World and regional religions. Report: World religions (Buddhism, Christianity, Islam), their brief description

The report about religion, briefly set out in this article, will tell you about the peculiarities of the most common religions of the world.

Message about religion

If we talk about how many religions in the world, then this question is quite difficult to answer. The fact is that every day all new denominations appear. Not to mention sects. But the main flows can be allocated.

• Christianity

Christianity was founded by Jesus Christ. Scientists believe that faith was laid in the distant I century BC. She appeared in Palestine. But some approve the following fact: people knew about Christianity even earlier, almost one thousand years before the officially recognized date.

Christians are divided into Orthodox Catholics and Protestants. Faith postulates determine the existence of God in three prerequisites - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. She preaches faith in saving death, in the phenomenon of reincarnation, evil and good, which is represented by the appendix of the angels and the devil. Protestants and Catholics believe that after the death of a man's soul appears before the court in purgatory. It is decided where a person gets: in hell or paradise. Ritals are carried out with pomp and beauty. Protestants, on the contrary, do not believe in it. They believe that the belief itself is in self-esteem guarantees to get to heaven. Their rites are not so lush, like Catholics or Orthodox. They believe in sincerity, which is much more important than prying.

This religious confession is the most ancient. The history of this religion has more than 2.5 thousand years. Buddhism is considered India, and its founder Siddhartha Ghitama. He independently comprehend faith and began to share her with others. His teaching formed the basis of the Holy Book of Tripitak. Buddhists believe that the main thing in a person's life is a good karma, the state of which is improving the performance of good deeds. Everyone must pass its way to cleanse yourself through pain and deprivation.

• Islam

This is the youngest world religion, it appeared only in the VII century BC. Her homeland is the Arabian Peninsula, inhabited by the Greeks and Turks. In Islam there is a sacred book Koran. It contains the basic laws of confession. As in Christianity, such directions are distinguished here: Shiitism, Sunitism and Harijitism. Sunnis believes in the four caliphs of the Prophet Mohammed and, in addition to the Quran, consider the sacred book to the prophet's instructions. Shiites and Harijits believe that the blood heirs of Mohammed or his approximate persons can continue the prophetic mission.

Islam recognizes the existence of Allah, the prophet Mohammed and life after death. Muslims are confident that after death a person can be reborn anything. They are mandatory praying in the mornings and evenings, repeating prayers for 5 times.

• Confucianism

This religious confession originated in the middle of the 11th millennium BC in China. Its founder is Confucius. Confucianism was a socio-ethical teaching, and for many centuries was a state ideology.

• Hinduism

Hinduism is not just a religion, it is a lifestyle, which includes caste separation, life principles, norms of behavior, ethical and social values, beliefs, rites and cults. This belief was brought to the territory of India Aryan tribes in the middle of the II millennium BC.

We hope that the report about religion helped you find out what religions are and how many in the world. And you can leave your message about religion through the comment form below.

The history of Christianity has more than two thousand years, and this faith, based on the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, the most popular faith in the world, followers of this religion can be found worldwide. Christians believe in the existence of one God, who sent his only son, Jesus Christ to save humanity from lawlessness and hell.

2. Islam (1.605 billion followers)

Islam originated in Mecca in the seventh century of our era, is the most young religion from the main. Adherents of religion believe that there is only God (Allah), whose words were recorded and adopted the form in the Holy Book of the Quran, which still serves as the main spiritual text. The founder of Islam is considered to be the prophet Mohammed, who lived from 570 to 632, the followers of Islam believe that this man was God's Prophet. Islamic religious law not only establishes five pillars of Islam, but also establishes the rules and provisions for almost every aspect of the life of the follower. There are two main currents of Muslims, namely the Sunnis (the largest in the world, 80% of all Muslims) and Shiites (15% of all Muslims). Islam is the fastest growing religion on the planet in the absolute expression of followers around the world.

