Classification of Major Religions
Classification refers to separation of items, people or things based on their similarities. Classification is important since it enables us to avoid chaos and maintain order. Religion refers to a compilation of beliefs and perceptions that people have concerning their spirituality and sometimes their moral conduct. From the various beliefs that people have, came the several religions we have in the world right now. Religions have symbols and traditions that identify them and set them apart from the other religions in the world. At this time, researchers estimate that there are over four, 200 religions in the world. Based on the number of followers that the religions have, there are four main religions in the world, which will be discussed, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism.
Christianity has the largest number of followers, about 34% of the world population. This religion is predominant in Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, America and Southern Asia. Christians believe in the existence of a supernatural being, God, his son Jesus and their helper, the Holy Spirit. The Bible is considered their sacred text. The bible has 66 accepted books and several versions exist like the Good News and King James Versions. Traditionally, Christianity is divided into three main categories, Protestantism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism. The Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian church. It boasts of over a billion members all over the world. It is considered one of the oldest religious institutions in the world and it played a very important role in civilization of the west. The head of the Catholic Church is the Pope, at the time it is Pope Benedict XVI. Cardinals and Bishops are also part of the hierarchy of the institution. Thee Church believes it is the true church founded by Jesus while he was still on earth. On his ascension, he left it to Saint Peter who is regarded the first pope of the Catholic Church (Roman Catholicism, 24).
The church believes that it is infallible and its teachings revolve around morals and Christian values. All the members of the clergy in the Catholic Church are celibate. They take this vow in order to dedicate themselves fully to the service of God. Several communities exist in the church. The clergy belong to these communities. Examples of prominent communities are the Dominicans and Franciscans. They believe in the Holy Trinity and celebrate the Eucharist during every mass. The church has two main laws and offers seven sacraments. In addition to this, it has other categories of laws like the seven corporal and spiritual works of mercy and the seven deadly sins. These laws govern the followers on what they should do and avoid. The Blessed Virgin Mary is held in very special regard. This has been the cause of several controversies in the religion. Another unique aspect of the church is that apart from the 66 conventional books, they also have an extra set of books called the deuterocanonical books. The Roman Catholic Church is very historic and it has retained most of their beliefs to date.
Protestantism was created in protest of the Catholic Church and its beliefs. They were particularly against the dogma of Papal infallibility. Martin Luther, an evangelist, created this church in the 16th century. After he established the Lutheran Churches mostly in Germany, several other evangelists took up after him to for other churches. The other churches that were formed include the Church of Scotland, Church of England and Baptist Churches. The Protestant church also believes in the Holy Trinity, God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. They also use the Bible but they do not accept the deuterocanonical books. This church does not have a particular head like the Catholic Church. All the churches have their own independent head (Motlagh, 67).
Eastern Orthodoxy is the last division of Christianity. It is officially referred to as the Orthodox Catholic Church. It has about 300 million believers. It is widespread in Eastern Europe particularly in Greece, Russia and Ukraine. Its teachings revolve around the fact that it is the true Holy and Apostolic Church. The church believes that God is the overall head of the church and unlike the Catholic Church; they have several Bishops as leaders rather than the one absolute head of the church. Their doctrine is almost similar to the one of the Catholic Church for instance; they also accept the deuterocanonical books. The Orthodox Church is also considered to be among the oldest churches in the world.
Islam is the second most popular religion in the world having about 22% of the population as adherents. They believe in only one and supreme God that they refer to as Allah. They do not accept the Holy Trinity. Their holy book is the Quran and their most influential prophet is Muhammad. The Quran is believed to have been narrated to him by God since he was the last prophet. The Muslims believe that their sole purpose of existence is to serve and love God. Five main pillars govern the religion. These pillars affect all the aspects of their lives such as worship, banking and warfare. Islam has two subdivisions based on small differences in their methods of worship. Sunni Muslims are the majority, followed by the Shia. Islam is predominant in Asia and Arabic countries, however, a sizable number is also locates in other parts of the world (Gordon, 75).
Hinduism closely follows with over 14% of the population believing in it. It is often called the oldest religion in the world since it belonged to the indigenous Indians. Laws that relate to morality like karma and reincarnation for example govern the religion. Hinduism is a compilation of several philosophical ideologies rather that one set of rules like in most of the other religions. They believe in several deities, which they worship. These deities are based on the divisions of the religion. The three main categories are Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Shaivism; their respective deities are Krishna, Devi and Shiva. The religion has several celebrations, which represent auspicious occasions that took place in their faith. Adherents of this religion rely on the Bhavagad Gita, the Vedas and the Upanishad as their Holy Books. This religion is most prevalent in India, but it also has some followers from other parts of the country.
Buddhism is the fourth largest religion and it has about 6% of the world’s population as followers. Siddhartha Gautama formed this religion in the 6th century. He was called Buddha after receiving enlightenment when he was thirty-five years old. Since he was brought up as a Hindu, Buddhism shares several aspects with Hinduism. This religion has three main divisions: Mahayana, Theravada and Vajrayana. These divisions arose due to the difference in the ideologies, which they believe. Theravada believes in the quest of Nirvana and ignoring all of the world’s desires. Mahayana is considered more superior to Theravada and it focuses on people who receive enlightenment such as monks and nuns. Finally, Vajrayana is the closest of Hinduism and focuses on daily morality. All these teachings originate from the ‘four noble truths’ that Buddha taught. This religion is referred to as a philosophy as well as a religion. The religion is prevalent in Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka and Mongolia (Schneider, 98).
Religion though a vast subject has been simplified by the classification into the various religions. This classification ensures that there is some element of order. It is important to note that the four religions mentioned above are not the only ones but rather, several others exist in the world. Christianity, Islam Hinduism and Buddhism are the major religions based on the number of followers that they have all over the world. Classification is, therefore, a very important aspect of our lives, without which life would be intolerable.
Works Cited
Schneider, Hans Julius. Religion. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2008. Print.
Motlagh Amy. “Religion.” Atlanta Review: AR 16.2 (2010): 76. Print
Roman Catholicism. Vol 2. Los Angeles: Sage Publications, Inc, 2012. Print.
Gordon, Matthew. Islam. New York: InfoBase Publishing, 2009. Print.
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