The report on religion, briefly summarized in this article, will tell you about the features of the most widespread religions in the world.
Message about religion
If we talk about how many religions there are in the world, then this question is quite difficult to answer. The fact is that every day new denominations appear. Not to mention sects. But the main trends can be identified.
- Christianity
Christianity was founded by Jesus Christ. Scientists believe that the faith was founded in the distant 1st century BC. She appeared in Palestine. But some claim the following fact: people knew about Christianity even earlier, almost a thousand years before the officially recognized date.
Christians are divided into Orthodox Catholics and Protestants. The tenets of faith determine the existence of God in three forms - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. She preaches belief in saving death, in the phenomenon of reincarnation, evil and good, which is represented by the guises of angels and the devil. Protestants and Catholics believe that after death a person's soul faces judgment in purgatory. Here it is decided where a person will go: to hell or heaven. The rituals are performed with pomp and beauty. Protestants, on the contrary, do not believe in this. They believe that faith in the salvation of the soul itself guarantees entry into heaven. Their rituals are not as magnificent as those of Catholics or Orthodox Christians. They believe in sincerity, which is much more important than pomposity.
This religious denomination is the most ancient. The history of this religion goes back more than 2.5 thousand years. India is considered the birthplace of Buddhism, and its founder is Siddhartha Guatama. He independently comprehended faith and began to share it with others. His teachings formed the basis of the sacred book Tripitaka. Buddhists believe that the most important thing in a person’s life is good karma, the state of which is improved by doing good deeds. Everyone must go their own way to purification on their own through pain and hardship.
- Islam
This is the youngest world religion, it appeared only in the 7th century BC. Its homeland is the Arabian Peninsula, inhabited by Greeks and Turks. Islam has a holy book, the Koran. It contains the basic laws of the confession. As in Christianity, the following trends are distinguished here: Shiiteism, Sunitism and Kharijiteism. Sunnis believe in the four caliphs of the prophet Mohammed and, in addition to the Koran, consider the prophet's instructions as a holy book. Shiites and Kharijites believe that the blood heirs of Mohammed or his close associates can continue the prophetic mission.
Islam recognizes the existence of Allah, the prophet Mohammed and life after death. Muslims believe that after death a person can be reborn into anything. They pray without fail in the mornings and evenings, repeating prayers 5 times.
- Confucianism
This religious denomination arose in the middle of the 1st millennium BC in China. Its founder is Confucius. Confucianism was a social and ethical teaching, and for many centuries it was a state ideology.
- Hinduism
Hinduism is not just a religion, it is a way of life that includes caste divisions, principles of life, norms of behavior, ethical and social values, beliefs, rituals and cults. This belief was brought to Indian territory by Aryan tribes in the middle of the 2nd millennium BC.
We hope that the report on religion helped you find out what religions there are and how many there are in the world. You can leave your message about religion using the comment form below.
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 world's largest religion, which arose 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 the Holy Scriptures (mainly New Testament) and Sacred 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 persons: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. The Lord of the world is interpreted not as an angry avenger for the misdeeds of people, but as a Loving One 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:
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;
- worship takes place at native language, is built on joint prayer, reading psalms, 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.
World pagan religion, which denies the existence of the Divine. Founded in India by Prince Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha). Briefly summarizes the doctrine of the four noble truths:
- All human life is 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. General ledger- Old Testament.
Judaism has several branches:
- Litvaks;
- Hasidism;
- Zionism;
- orthodox modernism.
Also available various types 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.
In a world where more than seven billion people live, there are many types of faiths, movements and sects. The types of religions that have the most large number followers: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. It is to these faiths that various national groups in most countries of the world belong. Other types of religions do not have such a worldwide distribution. These include Confucianism, Jainism, Judaism, Taoism, Shintoism, Sikhism and so on
.Definition of religion
IN explanatory dictionary religion is defined as awareness of the world through belief in supernatural forces. She has always been a compass for humanity for spiritual development and preservation of traditions. All types of religions have their own attributes and sacred places where believers can come. In Hinduism and Buddhism there are temples, in Christianity there is a church, and in Islam there is a mosque. Each denomination has a sacred book, which spells out the rules of serving God and the saints.
Christianity
Christianity arose in the first century AD. The main idea of this religion is that God will be able to save those who believe in him from the anger and injustice of the world. All teaching is aimed at getting rid of torment, helping the humiliated and needy. The messenger of God was Jesus Christ, who was crucified and killed in the name of faith and all humanity. The holy book is the Bible. Christianity split into several movements: Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism.
Buddhism is considered the oldest religion, which originated in the fourth century BC. There are now over eight hundred million of his followers. This teaching was conveyed to people by Buddha - a man who received enlightenment. The main meaning of Buddhism is the recognition of human inner light and his search, and not in the search for God, as in all other teachings.
Islam
Islam arose in the seventh century AD. God is Allah, and the founder of the religion and the prophet was Muhammad. Muhammad declared that God chose him as a prophet, and he brings light and truth to people. The Koran is considered a holy book. It, like the Bible, spells out the rules of life for followers. There is also the holy book Sharia, which contains the rules of conduct for believers, and the Sunnah - the history of the Prophet Muhammad.