3. Hinduism (1.05 billion followers)

Hinduism is one ofindian religions which is considered a combination of religious traditions and philosophy schools that have arisen in Southeast Asia mainly in India.Most of those living in such countries of South Asia as India, Nepal and Indonesia adhere to Hinduism. In India alone, about 80% of the population identify itself as an adherents of Hinduism. Although not much knows about the birth of Hinduism, this faith received its beginning about 4,000 years ago. Because of his status of an ancient system of beliefs, Hinduism was deeply rooted in Indian society. In recent years, many of the practices of Hinduism are becoming increasingly popular in the West.

(488 million followers)

Buddhism was founded in India about 2500 years ago and is based on the teaching of the Buddha, also known as Gautama Buddha or Siddhartha Gautama. Religion includes two main branches. In particular, this Buddhism of Theravada and Buddhism Mahayana. The main provisions of the Buddhist belief system include non-violence, as well as moral purity and ethical behavior. Meditation, karma, Ahims All this plays an important role in the daily life of Buddhists. Without a doubt, the most famous figure in the Buddhist world of Tenzin Giazo, which is known as the 14th and current Dalai Lama.

5. Shintoism (104 million followers)

Sinto is the main religion in Japan, has begun on this island state in the 8th century. The followers of religion believe in the existence of many gods, and the word of Coto means "the path of the gods". It was estimated that 80% of the Japanese are supporters of this religion, about 80 thousand shintors are located in Japan. One unique feature of faith is that believers are not obliged to publicly declare their loyalty to religion.

(93 million followers)

Taoism arose in China about two thousand years ago, is a religious and philosophical tradition. D. aOOOSIS is different fromconfucianism without emphasizing tough rituals and social order. D.aOC ethics vary depending on the specific school, but in general, as a rule, emphasizeWu Wei. (Easy action), naturalness and simplicity.This religion is associated with faith in occult and metaphysical phenomena. Most followers of Taoism live in Asian countries, such as China, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam. A man named Lao Tzu is considered the first philosopher of religion, and it was he who was thought, wrote the main treatise of faith.

7. Sikhism (28 million followers)

From the point of view of world religions, Sikhism is a relatively new religion. She takes her roots in India, and is based on the teachings of Nanaka Guru and his successors who lived in the 15th century. Historically, Sikhi played an important role in regional politics, and also had a significant impact during the section of India in 1947. The central place in the Sikh faith is the basic principles of Seva and Simrans, which relate to social work and memory of God, respectively. Although most Sikhs live in Northern India, over the years, many followers of this faith moved to a number of foreign countries of the world, including Canada, USA, South Africa, Australia and the United Kingdom.

8. Judaism (13.9 million followers)

Judaism has a long and glorious history, which can be traced from the 8th century to our era. Judaism is one of the most ancient religions of the world. This is a monotheistic religion that arose in the Middle East and consists of three main branches. Namely, this is orthodox Judaism, conservative Judaism and reformist Judaism (in order from the most up to the least conservatively traditional). Although each branch is rooted into the general system of views, they are distinguished by elements related to the interpretation of Scriptures and specific practices. Synagogues under the leadership of Rabbi, act as a religion centers. Almost 40% of the followers of Judaism lives in the USA and Canada.

(10 million followers)

Korean shamanism or Korean garbage - this religion is closely related to the traditional Korean culture and history. In recent years, shamanism has experienced a revival in South Korea. Even in the framework of the totalitarian regime of North Korea, it was estimated that about 16% of the population continues to live on the convictions of shamanism. Among the key components of religion, the existence of ghosts, spirits, and gods, and it is believed that they live in the spiritual world. Spiritual leaders in the Korean Shamisanism, known as "Mudangs", as a rule, women whose function is to serve as intermediaries between the gods and people.

