the Holy Spirit (the life-giving principle). The Son is “born” from the Father, the Holy Spirit “proceeds” from the Father. Moreover, both “birth” and “procession” do not take place in time, since all the persons of the Christian Trinity have always existed - “eternal” - and equal in dignity - “equal in honor”.
Christianity is a religion of redemption and salvation. Unlike religions where God is seen as a formidable Master (Judaism, Islam), Christians believe in God's merciful love for sinful humanity.
As I have already noted, in Christianity man is created “in the image and likeness of God,” but Adam’s original sin “damaged” human nature—“damaged” it so much that God’s atoning sacrifice was required. Faith in Christianity is inextricably linked with love for God, who loved man so much that for his sake he endured the agony of the cross.
The nature of Islam predetermines the penetration of the religious model of the world into the very fabric of the socio-political life of Muslims. Such a system turns out to be much more stable than the Christian one. That is why, obviously, it did not create the prerequisites for a breakthrough to a new, already non-religious civilization.
Christianity is the most widespread religion in globe(as I already noted, about 1,400 million people in the modern world are Christians). It distinguishes three main movements: Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism.
ISLAM
The third (latest in time of origin) world religion is Islam, or Islam. It is one of the most widespread religions: there are about 900 million adherents, mainly in North Africa, South-West, South and Southeast Asia. Arabic-speaking peoples almost all profess Islam, Turkic-speaking and Iranian-speaking people - in the overwhelming majority. There are also many Muslims among the North Indian peoples. The population of Indonesia is almost entirely Muslim.
Islam originated in Arabia in the 7th century AD. e. Its origin is clearer than the origin of Christianity and Buddhism, for it is illuminated by written sources almost from the very beginning. But there is a lot of legendary stuff here too. According to Muslim tradition, the founder of Islam was the prophet of God Muhammad (Magomed), an Arab who lived in Mecca; he allegedly received from God a number of “revelations” recorded in the holy book of the Koran, and passed them on to people. The Koran is the main holy book of Muslims, like the Pentateuch of Moses for Jews and the Gospel for Christians.
Muhammad himself did not write anything: he was apparently illiterate. After him, scattered records of his sayings and teachings, made at different times, remained. Texts from both earlier and later times are attributed to Muhammad. Around 650 (under Muhammad's third successor, Osman), a set of these records was compiled, called the Koran (“reading”). This book was declared sacred, dictated to the prophet himself by Archangel Jebrail; records not included in it were destroyed.
The Qur'an is divided into 114 chapters ( sur). They are arranged without any order, simply by size: the longer ones are closer to the beginning, the shorter ones are towards the end. Surahs Meccan(earlier) and Medina(later) are mixed. The same thing is repeated verbatim in different suras. Exclamations and glorifications of the greatness and power of Allah alternate with instructions, prohibitions and threats of “gehenna” in the future life to all disobedient people. In the Koran there are no traces of such editorial and literary finishing as in the Christian Gospel: these are completely raw, unprocessed texts.
Another part of Muslim religious literature is sunnah(or sonna), consisting of sacred traditions ( hadiths) about the life, miracles and teachings of Muhammad. Collections of hadiths were compiled in the 9th century by Muslim theologians - Bukhari, Muslim, etc. But not all Muslims recognize the sunnah; those who recognize it are called Sunnis, they constitute a significant majority in Islam.
Based on the Koran and hadith, Muslim theologians tried to reconstruct the biography of Muhammad. The earliest surviving biography was compiled by the Medinan Ibn Ishak (8th century) and came to us in a 9th century edition. It can be considered established that Muhammad actually lived around 570-632. and preached a new teaching, first in Mecca, where he found few followers, then in Medina, where he managed to gather many adherents; relying on them, he subjugated Mecca, and soon united most of Arabia under the banner of the new religion. In Muhammad's sermons, in fact, there was almost nothing new in comparison with the religious teachings of the Jews, Christians, and Hanifs: the main thing for Muhammad was the strict requirement to honor only one Allah and to be unconditionally submissive to his will. The very word Islam means submission.
The dogma of Islam is very simple. A Muslim must firmly believe that there is only one god - Allah; that Muhammad was his messenger-prophet; that before him, God sent other prophets to people - these are the biblical Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Christian Jesus, but Muhammad is higher than them; that there are angels and evil spirits ( genies), however, these latter, who converted to Islam from ancient Arab beliefs, are not always evil, they are also in the power of God and carry out his will; that on the last day of the world the dead will rise and everyone will receive rewards for their deeds: the righteous who honor God will enjoy in paradise, sinners and infidels will burn in hell; finally, that there is divine predestination, for Allah has predetermined each person’s destiny.