Types of religions in the past and modern world
For many centuries, the church ruled society and had greater power over states than the government. But times have changed, and now only in a few countries it has such power. Almost every world religion has experienced persecution, and even now there are enough wars on religious grounds. Although, as mentioned earlier, all teachings are based on similar beliefs and laws. Unfortunately, some followers and adepts express their love for God through violence and the use of weapons. Some branches of religions preach their own dogmas and rules to serve the God they themselves invented. As the founder of one of the most widespread sects in the world said: “If you want to become a millionaire, create a religion.” There is no need to confuse sects with Churches of world denominations. Many people put a stigma on nations only because people from these countries belong to a sect that becomes destructive not only for the person himself, but for the world as a whole. All varieties of religions should be for the benefit of people. True believers will not start wars. All types of churches - Orthodox churches, Catholic cathedrals, Islamic mosques will always provide assistance to the suffering.
There are more than 7 billion people in our World, each of whom has different thoughts, feelings, and faith. 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 peoples 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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10Judaism 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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9
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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8
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 also the Anglican creed is based on the Holy Scriptures, traditions Apostolic Church, historical episcopate, the first four Ecumenical Councils and the teaching 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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7
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, an 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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6
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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5Agnosticism
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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4
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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3
Catholicism is also one of the most popular and largest religions in the world, characterized by organizational centralization and the largest number adherents among Christian churches. Head catholic church is the Pope who heads the Holy See and the Vatican City State of 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 it also quickly spread to India, Syria, Ethiopia and even Asia, due to which Hinduism is rapidly declining.
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1Islam
Islam is the world's other largest religion, and according to the Guinness Book of World Records, Islam is the world's fastest growing religion. 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!
Comparison table
Characteristics of religions
Names of religions
Orthodoxy
Islam
Buddhism
Judaism
Religion concept
Orthodoxy is literally “correct judgment”, “correct teaching” or “correct glorification”.
A movement in Christianity that took shape in the east of the Roman Empire during the 1st millennium after Christ.
It emerged as the eastern branch of Christianity after the division of the Roman Empire (395 after R. X.) and took shape after the division of churches (1054
the meaning of the Old Testament is salvation through the fulfillment of the law, and the meaning of the New Testament is salvation by grace - through the acceptance and recognition of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who washed away the sins of mankind with His blood.
Islam (Arabic “submission [to the will of God]”) is a monotheistic religion that recognizes Muhammad as a prophet, the messenger of Allah for all mankind. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims (from the Arabic word Muslimuna, “submissive”).
Islam is one of the world religions, otherwise it is Islam. Islam originated among the Arab tribes of Western Arabia at the beginning of the 7th century. This was the period of the collapse of the very foundations of ancient society (including paganism) and the rise of commercial cultural centers (Mecca, Medina).
Islam is not a single religious organization. Already in the second half of the 7th century. Three schools of Islam emerged: Kharijism, Sunnism and Shiism. The immediate impetus for this division was the dispute over the principles of inheritance of religious and secular authorities.
The youth of Islam. The Muslim religion arose much later than other religious systems and, unlike them, has not exhausted its capabilities. Islam is in its prime, playing an active role in the modern world.
Buddhism is the most ancient world religion. It arose in the 6th century BC. e. in India. Having experienced an era of formation and prosperity in this country, Buddhism turned into a world religion thanks to its spread to the countries of the South, South-East, Central Asia and the Far East.
Judaism is the monotheistic national religion of the Jews. Followers of Judaism call themselves Jews.
The word "Judaism" comes from the Greek ioudaismos, introduced into use by Greek-speaking Jews ca. 100 BC to distinguish their religion from the Greek. It goes back to the name of the fourth son of Jacob - Judah (Yehuda), whose descendants, together with the descendants of Benjamin, formed the southern - Judah - kingdom with its capital in Jerusalem. After the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel and the dispersion of the tribes that inhabited it, the people of Judah (later known as “Yehudim,” “Judeans,” or “Jews”) became the main bearer of Jewish culture and remained so even after the destruction of their state.
Judaism was an important ideological source for the two largest religions in the world - Christianity and Islam. The two main holy books of Judaism - the Torah and Tanakh - also became sacred for Christians. Many ideas from these books were repeated in the holy book of Muslims - the Koran. The Torah and Tanakh gave impetus to the development of world artistic culture, therefore cultured person must know what Judaism is.
Holy book
The Bible is the holy book of Christians. It consists of the Old and New Testaments, the core of which is the Gospel. Most books Old Testament were written in Hebrew, with the exception of a few later books written in Aramaic. The books of the New Testament were written in Greek.
The Bible consists of separate works written by different authors in different times for 16 centuries. These works are called: “books of the New Testament” or “books of the Old Testament” and have come down to us only in translations and copies.
Orthodox Christians, speaking about the Bible, often use the term Scripture (necessarily with a capital letter) or Holy Scripture, which is part of the Holy Tradition of the Church. This fact highlights the importance of a correct understanding of biblical texts.