10. Religion Codai(6.7 million followers)

Caudis the view system that originated in Vietnam in 1926, and is considered obviously the nationalist Vietnamese religion. Vera was founded by NGO Van Prident, a former official who believed that he received a message from a deity during a spiritual session. The first temple of this religion was built in the south of Vietnam in Tainin, it is considered a real tourist attraction of Vietnam. In Codai, there are elements from other major world religions, including Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam and Taoism. The full name of the religion is translated as "Great Vera, for Third Universal Atonement."

World religions are a system of belief and practices that defines the relationship between the Divine Sphere, and a certain society, a group or individual. It manifests itself in the doctrinal form (doctrine, faith), in religious actions (worship, ritual), in the social and organizational sphere (religious community, church) and in the sphere of individual spirituality.

Also, the religion is called any cultural system of certain types of behavior, worldview, consecrated places that associate humanity with supernatural or transcendental. But there is no scientific consensus as to what exactly is religion.

According to Cicero, this name comes from the Latin word Relegere or Religere.

Different types of religions may contain or not contain different elements of Divine, sacred things. Religious practices include rituals, sermons, worship (deities, idols), sacrifices, festivals, holidays, trances, dedications, burial services, meditations, prayers, music, art, dances, public services or other aspects of human culture. Almost any religion has sacred history and narratives stored in the scriptures, as well as symbols and holy places to give the meaning of life. Religions contain symbolic stories aimed at explaining the origin of life, the universe, etc. Traditionally, faith, in addition to the mind, is considered a source of religious beliefs.

History of religion

How many religions exists in the world to answer no one can, but known today - about 10,000 different currents, although, about 84% of the world's population is associated with one of the five largest: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism or the forms of "National Religion" .

There are a number of theories regarding the origins of the emergence of religious practices. According to authoritative anthropologists, many of the list of religions of the world began as activating, encouraging for something, since the vision of the origin of the world, people (etc.), the charismatic prophet generated the imagination of a large number of people seeking a more complete answer to their questions and problems . World religion is not characterized by a specific medium or ethnicity and can be widespread. There are various types of world religions, and each of them carries prejudices. The essence of this can be, among other things, the fact that believers tend to consider their own, and sometimes they do not recognize other religions or, as important.

In the XIX and XX centuries, the humanistic denomination divided the religious faith into philosophical categories - "world religions".

The five largest religious groups of the world include 5.8 billion people - 84% of the population, is Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism and traditional folk beliefs.

Christianity

Christianity is based on the life and teachings of Jesus from Nazareth, who is considered the founder of this flow (1st century AD), his life is set out in the Bible (old and new covenant). Christian faith - belief in Jesus as the Son of God, the Savior and the Lord. Almost all Christians believe in Trinity, who teaches the unity of the Father, Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit as three in one divine. Christians can describe their faith as a Nicene Symbol of Faith. As a religious doctrine, Christianity occurred from the Byzantine civilization in the first millennium and spread through Western Europe during colonization and then around the world. The main branches of Christianity are (according to the number of adherents):

• - Catholic church led by the bishop;
• - Eastern Christianity, including Eastern Orthodoxy and the Eastern Church;
• - Protestantism, separated from the Catholic Church in the Protestant Reformation of the 16th Century and divided into thousands of denominations.

The main branches of Protestantism include: Anglicism, Baptism, Calvinism, Lutheranism and Methodism, each of them contains many different denominations or groups.

Islam

Based on the Koran - the Holy Book about the Prophet Muhammeda, called the main political and religious leader, who lived in the seventh century of our era. Islam is based on the principal unity of religious philosophies and adopts all the prophets of Judaism, Christianity and other Arabamic beliefs. This is the most widespread religion of Southeast Asia, North Africa, Western Asia and Central Asia, also a Muslim majority live in some parts of South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and South-Eastern Europe. There are several Islamic republics - Iran, Pakistan, Mauritania and Afghanistan.

Islam is divided into the following interpretations:

1. - Sunni Islam is the greatest denomination in Islam;
2. - Shiite Islam - the second largest;
3. - Ahmady.