Allah is portrayed in the Qur'an as a being with purely human moral qualities, but in a superlative degree. He is sometimes angry with people, sometimes he forgives them; loves some, hates others. Like the Jewish and Christian gods, Allah predestined some people for a righteous life and future bliss, others for lawlessness and torment beyond the grave. Nevertheless, in the Koran, as in the Gospel, God is repeatedly called merciful, forgiving, etc. The most important quality of Allah is his power and greatness. Therefore, the most important dogmatic and moral injunction in the Koran is the requirement of complete, unconditional submission of a person to the will of Allah.
Just as the dogma of Islam is simple, so are its practical and ritual commandments. They boil down to the following:
obligatory five times prayer every day at set hours; obligatory ablution before prayer and in other cases; tax ( zakat) in favor of the poor; annual fast ( cheers, in the tenth month - Ramadan) throughout the month; pilgrimage ( hajj) to the holy city of Mecca, which a devout Muslim should, if possible, perform at least once in his life.
Just like in other religions, there are several movements in Islam. The main ones, as already mentioned, are Sunnism (about 90% of Muslims) and Shiism.
Speaking about the uniqueness of Islam, I would like to say a few words about what it has in common with Christianity. Islam arises to a large extent from the Arab consciousness's reworking of the Christian idea of monotheism. He confesses one God. God created the world and man, gave revelation to people, controls the world and directs it to the end, which will be a terrible judgment on the living and resurrected. The differences between Islam and Christianity are the differences in the words and deeds of the founders of these religions. The founder of Christianity did not achieve any visible success and died a “slave death.” This death was his main act. The less visible, external success there is, the greater the “invisible success” should be, the greater the scale of the deeds of the founder of the religion - victory over death, atonement for the sins of mankind, and the granting of eternal life to those who believe in him. And the larger the scale of his personality becomes in the minds of his students. The person who committed such an act is not a person. This is God.
The image of Muhammad and his deeds are strikingly different from the image of Jesus and his deeds. Muhammad is the prophet through whom Allah speaks. But at the same time, he is a “normal person” who lived an ordinary life. The very success of Muhammad is sufficient proof that his words come from Allah and Allah himself guides him and does not require belief in his resurrection from the dead and his divinity. Muhammad's speech is completely different from Christ's. He is only a transmitter of “revelation”, not God incarnate, but an “instrument of God”, a prophet.
The different personalities of the founders, their different lives, different understandings of their mission are the main structure-forming elements of the differences generated by them in the religions.
First of all, different understandings of the relationship of the founders of religion with God and their mission also imply differences in the very concept of God. In both Christianity and Islam, God is one and only. But the monotheism of Christianity is combined with the belief that the one crucified on the cross is God, which gives rise to the doctrine of the Incarnation and the Trinity. Here a paradox is introduced into monotheism, into the very idea of God and his relationship with creation, something that cannot be understood by the human mind, contradicts it and can only be an object of faith. The monotheism of Islam is “pure”, devoid of Christian paradox. The Qur'an strongly emphasizes the oneness of Allah. He has no hypostases. Recognizing the existence of “companions” of Allah is the main crime against Islam.
Different ideas about God are inextricably linked with different views of man. In Christianity, man is created “in the image and likeness of God,” but Adam’s original sin “damaged” human nature—“damaged” it so much that God’s atoning sacrifice was required. Islam has different ideas about man. He is not conceived of as created in the image and likeness of God, but he does not experience such a grandiose fall. The person is weak rather than “damaged.” Therefore, he does not need atonement from sins, but the help and guidance of God, who shows him the right path in the Koran.
Various systems ideas about a person also imply differences in ethical values. Faith in Christianity is inextricably linked with love for God, who loved man so much that for his sake he endured the agony of the cross. Islam also involves faith, but it is a slightly different faith. Faith here is not faith in the paradox of a crucified God, not separable from love for him, but submission to the instructions of Allah given through the prophet in the Qur'an. These instructions are clear and understandable to people. They belong to the few and simple (which is why they must be followed strictly) ritual instructions and legal norms relatively developed already in the Koran regarding marriage, divorce, inheritance, and punishment for crimes. All this is real and doable, and the Qur'an emphasizes that Allah does not require anything supernatural. He demands from people an ordinary, normal, but orderly and ennobled life by Islam. The simplicity of religious requirements stems from Islam's fundamental idea of divine predestination. Allah acts in accordance with His plans and determines everything without exception, even the most insignificant events. The absoluteness of divine predestination, excluding the possibility for a person of any actions, is illustrated by such an example. When a person writes with a pen, this is by no means his action, for in reality Allah creates four actions simultaneously: 1) the desire to move the pen, 2) the ability to move it, 3) the movement of the hand itself and 4) the movement of the pen. All these actions are not connected with each other and behind each of them is the infinite will of Allah.