The holy book of Islam is the Koran, but Taurat of Musa, Zabur Daud and Injil of Isa are also recognized as divinely inspired. Therefore, Jews and Christians are not considered pagans, but people of the Book.
Consists of 114 chapters called suras.
Koran (Arabic “reading aloud, by heart”; influenced by Syriac “keriana” - “reading sacred text", "edification") - the main holy book of Muslims, a record of sermons delivered by Muhammad in the form of "prophetic revelations". The Koran consists of 114 chapters (suras), divided into 6204 verses (ayat). Most of these verses are mythological in nature, and only about 500 verses contain injunctions related to the rules of conduct for Muslims. Another authoritative and obligatory source of law for all Muslims is the Sunnah (“Holy Tradition”), consisting of numerous stories (hadiths) about the judgments and actions of Muhammad himself.
There is a fundamental difference between the Qur'an and Sunnah. The Quran is the word of Allah. He was never created, like Allah himself, he exists forever. The Koran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad through the Archangel Gabriel. Hadiths are statements of a prophet (that is, a person) that were pronounced at a certain moment, that is, they have their own “beginning”. At the same time, in all cases, hadith cannot be confused with the word of Allah. The hadith has only explanatory status. The Koran is the foundation, the basis of faith.
Sharia (Islamic law) is organically connected with Islam and its teachings. This is a set of religious and legal norms, compiled on the basis of the Koran and Sunnah, containing norms of state, inheritance, criminal and marriage law. Islam views legal regulations as part of a single law and order. Hence, the commands and prohibitions that make up the norms of Sharia are also attributed divine significance.
Buddha himself did not write anything. A monk named Upali recounted everything he had heard about the discipline: the rules for admission to and exclusion from the sangha (monastic community), the norms governing the way of life of monks and nuns and their relations with society. All this was combined into a set of texts called the Pali Canon (Tipitaka)
The Tipitaka consists of three parts:
The Sutta Pitaka is a collection of sutras attributed to the Buddha and several of his closest disciples, containing all the major teachings of Theravada Buddhism.
The Vinaya Pitaka is a collection of texts dealing with rules of conduct in everyday life Sanghas are communities of bhikkhus (ordained monks) and bhikkhunis (ordained nuns). The Vinaya Pitaka is far from being limited to listing the rules; it also includes stories of the origin of each rule, a detailed description of how the Buddha resolved the issue of maintaining general harmony in a large and diverse spiritual community.
The Abhidhamma Pitaka is a collection of texts in which the fundamental teachings presented in the Sutta Pitaka are distilled and organized into a system that can be applied to the study of the nature of mind and matter.
For more than 500 years, the teachings of the Buddha existed in the oral tradition and only at the end of the 1st century. BC e. was recorded in the Pali language on the island of Lanka (modern Sri Lanka). The Pali canon in its in full was created in the 5th century. n. e.
The next work is the Dhammapada, which contains 423 of the most important sayings from various texts of the Pali canon. According to tradition, the Dhammapada contains the entire teaching and is understood primarily by the heart rather than the mind. Dhammapada - coffee table book Buddhists. Udana contains 80 important sayings of the Buddha, presented in verse and prose. Itivuttaka includes 112 suttas dedicated to explaining the essence of anger, passion, pride, lust and others negative states, which are contrasted with friendliness, mercy, modesty, justice, etc. The Sutta-nipata, containing 71 teachings, describes episodes from the life of the Buddha, his sermons on overcoming self-centrism, greed, hatred, delusions leading to the creation of unfavorable karma.
The sacred books of Judaism can be divided into three groups.
The first group includes one book-volume, which is called the word Torah (translated from Hebrew as “Law”).
The second group again includes only one book-volume: the Tanakh.
The third group includes a certain number of book-volumes (and each volume contains a certain number of works). This is a meeting holy books called Talmud (“Study”).
Key figure
Orthodoxy comes from the recognition of the triune God, the creator and ruler of the Universe, the afterlife, and posthumous reward.
Trinity is a theological term that reflects the Christian teaching about the trinity (trinity) of the One God.
All Faces of the Divine Being remain inseparable, inseparable, unchangeable. The doctrine of the Trinity is the fruit of Christology, and, therefore, it can be considered only in connection with the doctrine of the personality of Jesus Christ.
According to Orthodox teaching, Jesus Christ has a dual nature: divine and human. He was born (not created) by God the Father before the creation of the world. In his earthly life, Jesus Christ was born as a result immaculate conception Virgin Mary from the Holy Spirit.
Islam requires faith in one omnipotent and merciful master - Allah, in the divine purpose of people's destinies and actions, in afterlife after physical death.
The founder of Islam was the Prophet Muhammad (c. 570-632) from the family of one of the large Quraish tribes. Prone to loneliness, Muhammad indulges in pious reflections.