There are Muslim revival movements, such as mulahaidism and salafism.

From other confessions of Islam, it is possible to list: Nation of Islam, Sufism, Kuranism, not confessional Muslims and Wahhabism, which is the dominant Muslim school in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Buddhism

Encompasses the diversity of traditions, beliefs and spiritual practice, in most of the exercises belonging to the Buddha. Buddhism arose in ancient India between 6 and 4th centuries BC. er, from where he began to stretch in Asia. Scientists allocate two key preserved branching of Buddhism: Tharavada ("School of Elders") and Mahayana ("Great Ship"). Buddhism - the fourth religion in the world with more than 520 million adherents is more than 7% of the world population.

Buddhist schools differ in the exact nature of the path to the liberation, importance and canonation of various teachings and scriptures, especially their practices. The practical methods of Buddhism imply "care" in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, comprehending the scriptures, following the ethical and virtuous commandments, the refusal of affection, the practice of meditation, the cultivation of wisdom, mercy and compassion, the practice of Mahayana - Bodhichitty and the practice of Vajrayana - the emergence and stages Completion.

In Theravad, the ultimate goal becomes the cessation of the mite and the achievement of the sublime state of Nirvana, achieved by the practice of the noble octal path (foundation). Theravada is widespread in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.

Mahayana, which includes the traditions of clean land, Zen, Nichina Buddhism, Shinon and Tyutaya (Tendai), occurs in East Asia. Instead of reaching Nirvana, Mahayana is committed to the Buddha through the path of Bodhisattva - a state in which a person remains in the Renaissance cycle, the peculiarity of this is to help other people in achieving awakening.

Vajrayana is a set of exercises attributed to Indian Siddham, can be considered as a third branch or just part of Mahayana. Tibetan Buddhism, which preserves Vajrayan's teachings, is practiced in areas surrounding Himalayas, Mongolia and Kalmykia.

Judaism

- The most ancient in age, the Abraham confession originated in the ancient Israel. The Torah becomes the fundamental Scripture and part of the larger text, known as Tanah or the Jewish Bible. It is complemented by traditions set forth in writing in later texts, such as Midrash and Talmud. Judaism includes an extensive composition of the Scriptures, practices, theological positions and forms of the organization. In this religion there are many movements, most of which came out of the Rabbi Judaism, proclaiming that God opened its laws and commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai in the form of inscriptions on the stones, and oral form. Historically, this statement was challenged by various scientific groups. The largest Jewish religious movements are Orthodox Judaism (Hat), conservative and reformist.

Shamanism

It is a practice that includes actions reaching changes in consciousness in order to perceive and interact with the world of perfume.

Shaman is the one who has access to the world of good and evil spirits. Shaman enters the state of the trance during the ritual and practice of progress and healing. The word "shaman" probably comes from the Evenk language of North Asia. This term became widely known after the Russian troops won the Shamanskoye Khanate to Kazan in 1552.

The term "shamanism" was first used by Western anthropologists for the ancient religion of Turks and Mongols, as well as neighboring Tungusky and self-deed peoples. Watching and comparing more religious traditions around the world, some Western anthropologists began to use the term in a broad sense to describe unbound magically - religious practices found in ethnic religions of other parts of Asia, Africa, Australia and even completely unrelated parts of Northern and South America, since They believed that these practices are similar to each other.

Shamanism includes the assumption that shamans become intermediaries or messengers between the human world and spiritual. Where this phenomenon is common, people believe that shamans treat diseases and heal the soul that the shamans can attend other worlds (measurements). Shaman acts primarily that affects the world of man. Balance restoration leads to the elimination of the ailment.

National Religions

Indigenous teachings or national belong to the wide category of traditional religions that can be characterized by shamanism, animism and worship of ancestors, where traditional funds, indigenous or fundamental, are transmitted from generation to generation. These are religions, which are closely related to a certain group of people, one ethnicity or tribe, they often do not have formal verbs or scriptures. Some religions are syncretic, uniting various religious beliefs and practices.