The nature of Islam predetermines the penetration of the religious model of the world into the very fabric of the socio-political life of Muslims.
These are the main features of the three world religions: Buddhism, Christianity and Islam.
LIST OF REFERENCES USED
1. Bible. – M.: Publishing house “Russian Bible Society”, 2000.
2. Gorelov A.A. History of world religions. Tutorial for universities. 3rd ed. – M.: Publishing house MSSI, 2007.
3. Deacon A. Kuraev. Protestants about Orthodoxy. – Klin: Christian Life Publishing House, 2006.
4. History of religion in 2 vols. Textbook /ed. Yablokova I.N. / - M.: Publishing house "Modern Literary", 2004.
5. Korobkova Yu.E. Philosophy: Lecture notes. – M.: Publishing house MIEMP, 2005.
6. Fundamentals of philosophy. Textbook for universities / ed. E.V.Popova/ - Tambov, TSTU Publishing House, 2004
7. Religious studies. Encyclopedic Dictionary. – M.: Publishing house “Academic Project”, 2006.
Korobkova Yu.E. Philosophy: Lecture notes. – M.: Publishing House MIEMP, 2005, p. 107.
Bible. - M.: Publishing house "Russian Bible Society", 2000.
Deacon A. Kuraev. Protestants about Orthodoxy. – Klin: Christian Life Publishing House, 2006, p. 398
Fundamentals of philosophy. Textbook for universities / edited by E.V. Popov. – Tambov, TSTU Publishing House, 2004, p. 53
Knowledge of the religious affiliation of the population helps to better understand the characteristics of the economic and social geography different countries of the world. The role of religion in society continues to be very significant today.
It is customary to distinguish tribal, local (national) and world religions.
Even in primitive society, the simplest forms of religious beliefs arose - totemism, magic, fetishism, animism and the cult of ancestors. (Some elementary religions have survived to this day. Thus, totemism was widespread among the Melanesians and American Indians).
Later, complex forms of religions emerged. They most often arose among any one people, or among a group of peoples united in a state (this is how local religions arose - Judaism, Hinduism, Shintoism, Confucianism, Taoism, etc.).
Some of the religions have spread among the peoples of different countries and continents. These are the world religions - Islam and Christianity.
Buddhism is the oldest world religion exists mainly in two main varieties - Hinayana and Mahayana, to which Lamaism should also be added.
Buddhism arose in India in the 6th-5th centuries. BC. The founder of the teaching is considered to be Siddhartha Gautama Shakyamuni, known to the world under the name of Buddha (i.e., “awakened, enlightened”).
There are many Buddhist centers, temples and monasteries in India, but Buddhism has not become widespread in India itself and has become a world religion outside its borders - in China, Korea, and in a number of other countries. He did not fit into the social structure and culture of society, since he rejected caste, the authority of the Brahmins, and religious ritualism (Hinduism was most widespread in India).
In the II century. Buddhism penetrated into China and became widespread, existing there for about two millennia, having a great influence on Chinese culture. But it did not become the dominant religion here, which was Confucianism in China.
Buddhism as a world religion reached its most complete form in Tibet in Lamaism (during the late Middle Ages - in the 7th-15th centuries). In Russia, Lamaism is practiced by residents of Buryatia, Tuva, and Kalmykia.
Currently, there are about 300 million adherents of this religious teaching.
Christianity is considered one of the world religions, bearing in mind both its influence on the course of world history and the scale of its spread. The number of Christian adherents is approaching 2 billion people.
Christianity arose in the 1st century. n. e. in the east of the Roman Empire (on the territory of the modern state of Israel), which at that time absorbed the entire civilization, when the civilization based on slavery was already declining. By the 60s. I century n. e. There were already several Christian communities besides the very first, Jerusalem, which consisted of disciples gathered around Jesus.
Christianity today is a collective term that includes three main directions: Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism, within which there are many different faiths and religious associations that arose at different times throughout the two thousand-year history of Christianity (Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox churches, etc.).
