Religions
"Truthfulness is the foundation of all human virtues."
- Baháʼu'lláh
Religion is typically defined as the belief in and worship of a god or gods, or any such system of belief and worship (1). Depending how strictly this definition is applied, there are anywhere from 2,200 to 10,000 religions in the world (2,3). The largest of all of these are the monotheistic religions, which all believe in and worship only one god.
Christianity is the largest religion in the world, with 2.4 billion followers (4,5). Many of the teachings of Christianity are written in a sacred book known as the Bible, which contains two parts or "testaments." The Old Testament is an anthology of writings by various authors, much of which describes the history of the Israelites. Conversely, the New Testament describes the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, who is believed to be the Son of God, or Yahweh (also known as Jahweh, Jehovah, and dozens of other names). There are six major branches of Christianity, including Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, Restorationism, and the Church of the East.
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The many depictions of Jesus Christ.Muhammad, visited by the angel Gabriel.Baháʼu'lláh, founder of the Baháʼí Faith. |
Religious Philosophies
“The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth.”
- Lao Tzu
In other areas of the world, religion has been combined with philosophy, which may be defined the use of reason in understanding such things as the nature of the real world and existence, the use and limits of knowledge, and the principles of moral judgment (11). This has led to many different religious philosophies, which are similar to religions but do not quite emphasize the existence of a God or prophet in the same way.
Hinduism is the largest and oldest religious philosophy in the world, with 1.2 billion followers (4,12). Hinduism does not claim the existence of one God, although it does describe god-like forces, the most powerful of which is Brahma, the supreme God force present in all things. Hinduism encompasses a wide diversity of practices and traditions, but prominent themes include Karma, which is the concept that a person's intents and actions will often have consequences that come back at them in some other way, as well as the four Purusarthas (or proper ways of living), which include dharma (the foremost goal and "right way of living"), artha (the right way to be wealthy and secure), kama (the right way to enjoy pleasure), and moksha (a liberation from passion and suffering). The major branches of Hinduism include Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, and the Smarta tradition.
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Painting of Brahma.The Buddha, teaching the Four Noble Truths.Lao Tzu, riding an ox.Caligraphy of the Tao. |