According to legend, in his youth, angels cut Muhammad's chest and washed his heart, and in 610, at the age of 40, he received the Revelation on Mount Hira during a 40-day fast, and the words of the heavenly messenger Gabriel (Archangel Gabriel) were imprinted on the Prophet's heart as "inscription". Muhammad and a small group of followers suffered persecution and moved in 622 from his native Mecca to Medina. Muhammad's struggle to establish a new religion - faith in one God (Allah) - ended with victory over pagan Mecca in 630.
The founder of Buddhism is Buddha (“Enlightened One”). At birth, Buddha was given the name Siddhartha, and the name of his clan or family was Gautama. The biography of Siddhartha Gautama is known only as presented by his followers.
These traditional accounts, initially transmitted orally, were not written down until several centuries after his death. 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. According to legend, at the birth of a child, his parents were predicted that he would become either a great Ruler or a Teacher of the Universe. Being a meditative person, he soon tired of his idle life and turned to religion.
Moses is the prophet who led the Jews out of Egypt, where they were in slavery; Through Moses, God communicated his law, containing the terms of the covenant union of God with Israel, concluded at Mount Sinai. Moses is a key figure in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
Basic ideas, provisions, laws
As a religion - a response to Divine love, through faith in Christ and communication with Him
As a creed - Supernatural Divine Revelation
As a way of life - Imitation of Christ, a look at all circumstances of life through the prism of future eternity
Islam contains the following basic tenets:
1. Faith in Allah. In contrast to the Christian doctrine of the Divine Trinity, Islam claims that God is one. In Islam, the principle of monotheism is carried out more consistently than in other religions.
2. Belief in angels and demons. In the minds of Muslims, these are natural beings that carry out the will of Allah. These include Dzhabrail, Mikail, Asrafil, Azrael. Muslims also believe in the existence of the angels of death - Nakir and Munkar, the guardian of heaven - Ridwin, and the guardian of hell - Malik. According to Islamic doctrine, every Muslim during his lifetime has two angels who record his good and evil (sinful) deeds, which determine his afterlife in heaven or hell.
3. Belief in the holiness of the Koran. It is considered the Word of God, the Divine Revelation, which Allah transmitted in the form of a vision to Muhammad for 22 years, that is, until the end of his life. Therefore, in Muslim theology, the dogma of the uncreatedness and eternity of the Koran is accepted.
4. Belief in the prophets and the messenger of Muhammad. The Qur'an contains many biblical characters from Adam to Jesus Christ. The names of the prophets are given: Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moi-rvi), Isa (Jesus), Nuh (Noah), etc. Among all the prophets, preference is given to the “messenger of Allah”, the “seal of the prophets” Muhammad.
5. Belief in heaven and hell. Muslims imagined heaven as a wonderful place where everything is in abundance: wonderful food, clean cool water, rivers of milk, honey and wine, all kinds of pleasures, etc. And in hell - endless torture and torment.
6. Belief in divine predestination. This is one of the most important dogmas, according to which nothing exists that does not depend on the will of Allah.
7. Belief in the immortality of the soul, leaving the body at the moment of death, in the resurrection from the dead on the day of the Last Judgment.
Islam is based on five "pillars of faith" (arkan al-din), indicating the most important duties of a Muslim.
Buddhism is based on four fundamental truths:
1.Duhka (suffering). 2. The cause of suffering. 3. Suffering can be stopped. 4. There is a path leading to the end of suffering. Thus, suffering is the main idea that Buddhism contains. The main tenets of this religion say that suffering can be not only physical, but also mental. Already birth is suffering. And illness, and death, and even unsatisfied desire. Suffering is a constant component of human life and, rather, even a form of human existence. However, suffering is unnatural, and therefore we need to get rid of it
Buddhism, whose core ideas are the pursuit of enlightenment and self-knowledge, believes that the cause of suffering is ignorance. It is ignorance that sets off the chain of events that lead to suffering. And ignorance consists of a misconception about one’s own self. One of the key theories of Buddhism is the denial of the individual self
The so-called “middle path” leads to knowledge, and therefore liberation from suffering (nirvana). The essence of the “middle way” is to avoid any extremes, to rise above opposites, to look at the problem as a whole. Thus, a person achieves liberation by renouncing any opinions and inclinations, renouncing his “I”
A person who seeks to prolong his life (i.e. suffering) is an ignoramus. In order to avoid ignorance, it is necessary to destroy any desire, and this is possible only by destroying ignorance, which consists in the isolation of one’s “I”. So, we come to the conclusion that the essence of Buddhism is the renunciation of one’s self
According to the main idea of Judaism, believers should honor the prophets.
Prophets are people whom God has given the task and opportunity to proclaim the truth to people. And the truth that they proclaimed had two main parts: the truth about the correct religion (how to believe in God) and the truth about the correct life (how to live). In the truth about right religion especially important element(partially) was a story about what awaits people in the future. The Tanakh mentions 78 prophets and 7 prophetesses. Veneration of prophets in Judaism is expressed in the form of respectful conversation about them in sermons and in everyday life. Among all the prophets, two great ones stand out: Elijah and Moses. These prophets are also revered in the form of special ritual actions during the religious holiday of Passover.
The Jewish faith is based on the following principles.