Catholicism(Catholicism) is the most significant branch of Christianity. Exists as a strictly centralized church, headed by the Pope (who is also the head of state).
Protestantism- arose in the era of the Reformation (XVI century) as an anti-Catholic movement. The largest directions of Protestantism are Lutheranism, Calvinism, Anglicanism, Methodism, and Baptistism.
In 395, the Roman Empire split into western and eastern parts. This contributed to the separation of the Western Church, led by the Bishop of Rome (Pope), and a number of Eastern Churches, led by the Patriarchs of Constantinople, Jerusalem, and Alexandria. Between the Western and Eastern branches of Christianity (Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches) a struggle for influence ensued, which ended with their formal break in 1054.
By that time, Christianity had already turned from a persecuted faith into a state religion. This happened under Emperor Constantine (in the 4th century). Orthodoxy of Byzantine origin established itself in the east and southeast of Europe. Kievan Rus adopted Christianity in 988 under Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich. This step had important consequences for Russian history.
Islam- the second world religion after Christianity in terms of the number of followers (1.1 billion people). It was founded by the prophet Muhammad in the 7th century. on Arab tribal religions (in Arabia, in the Hijaz).
Islam served as a powerful impetus for the development in a short historical period of such a phenomenon, which is designated by the concept of “Muslim world”. In those countries where Islam is widespread, it plays an important role as a religious doctrine, form social organization, cultural tradition.
From many religious systems modern world Islam remains one of the most significant forces.
Confucianism arose in the middle 1st millennium BC in China as a social and ethical teaching set forth by the philosopher Confucius. For many centuries it was a kind of state ideology. The second local (national) religion - Taoism - is based on a combination of elements of Buddhism and Confucianism. To date, it has survived only in certain areas.
Hinduism means more than just the name of a religion. In India, where it has become widespread, it is a whole set of religious forms, from the simplest ritual, polytheistic to philosophical-mystical, monotheistic. Moreover, it is a designation of the Indian way of life with caste division, including the sum of life principles, norms of behavior, social and ethical values, beliefs, cults, rituals.
The foundations of Hinduism are laid in the Vedic religion, which was brought by the Aryan tribes that invaded the Middle Ages. II millennium BC e. The second period in the history of Indian religion is Brahmanical (1st millennium BC). Gradually, the ancient religion of sacrifice and knowledge turned into Hinduism. Its development was influenced by those that arose in the 6th-5th centuries BC. e. Buddhism and Jainism (teachings that denied the caste system).
Shintoism- local religion of Japan (along with Buddhism). It is a combination of elements of Confucianism (observance of the cult of ancestors, patriarchal principles of the family, respect for elders, etc.) and Taoism.
Judaism formed in the 1st millennium BC. among the Palestinian population. (In the 13th century BC, when the Israelite tribes came to Palestine, their religion consisted of many primitive cults common to nomads. Only gradually did the religion of Judaism emerge, in the form in which it is presented in the Old Testament). Distributed exclusively among Jews living in different countries of the world (the largest groups are in and). The total number of Jews in the world is about 14 million people.
Currently, most people living in different countries and different social conditions consider themselves believers - Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, etc. - or do not belong to any of the existing churches, but simply recognize the existence of some higher power - the world mind.
At the same time, it is also a fact that today a significant part of people are not religious, that is, these are people who do not profess any of the existing religions, consider themselves atheists or agnostics, secular humanists or freethinkers.
The spread of world religions in the 90s. XX century
Christianity spread among the peoples of Europe and in other parts of the world, settled by settlers from this part of the world.
Catholicism is the dominant religion in Latin America and the Philippines; There are significant groups of Catholics in the USA and Canada (French-Canadians), as well as in some African countries (former colonies).
In many countries of the African continent, as a rule, both Christianity (Catholicism and Protestantism, since in the recent past these states were colonies) and traditional local beliefs are represented.
There is Monophysite Christianity in and partly in Egypt.
Orthodoxy spread in the east and southeast of Europe among the Greeks and southern Slavs (,). It is professed by Russians, Belarusians,
Religion is a person’s worldview based on belief in and worship of the supernatural. The components of religion as a worldview are people's observance of certain moral norms, their adherence to a special system of values, the practice of rituals and the recognition of a cult. As a rule, it involves the creation of an organized association of believers in a separate, clearly structured structure - the church.