New religious flows

A new religious movement is a young religion or alternative spirituality, is a religious group, has modern origin and occupies a peripheral place in the dominant religious culture of society. It may be new on origin or part of a wider religion, but differ from previously existing denominations. Scientists were estimated that this new movement has hundreds of thousands of followers worldwide, and most of their members live in Asia and Africa.

New religions are often faced with hostile reception from traditional religious organizations and various secular institutions. Currently, there are several scientific organizations and peer-reviewed journals on this issue. Researchers associate the growth of new religious movements in modern times with the answers to modern processes of secularization, globalization, fragmentation, reflexivity and individualization.

Unified coordinated criteria for determining the "new religious movement" does not exist. Nevertheless, this term suggests that a group of recent origin. One point of view is that the "new" may mean that the teaching is later in its origin than most of those known.

Thus, in this article, we reviewed world religions from the most "old" to "young", from more significant to less well-known.

Religion exists as long as humanity exists. During the life, people are somehow faced with it. In the modern world there is no single religion. They differ from each other by dogma and the cult, the peculiarities of the creed and the church device, the number of flown, time and place of occurrence of the most important conquest of the XX century. Became the principle of freedom of conscience, according to which each person decides, to confess his religion or remain unbelieving.

Currently, most religious scientists are talking about such established creeds, such as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Sikhism, Jainism, Taoism and Bakhamism. None of the world religions during its coexist was able to preserve internal unity. Each has undergone numerous splits and consists of various branches that have a single historical foundation.

The most ancient religion - hinduism It is the fruit of the five thousandthsome development of the religious thought of India. He has no founder or a prophet, no spiritual hierarchy and uniform canons. Rather, it is a lifestyle or culture than an ordered religious tradition. Hinduism is a conglomerate of different directions, flows, religious schools and sects, is a kind of "Parliament of Religions". In Hinduism there is no dualistic (the dual coexistence of two different, not characteristic of the unity of states, for example, God and the Devil, Spirit and Matter, etc.) perception of the world. Truth is represented by the Industor in the form of a hierarchical system of small truths. And in this hierarchy there is no place to lie, since even the error is the state of only lower order.

No in Hinduism and heretic forms, since there is no orthodoxy.

The generation of Hinduism in the public sphere is a custom system. According to its establishments, the whole society is divided into brahmans-priests, kshatriev- rulers and warriors, vyashiev-farmers and merchants, shudr-artisans and hired workers. Unprofable perform the most dirty work. The caste status of a person is consolidated by him for life. Each caste has its own truth, its duty, according to which her life is built. An attempt to change its social status, in Hinduism, is meaningless, since it is an objective result of the karma-sum of all actions and their consequences committed by a living being.

Karma is the fate of man. Therefore, India does not know well-known in the history of other countries of the peasant wars or workers of the uprisings, was not in India and revolutions. Even the struggle of Indians for independence accepted non-violent.

Hinduism is a religion of polybias. At the beginning of the Hindus revered gods, personalifying the forces of nature. The main carriers of Hinduism in the ancient period - nomadic tribes of Ariev - invaded the territory of the Industance at the end of the III millennium BC. The ancient arias did not know the temple cult, so the fiery rite was the main ritual of Hinduism of that period. In the future, with the transition of Ariii to settling and with the formation of the first Hindu states, Hinduism has changed. This stage of its development is called brahmanism. Trinity is put forward as the supreme gods: Brahma Creator; Vishnu-defender; Shiva-destroyer of the world. Therefore, the Hindus can be divided into several directions: Vishnuits that worship Vishnu (they include Krishnaitis known in Russia); Shivaita - they worshiped Shiva, as well as the sleeves, honoring the female deities.