1. The concept of God as absolutely perfect, absolute reason and omnipotence, the source of goodness, love and justice, who acts in relation to man not only as a creator, but also as a father.
2. The concept of life as a dialogue between God and man, conducted both at the level of the individual, and at the level of the people and at the level of all humanity as a single whole.
3. The doctrine of the absolute value of man (both the individual and nations and also of all humanity as a whole) - as immortal spiritual being, created by God in his own image and likeness, the doctrine of the ideal purpose of man, which consists in endless, comprehensive, spiritual improvement.
4. The doctrine of the equality of all people in their relationship to God: every person is a son of God, the path to perfection in the direction of union with God is open to everyone, all people are given the means to achieve this destiny - free will and divine help.
5. The doctrine of the complete dominance of the spiritual principle over matter, but at the same time the spiritual value of the material world as well: God is the unconditional Lord of matter, as its creator, and he gave man dominion over the material world in order to realize his own through the material body and in the material world ideal destination.
6. The teaching about the coming of the Messiah (Mashiach), when “they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation will not lift up sword against nation, and they will no longer learn to fight, and the whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord” (Is. 2:4 ). Mashiach is a king, a direct descendant of King David, and should be anointed as king by the prophet Elijah (Eliyahu), who was taken to heaven alive.
7. The doctrine of the resurrection of the dead at the end of days, that is, the belief that at a certain time the dead will be raised to life in the flesh and will live again on earth.
Articles of faith
Symbols of Orthodoxy - the cross. The religious symbol of Orthodox believers is the cross, and four, six, and eight-pointed crosses are recognized.
The Creed is a prayer that sets out in brief and precise words the basic truths of the Orthodox faith.
12 symbols of the Orthodox faith.
The entire Creed consists of twelve members, and each of them contains a special truth, or, as they also call it, the dogma of our Orthodox faith.
The 1st member speaks about God the Father, the 2nd to 7th members talk about God the Son, the 8th - about God the Holy Spirit, the 9th - about the Church, the 10th - about baptism, the 11th and 12th th - about the resurrection of the dead and eternal life.
The main emblem of the youngest world religion, Islam, founded by the prophet of Allah, Muhammad (570-632), is a crescent with a star inside. The emblem denotes divine protection, growth, rebirth and, together with the star, paradise.
The Wheel of Law, Dharma is the main symbol of Buddhism.
The two main symbols of Buddhism are the image of the Buddha himself, sitting in the Lotus position, and the Dharma chakra (wheel of law). Other common symbols in Buddhism are the Buddhist flag, the Bhwachakra (Wheel of Life) and the color orange.
One of the external symbols of Judaism since the 19th century is the six-pointed Star of David. He is also the most recognizable.
A more ancient symbol of Judaism is the seven-branched manorah (Menorah), which stood in the tabernacle in the Temple of Jerusalem.
Another symbol of Judaism are two rectangular tablets with a rounded edge located side by side. top edge. Sometimes the tablets are engraved with the 10 commandments in full or abbreviated form, or the first 10 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, which serve to symbolically number the commandments.
Sacred Rites: List and Reveal Each
Orthodoxy recognizes seven sacraments (sacraments):
1. Baptism is a person’s joining the church. It is performed by three times immersion in water in the name of the Holy Trinity. In Orthodoxy, baptism is performed both on adults who have undergone the “catechumen” (conscious acceptance of the time), and on infants according to the faith of their godparents (godparents). Orthodoxy recognizes as valid baptism in any Christian denomination performed in the name of the Holy Trinity. Unlike other sacraments, it can be performed in exceptional cases (absence of a priest, illness of a child) by any lay Christian. But at the first opportunity, the baptized person and the person who performed the baptism must turn to the temple to the priest, who will check the correctness of the performed rite and “complete” it.
2. Confirmation is a rite performed immediately after baptism. It is performed by anointing parts of the body (forehead, palms, feet) with holy myrrh - a special aromatic oil, consecrated by the Council of Bishops. Means the introduction to the title of a lay member of the church.
3. Repentance - confession of sins to a priest - spiritual father. In Orthodoxy, repentance combined with the remission of sins (confession) occurs both by the conscious will of the penitent, and in the absence of his will, for example, in relation to a seriously ill person in an unconscious state - the so-called “dumb confession”.
4. Communion (Eucharist) - the believer’s communion with Christ. It is performed during the main Orthodox service - the liturgy through the consumption of small portions of bread and wine, embodying the body and blood of Christ.
According to the Holy Scriptures, the first Eucharist was celebrated by Christ himself during the evening meal on the eve of his betrayal into the hands of his enemies. He distributed bread and wine to the apostles, which he blessed and called his body and blood. By Orthodox dogma, the Eucharist has the meaning of a bloodless sacrifice, as an expression of the Savior’s sacrifice on the cross.
5. Priesthood (ordination to the priesthood) is an expression of the apostolic succession of the church hierarchy through the transmission of the gifts of the Holy Spirit through ordination. The meaning of the priesthood is to empower the recipient to perform the sacraments. In Orthodoxy, the priesthood has three degrees (episcopal, presbyterate, diaconate), which make up the church hierarchy - clergy. The powers of the hierarchy include priesthood (celebrating the sacraments), pastoring (caring for the spiritual life of church members), and teaching (preaching the Word of God).