In most religious communities and communities, the leading place is occupied by clergy or clergy. Religious worldview is most often based on certain sacred texts, which contain the foundations of this faith and, according to its supporters, are dictated either directly by God or by people who have reached the highest stages of initiation into the sacrament (that is, saints).
Major religions in the world
According to statistical data from 2012, according to religion, the population professes the following:
forms of religion
- Christians (Orthodoxy, Protestantism)
— 2.31 billion believers (33% of the world’s population) - — 1.58 billion believers (23% of the world’s population)
- Hinduism - believers 0.95 billion (14% of the world's population)
- — believers 0.47 billion (6.7% of the world population)
- traditional Chinese religions - believers 0.46 billion (6.6% of the world's population)
- Sikhs - believers 24 million (0.3% of the world population)
- Jews - believers 15 million (0.2% of the world's population)
- paganism and adherents of local beliefs - about 0.27 billion (3.9% of the world's population)
- non-religious - about 0.66 billion (9.4% of the world population)
- atheists - about 0.14 billion (2% of the world's population).
The relationship between secularism and religion. State religion
The relationship between religion and secular power in any state is regulated by the Constitution, the laws of the country, adopted by parliament and the traditions of the population. Religion occupies its strongest position in countries where it is recognized as the state religion. This
- in Catholic countries - in - Vatican City, Malta, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Monaco, (a number of cantons), in - , Costa Rica, Dominican Republic
- in Orthodox states - in Macedonia.
- in Protestant states (Anglicanism) - this is part of , while Northern Ireland and Wales do not have a state church;
- in Protestant states (Lutheranism) - Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Ireland, Scotland as part of Great Britain;
- - Israel;
- Islam (Sunni) - Afghanistan, Sudan, Palestine, Algeria, Brunei, Qatar, Yemen, Jordan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Mauritania, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Maldives, Somalia, Morocco, UAE (United Arab Emirates);
- Islam (Shiites) - and Iraq;
- Buddhism - Cambodia, Bhutan, Laos.
Religion and Science
There are several points of view regarding the issue of interaction between science and religion. They can be divided into four types:
1. Conflict. From this point of view, religion and science are contradictory and incompatible with each other. The most famous representatives of this point of view are Richard Dawkins, Andrew Dixon White, Peter Atkins, Richard Feynman, Vitaly Ginzburg.
2. Independence. Religion and science deal with different areas of knowledge. This point of view is based on Immanuel Kant's doctrine of the transcendental, which was formulated in the Critique of Pure Reason.
3. Dialogue. The areas of knowledge overlap and there is a need to eliminate contradictions on individual issues by refuting or harmonizing positions.
4. Integration. Both of these areas of knowledge are combined into one holistic system of reasoning. Defended by some philosophers and theologians, for example, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Ian Barbour.
Religion and medicine
In an article published in Psychiatric Times by David Larson, president of the National Institute of Health Research (USA), and his co-authors, “The Forgotten Factor in Psychiatry: Religious Involvement and Mental Health,” the authors agreed that “lack of religious or spiritual interests remains a serious risk factor for the development of alcoholism and drug addiction."
On the other hand, spirituality can actually help overcome any alcohol or drug abuse, for example: “45 percent of patients in faith-based addiction recovery programs were drug-free one year later—compared with 5 percent in nonreligious community-based programs.” (Desmond and Maddux, 1981).
Religious court
In some countries there are also religious courts (eg Muslim Sharia courts) and customary courts.
There are two types of these organs:
- church courts (consider intra-church disputes on the basis of religious law), operating in many countries of the world (Great Britain, Russia), and the R.S. itself. (consider a wider range of issues, albeit on the basis of religious law, for example, marriage and family disputes, inheritance disputes). Not only the clergy, but also the laity of a given denomination fall under the jurisdiction of the latter (such courts operate, for example, in Israel).
- In principle, religious courts also include Sharia courts, which, however, have a mixed, state-public nature.
Basic signs of religion
Any religion always involves the following components:
1. Religious consciousness. Religious consciousness exists in the form of images, ideas, moods, feelings, experiences, habits, traditions
2. Religious activities (cult and non-cult). Cult actions are a set of symbolic actions through which believers try to establish a connection with supernatural forces. These are religious rites, rituals, sacrifices, worship, prayers, etc. Non-cult activities can be spiritual and practical. Spirituality includes self-contemplation, different kinds meditation, revelations, development of religious ideas, composition of religious texts. The practical side of non-cult activities consists of all kinds of actions aimed at spreading and protecting religion.