In IV-VI centuries. Brahmanism is subject to some transformation under the influence of Buddhism. Methods of achieving spiritual ideal and Hinduism change. If earlier for unity with Brahman, it was necessary to study meditation, study the Scriptures, to be ascetic, then in modern Hinduism to achieve unity with Krishna, it is necessary to be bhakta (loving), i.e. Love God. Such a way is much more affordable and is suitable for both brahmana and a low class for a shudra.

Hinduism is controversial: the height of religious thought is combined in it with ridiculous (in our opinion) prejudices and most primitive magic, ideological tolerance - with cosnosis in ritual and public life.

At the beginning of the current century, the number of Hindus exceeded 900 million people. Of these, more than 90% fall on South Asia. Most of the Hindus lives in India - this is 850 million people, or 80% of the country's population.

Buddhism Younger than Hinduism and genetically connected with it. It arose in the VI-V centuries. BC. As a protest against the norms of the caste system, Brahmansky rituals and pristility domination. The founder of Buddhism was a real historical personality - Prince of Sizdharka Gautama, a nicknamed Buddha ("enlightened"). The goal of his religion Buddha considered the deliverance of a person from suffering. According to the teachings of Buddhism, the life of a person in the world is an infinite flow of rebirth (Sansara), determined by the combination of intangible particles (drachma). Buddhists do not believe in the resettlement of souls and reincarnation, rejecting the very existence of the immortal soul. The purpose of Buddhism is to interrupt the flow of rebirth. Buddhism argues that the essence of life is suffering, the cause of suffering - desire and affection. Therefore, its most important principle is non-resistance to evil violence. Any resistance of injustice According to the social teaching of Buddhism, it makes sense, as it excites passions leading to suffering.

Buddha called on his followers (adepts) to snatch with the root all its desires and affection, thereby internally free from the shackles, which carries human life. The state of holiness in which there is no place of greed, the goat, hatred, i.e. Full internal freedom is called Nirvana.

Basic idea of \u200b\u200bBuddhism was formulated in the sermons of the Buddha about the "four noble truths". The first truth suggests that the existence is a suffering that every living being is ever doomed to. The second truth argues that the cause of suffering are desires, hatred, envy, etc. The third noble truth says that if you remove the causes of concern, suffering will stop. The fourth truth indicates the so-called median path, avoiding both extreme self-restraint, and the endless gain of pleasure.

Following this way (by the Buddha) leads to the achievement of inner calm when a person can manage his thoughts and feelings when he is friendly, full of compassion and sympathy for all living beings.

Lately at the Life of the Buddha (Buddha graduated from the Earth Life in the 80th year, at the 44th year of his teacher, near the city of Kushinigar in Nepal) around him there was a community of followers - monks. For laity who did not accept monastic vows, five commandments were identified: not to kill, do not lie, do not steal, do not commit adultery, do not eat alcoholic beverages. Most Buddhists are vegetarians, or refrain from eating meat, if you can refuse. There are five vegetables that are not accepted into food, as it is believed that their smell attracts evil, namely: garlic, onions, leeks, spring onions, bow-cut.

By the beginning of our era in Buddhism, there were two main directions that exist to this day. It is Kharina ("narrow path") and Mahayama ("wide way"). Supporters of the Hynyama scrupulously follow the principles of early Buddhism, consider the Buddha historical personality, believe that only the monks can reach Nirvana. The ritigation in Hynyme is quite simple. This direction adheres to a third of the Buddhists of the world (Sri Lanka, Miami, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia).

About two thirds of Buddhists adhere to the Mahayami destination (China, Vietnam, Japan. Korea, etc.). A variety of mahayama, a distinguished cult, complex ritual, degenidation of the Buddha, is considered Lamaism. Here are great importance to rituals, black and white magic, with which nirvana can be achieved. On the territory of Russia - in Buryatia, Tyva, Kalmykia, most believing Buddhists belong to Lamazma.