The bishop has all the power of the sacrament, including the ordination of presbyters and deacons. In the Orthodox churches, patriarchs, metropolitans, all bishops (regardless of differences, but power and in part), archbishops are equal in grace, while in Catholicism the highest bishop (the Pope) constitutes a special highest degree priesthood - primate.
The ordination of bishops is carried out both by the senior bishop of any of the Orthodox churches, and by the Council of Bishops (Bishops). Unlike bishops, presbyters (priests, archpriests) have limited sacramental powers - the right to perform all sacraments except ordination. Deacons have only the right to assist elders in the sacramental activities.
6. Marriage is the grace-filled sanctification of the union of a man and a woman who are members of the church for a common Christian life and childbearing. The Orthodox Church, unlike the Catholic Church, recognizes the possibility of desacralizing the sacrament of marriage - its dissolution, but within limited limits, with many reservations and restrictions (infertility of any of the spouses, proven adultery, commission of a serious crime, excommunication of one of the spouses from the church).
7. Blessing of Unction (unction) is a special rite performed on a sick or dying person, imparting healing to the soul and giving strength to accept Christian death.
Icons are a special object of worship for Orthodox Christians.
The Orthodox Church also gives great value holidays and fasting.
Reading the Koran.
Namaz (prayer).
Circumcision of the foreskin.
Alms.
Hajj (pilgrimage). Pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina (the places where Muhammad's activities took place) is not an essential obligation, but every adult Muslim should strive to perform the Hajj at least once in his life.
Dzul-khural
This is the name of the “holy rite” performed in late autumn. It combines the Buddhist teaching of rebirth with primitive animal cult and ancestor cult. Datsan churches are illuminated from the outside and inside by many candles, in the light of which believers, in front of the image of the gods, repent for cases of mistreatment of domestic animals.
Naidani-khural
A ritual dedicated to hermits (naidans), elevated to the rank of deities. It also takes place in the fall. By hanging images of Naidans, emphasizing their decrepitude and indifference to everything around them, the lamas tell believers that the Naidans were once worldly people, but having gone into hermitage, they deserved salvation. Naidani Khural emphasizes the danger of any attachment to life, for this attachment leads to bad rebirths.
About
Obo is a ritual adopted by Lamaism from shamanism. In Buryatia, for example, it is usually performed in the summer, before the start of haymaking. Near a heap of stones piled on the top of a hill, on a mountainside, on a pass, lamas and believers read prayers in which they ask for help from the spirits - the “masters of the area.” Sacrifice is left on the stones - food, coins, silk scarves (hadaks). They pray especially intensely around the Oo during a drought, because, according to the lamas, the rain is sent by the “masters of the area.” During the obo, cattle are often slaughtered.
There are also obos dedicated to the deities of the Lamaist pantheon.
Usu tyayalgn
In Kalmykia, a ritual close to the ritual of usu tyayalgn is occasionally observed, that is, a sacrifice to the spirit - “the owner of the water.” To increase the fish catch, a kid of goat is slaughtered on a specially constructed raft driven out to sea, whose blood flows into a cauldron with freshly boiled fish soup while reading spells.
Rituals life cycle V varying degrees decorated with Buddhist symbols: special Buddhist rites dedicated to birth or marriage are practically absent, while initiation rites and funeral rites have great importance. The main rite of initiation is performed at initiation into novices, and then (usually at the age of at least 20) into full monasticism. During these rites, the head is completely shaved, and the neophyte exchanges secular clothing for a yellow monastic robe donated by the laity; then he pronounces the usual formula containing the acceptance of the protection of the “three jewels” - Buddha, dharma (teaching) and sangha; This is followed by a testing ceremony, when the senior monk or abbot of the monastery asks the neophyte a series of questions about his readiness for initiation. In Mahayana Buddhism, special rituals are provided for when taking “bodhisattva vows,” expressing the neophyte’s desire to achieve enlightenment and devote himself to liberation from the suffering of all living beings, including people. In Vajrayana (Tantric Buddhism), complex rituals of entry into different stages of perfection are added; these rituals include the recitation of mantras ( magic formulas), meditation, the use of sacred objects (such as vajra) and other elements. Funeral rites are important because for Buddhists the periods immediately before and after death are of great importance for the further rebirths of the dying person. On his deathbed, the monks read texts speaking about the frailty of existence and the transitory nature of death; a similar recitation continues over the body of the deceased (usually for three days). These practices are common in most Buddhist countries, but have reached particular intensity in Tibetan Buddhism, where there is a special sacred book that serves as a “guide” for the soul in the afterlife - the bardo (the transitional state between death and rebirth). A number of Buddhist rituals are directly related to the main goal - achieving enlightenment: such as, for example, meditative and yogic practices, ritual manipulation of sacred objects (vajras and bells in Vajrayana), reciting mantras (especially in Amidaism, the Nichiren school, Tibetan Buddhism), chanting sacred texts or formulas, etc. At the same time, a large number of folk rituals are associated with the protection and acquisition of good power, many of which go back to pre-Buddhist local beliefs: a set of rituals to pacify “hungry spirits” (preta), reading protective spells (paritta ), magical “charging” of amulets, tying oneself with a special thread to the image of Buddha, expulsion rites evil forces and healing (for example, in Tibet, preserved from the local Bon religion). In China, the ritual of releasing animals into the wild was very common, which was supposed to bring a huge amount of karmic merit to those who perform it.
