6 Major World Religions

Largest religion with over 2 billion followers worldwide.

Jerusalem/Israel, 2,000 years ago

Based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.

Holy book is the Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments.

Belief in the Holy Trinity:God the Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit.

Practices include worship, prayer, baptism, and communion.

Major denominations include Catholicism (pope is the head of the church), Protestantism (didn’t believe in pope’s authority), and Eastern Orthodoxy (more grand buildings, Middle East and former Soviet Countries)

Hierarchical (through Roman Empire), Relocation (missionaries and migration)

Eastern Mediterranean and much Europe

Second-largest religion with over 1.8 billion followers.

Mecca/Saudi Arabia, 1,400 years ago

Founded by Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century.

Holy book is the Quran, believed to be the word of Allah (God).

Muslims worship in mosques and observe Friday as the holy day.

Major sects include Sunni (Prophet didn’t claim a successor) and Shia (did claim a successor).

Hierarchical (Muhammad’s successors organized followers into armies and led a conquest to spread) and Relocation (missionaries to Sub-Saharan)

Northern Africa and Middle East, Central Asia, India, Indonesia/Malaysia

Oldest religion, originating in the Indus Valley civilization.

Indus River Valley/Pakistan and India, 4,000 years ago

No single founder or central authority.

Belief in reincarnation and karma.

Sacred texts include the Vedas, Upanishads, and Bhagavad Gita.

Worship is diverse, with temples dedicated to various deities.

Major concepts include dharma (duty), moksha (liberation), and yoga.

3000 BC in West India (India River Valley), spread quickly through

Relocation (slowly from origin in NE India, China trade routes)

Spread east to India into China, Japan, etc.

Founded by Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) in the 6th century BCE.

2,500 years ago, Northeast India/Nepal

Practices include meditation, mindfulness, and ethical living.

One of the oldest monotheistic religions.

4,000 years ago, Israel/Palestine

Based on the covenant between God and Abraham.

Holy book is the Torah, containing the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.

Worship in synagogues, led by rabbis.

Observance of dietary laws (kosher) and rituals like circumcision and bar/bat mitzvah.

Major branches include Orthodox (asserted the right of interpretation but it rejected the authority of legal tradition), Reform (clung fast to the principle of authority, but has in our own and recent generations rejected the right to any but minor interpretations), and Conservative (both are necessary for a living Judaism).

Founded by Guru Nanak in the 15th century in Punjab, India.

Belief in one God.

Relocation (outward from origin in Pakistan forward N India) And spread worldwide via migration