3.Religious organization. Religious organizations are a form of possible ordering of joint religious activities of believers, the primary organizational unit of which is a religious group or community. The highest form of organization is the Church.
Theories about the emergence of religion
1. Religious. Distributed exclusively among believers and suggests the emergence of religion as a result of divine revelation. According to this theory, God himself revealed himself to people in the form of signs, phenomena, and the gift of sacred texts.
2. Scientific. Involves a rational explanation of the reasons why people at one time turned to religion. There are several of them:
- dependence natural phenomena, fear of all kinds of disasters;
- endowment of sacred properties to their leaders, deification of kings (for example, as in ancient Egypt).
In addition, there are many more, so-called situational, reasons for various people turning to faith (both before and now):
- a feeling of fear of possible retribution for committed actions (sins);
- dissatisfaction in earthly life and the desire to compensate for all the failures encountered in this world, in another - the other world;
- the need for moral support and consolation, which can only be found among fellow believers;
- imitation of others;
- respect for believing parents;
- following traditions and national feeling.
Forms of religiosity
The concept of “religiosity” reflects the originality and originality of an individual’s spiritual world according to the degree of influence of faith on his consciousness. A religious person is one who believes in the real existence of supernatural forces, first of all, God, and the other world into which he will definitely end up after earthly life. To do this, he fulfills all the requirements prescribed by his religion and regularly performs cult actions. The main goal and meaning of a believer’s actions is serving God. Strict adherence to religious norms and rules will help a person to join the Divine. Earthly life is considered only as an intermediate stage on the path to eternal bliss.
However, the degree of religiosity of a particular person can vary significantly. There are several forms of “immersion” in faith:
1. People with moderate religiosity. In their worldview, the religious element is not decisive. Their faith in God is not specific; it does not imply obligatory conversion, strict knowledge of religious systems, or strict fulfillment of all religious actions and instructions.
2. Ordinary believers. For such people, faith is deeply rooted in all structures of consciousness; it morally regulates all their life activities. An ordinary believer fulfills all church instructions and embodies the highest values of his religion in his own behavior and actions. But, at the same time, he is capable of dialogue with representatives of other religions and treats them tolerantly.
3. Religious fanatics. People who are extremely committed to religious ideas, striving to strictly follow them in practical life and calling on everyone to do the same, intolerant of people of other faiths and dissidents, confident in their own infallibility. As a rule, such people are prone to violent actions.
Functions of religion
This refers to the nature of the impact of religion on a person and on society as a whole.
· Worldview function. Religion forms a certain view of the world, explains a person’s place in it, the meaning and purpose of his life.
· Illusory-compensatory function. Man's inability to control many natural and social processes, the need to overcome forces beyond his control receives a ghostly embodiment in religious ideas.
· Communication function. Religion can also act as a means of communication between people. For example, at meetings, during the performance of certain rituals, during services in temples.
· Regulatory function. Religious norms, which a believer strictly adheres to, concern not only the religious side of his life, they also regulate a person’s social behavior (in the family, at home, at work, etc.).
· Integrating function. Religion has the ability to spiritually unite individual groups of people, as well as society as a whole.
Types of religions
Throughout its history, humanity has created more than five thousand different religions. Naturally, they were and remain very diverse. Therefore, there was a need to classify them according to various criteria.
Depending on the number of gods, religions are divided into monotheistic and polytheistic.
Monotheistic (monotheism) includes Christianity, Islam, Judaism and others.
Polytheistic (polytheism) includes Buddhism, Hinduism, Shintoism, etc.
Depending on the area of distribution, religions are divided into three groups:
1. Global - covers people of different nationalities. There are only three of them - Christianity, Islam, Buddhism.
2. National - common only among representatives of one nation. For example, Judaism among the Wu, Shintoism among the Japanese, Taoism among the Chinese, Hinduism among the Hindus, Zoroastrianism among the ancient Persians.
3. Tribal - common among tribes that have not yet transformed to the level of nations. This type includes:
- shamanism - belief in interaction with the world of spirits;
- totemism - belief in an imaginary family union with a totem (natural object), which can be an animal, plant, or natural phenomenon;
- animism - belief in the animation of all objects and things around a person;
- fetishism - belief in the supernatural power of objects;
- magic - belief in the possibility of achieving a certain goal by supernatural means.
Depending on their attitude to the Bible, religions are divided into two groups:
1. Abrahamic religions - belong to the Old and New Testament traditions. These are Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
2. Non-Abrahamic religions - all others.