The most common ritual in Judaism is prayer. The power of prayer, according to believers, is so great that with its help you can perform any miracle
Mezuzah and ditzit. Judaism requires believers to hang a mezuzah and wear tzitzit. Mezuzah - a piece of parchment on which verses from Deuteronomy are written; the rolled scroll is placed in a wooden or metal case and attached to the door frame. Tzitzit - brushes from wool threads, attached to the edges of the arbakanfot, i.e. to a quadrangular piece of material worn by religious Jews under their outer clothing.
Calores. Magic ritual Kapores is performed on the night before the Day of Judgment and consists of a man twirling a rooster three times over his head (a woman a chicken), saying a special prayer three times. The bird is then slaughtered and the meat eaten on the night of the end of Judgment Day.
Lulav. The ancient rite of lulav is performed during prayer on the days of the autumn Jewish holiday of tabernacles (Sukkot). The worshiper must hold a lulav in one hand, consisting of a palm branch tied with three myrtle and two willow branches, and in the other hand an esrog, a special type of lemon, and shake the air with them, which supposedly serves as a magical means of summoning wind and rain.
Tashlikh. On the day of the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah), believers gather near the river, read passages from the Old Testament book of Micah and sing religious hymns. While reading prayers, believers empty their pockets and throw crumbs of bread into the water, believing that they are thereby freed from sins.
Kosher and clubs. According to Jewish belief, food is divided into lawful (kosher) and unlawful (trefna). You can eat the meat of ruminants and poultry, slaughtered according to the rules of shekhita (ritual slaughter). It is forbidden to consume meat and dairy foods at the same time. Pork is a taboo food.
Circumcision. The fulfillment of this rite in Judaism is given special significance: the fulfillment of this “great covenant” of Yahweh is considered the guarantee of the religious exclusivity of the Jewish people.
Ablution. The believer is prescribed on the eve of Saturday and other religious holidays to perform ablution in a mikveh - a specially equipped pool with rainwater or spring water, prefacing each prayer with washing of hands.
Holidays
The most revered common Christian holiday is Easter.
Easter is a “holiday holiday.” Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the spring equinox.
Easter is the main event of the year for Orthodox Christians and the largest Orthodox holiday. The word "Easter" came to us from the Greek language and means "passing", "deliverance".
Adjacent to it are the twelve feasts - the 12 most significant holidays of Orthodoxy: the Baptism of the Lord, the Presentation, the Annunciation, the Transfiguration, the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, the Presentation of the Virgin Mary into the Temple, the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, Trinity (Pentecost), the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, the Ascension of the Lord, the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord and Christmas Christ's.
There are twelve main holidays. The liturgical year in Orthodoxy begins in the fall, from September, and in this regard, the location of the holidays is as follows: Nativity of the Virgin Mary (Sept. 821), Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Sept. 1427), Entry into the Temple Holy Mother of God(November 21, December 4), Nativity of Christ (December 25, January 7), Epiphany (Epiphany) (Jan 619), Annunciation (March 25, April 7), Transfiguration of the Lord (Aug 619), Assumption Mother of God(Aug 1528).
Easter, the Feast of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, occupies a special place among Christian holidays. The Church has established that Easter should be celebrated on the first Sunday after the spring equinox and full moon. Thus, Easter in Orthodoxy is celebrated between March 22 and April 25 according to the old style.
Two great holidays:
Eid ul-Fitr (Ramadan Bayram - the holiday of breaking the fast)
Eid ul-Adha (Kurban Bayram - the holiday of sacrifice).
A special place was given to such days as Juma (Friday), Arafat Day, Ashura Day and the Night of Destiny. They were defined as a time of diligent worship of Allah, and not as a time for celebrations and fun.
There are relatively few holidays in modern Lamaism.
However, they are celebrated with great pomp and are accompanied by complex rituals.
Tsagalgan
Tsagalgan (tsagansara, i.e. white month) is one of the most famous and still observed holidays of Lamaism. It coincides with the beginning of the new year, according to the ancient Mongolian (lunar) calendar. During the 16 days of this holiday, a whole series of rituals dedicated to the “twelve miracles of Buddha” is held.
Maidari gyre
The rotation of Maidari, or Maidri-khural, is the most magnificent holiday currently held in datsans. It usually occurs when large cluster believers; holding this holiday should speed up the coming of the future Buddha to earth and the establishment of a happy and joyful life for him.
The festival is held in the summer months, at the height of agricultural work.
There are three main holidays that are important for any Buddhist:
Vesak, Donchog, Buddha's day is the most sacred day for all Buddhists, because... it is a thrice blessed day, marking the birth, enlightenment and passing away of Buddha. Vesak Day coincides with the full moon in the lunar month of Visakha (May).
Asalha, the day of Dharma, indicates how the first five followers, following the instructions of the Buddha, became members of the Community. This was in the lunar month of Asalha (July), on the day of the full moon. On the day of Asalhi, the reclusive period begins - Vaso, which coincides with the beginning of the rainy season in Asia. This is a period during which members of the Sangha do not travel and remain in one place.
Katkhina, Sangha day is celebrated on the full moon day in the month of Katkhina (October) and ends the Vaso period.
Other Buddhist holidays:
Sagaalgan, New Year. The Chinese, Tibetans, Mongols, Vietnamese, Buryats and Tuvans celebrate the arrival of the New Year on the first spring new moon. lunar calendar. Since the Lunar year is shorter than the Solar year by about a month, the onset of the New Year does not have a fixed date and can fluctuate within a month and a half (from the end of January to the first ten days of March). This date is calculated in advance using astrological tables.
Duinhor is celebrated in May. The holiday is associated with the beginning of the Kalachakra sermon - one of the important components of Vajrayana philosophy. On the holiday, those who understand the philosophical depths of Buddhism gather in the temple
Dzul is a holiday dedicated to the memory (the day of passing into nirvana) of the founder of the Tibetan Gelug school - Tsongkhawa. The festival of lamps is the second name of this day, because... On this day, with the onset of darkness, thousands of oil lamps are lit inside and outside the monasteries. They are extinguished only at dawn. Monks read prayers, lay believers make offerings to the temple. Dzul is celebrated annually on December 25th.
Lhabab duisen, the descent of Buddha from heaven Tushita is a general Buddhist holiday. When it takes place: end of October - November. The essence of the holiday is the decision of the Buddha to take his last earthly birth and open the “path of the Buddha” to everyone.
The Tooth Relic Festival is celebrated only by followers of Theravada (the southern and earliest branch of Buddhism). The holiday is held only on the island of Sri Lanka in the city of Kandy in the Dalada Maligawa Temple, where this main relic of Buddhism is kept. Time of the holiday: late July - early August, and its duration is two weeks.
I would like to note that this is not a complete list of Buddhist holidays. There are a lot of them: every country and every temple has its own holidays, but those presented here can perhaps be considered the most important.
Easter is a spring holiday celebrated in honor of the “exodus” of the Jews from Egypt. The idea of waiting for the Messiah is introduced into the celebration of Easter.
Shebuot is a holiday in memory of the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai to the prophet Moses seven days after the exodus. Celebrated on the fiftieth day after the second day of Easter.
Sukkot, Kushi - a holiday in memory of the wanderings in the desert, “when the children of Israel lived in tents.” The last day of Sukkot is called Simchat Torah (the joy of the Torah). On this day, solemn processions are held in synagogues with Torah scrolls in hands and singing psalms of praise to Yahweh. Simchat Torah was established due to the fact that on this day the annual cycle of public (in synagogues) reading of the Pentateuch ends and its repeated annual reading begins.
New Year (Rosh Hashanah) and Judgment Day (Nom Kippur) are holidays on which, according to Jewish belief, all the inhabitants of the world, as it were, pass before Yahweh, and he, delving into all the affairs of people, passes judgment on each person individually “ according to merit."
Territories where believers live
Greece,
Cyprus,
Bulgaria,
Romania,
Macedonia,
Montenegro,
Serbia,
Bosnia,
Belarus,
Ukraine,
Russia,
Syria,
Ethiopia,
Eritrea,
Egypt (Coptic Orthodox Church, Egyptian Orthodox Church),
Georgia,
Armenia,
Japan (partially)..
Albania
Algeria
Afghanistan
Bangladesh Kingdom of Bahrain Brunei Darussalam
Burkina Faso
Republic of Gambia
Guinea
Djibouti
Arab Republic of Egypt
Indonesia Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Iraq
Iran
Yemen
Kazakhstan Qatar
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Kyrgyzstan
Islamic Republic of Comoros
Republic of Kosovo
Ivory Coast
State of Kuwait Lebanon
Libya
Mauritania Federation of Malaya Republic of Mali
Kingdom of Morocco
Niger
Nigeria
UAE
Sultanate of Oman
Pakistan
Kingdom of Palestine Saudi Arabia Republic of Senegal Republic of Sierra Leone
Syrian Arab Republic
Somalia
Sudanese Republic
Tajikistan
Tunisia
Turkmenistan
Türkiye
Uzbekistan
Chad
Eritrea
Buddhism is most widespread in Tibet, Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia, Vietnam, Korea, China and Japan. On the territory of Russia, Buddhism is represented primarily as the main religion in Buryatia, Tuva and Kalmykia.
The largest ethnic groups among Jews are Ashkenazim (from Central and Eastern Europe, in particular almost all Jews of Russia) and Sephardim (originally from Spain and Portugal, then scattered throughout the Mediterranean).
Jews also live in more than 50 countries of the world, on different continents.