Jainism - Contemporary Buddhism VI-V BB. to Jae. His emergence is another attempt to reform Hinduism by making it democratic. Jainism rejects the caste system and sexual discrimination, does not recognize the authority of the Vedas (Holy Scriptures of Hindus), opposes the worship of the gods, does not recognize the presence of the Creator God. Most (95%) live in India.

Confucianism and Taoism originated in China in the V-VI centuries. BC. As philosophical and ethical teachings, which over time transformed into religion. Confucianism focuses on the formation of the norms of human behavior in the family and society, requiring the unconditional obedience to the younger senior, the student is a teacher subordinate to the boss. Confucianism cultivates hot pay.

The Supreme Deity of the Confucian Pantheon is the sky (Tien). The ruler of China is perceived as the son of the sky, the father of the nation. The perfect society, according to Confucius, consists of two layers - tops and bases: the first people think and manage, the second - work and obey. The system of confusion virtues includes human-minded, sons of respect, respect for the scholarship and. As a result, the desire to get an education.

The founder of Taoism is Lao Tzu. Taoism requires its adepts to follow the total flow of life, without providing him with the resistance of Taoist priests practicing numerous magical rites, fortune-telling, engaged in his healing. Of particular importance in the Taoism is attached to the achievement of physical immortality. It is implemented by the harmonization of the internal forces of the body with the help of proper) nutrition, special gymnastics (qigong), the regulation of sexual energy.

Most of the Chinese are not limited to one of these religions. The religion of the Chinese is a combination of three teachings: Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. Their alloy is called the Chinese traditional religion - San-Jiao. The total number of adepts of Confucianism, Taoism and Chinese Form Buddhism is estimated at about 300 million people, accounting for about a quarter of China's population. Confucianism is also confessing about 5 million Koreans in the Republic of Korea.

Judaism - The first in the history of mankind monotheistic (recognizing monotheist) Religion arising in the Middle East in the II millennium BC. Judaism originated and developed in the medium of the cattle breeding tribes of the Jewish people. The Jews believe in a single god - the Creator of the Universe and Man, in the immortality of the human soul, the posthumous reward, paradise and the kingdom of the dead, the Godbragurance of their people. According to the views of Judaists, God concluded with the Jews the covenant (Treaty), in accordance with which they saved them from Egyptian slavery and settled in Palestine (the promised land). In turn, the Jews are obliged to read God and fulfill his commandments. Therefore, Judaism is a religion of the law, and Judaists must comply with numerous religious prescriptions. First of all, the ethical - the famous Ten Commandments (do not coordinate the idol, do not kill, do not steal, do not harm the wife and property of the neighbor, etc.). In addition, for them there are complex norms of household behavior, marriage establishments, food processes. Judaists are waiting for the coming of the heavenly delighthouse - the Messiah, who will make a righteous court over alive and dead. The righteous was promised eternal life in the sky, and the sinners are doomed to suffering in the afterlife.

The sacred Scripture of Judaists is a tanya, consisting of three parts: Torah (pentateuch of Moiseevo), nebiima (prophets) and Ketubim (Scripture). A big role in Judaism also plays the Talmud - a set of treatises for cult and religious legal issues. Talmud's prescriptions almost completely replaced the ritual practice that existed until 70 g. When the Romans destroyed the temple in Jerusalem, built by Solomon, and evicted Jews from Palestine. Since it was impossible to restore the temple, the Jews abandoned the complex temple ritual and began to build synagogues - houses of religious assembly, and the place of priests took the rabbis - teachers of religious laws who also perform the judicial functions.

Currently, more than 14 million Jews live worldwide, most of them in the United States, Israel (more than 80% of the population) and the CIS.

Another religion arising in the Middle East at about the same time with Judaism was zoroastric, whose founder, who gave her his name, was the prophet of Zarathushtra. Zoroastrianism is a dualistic religion, which is based on the idea of \u200b\u200bconfrontation in the world of kind and evil began. The world, on the presentation of Zoroastrians, is the battlefield between good and evil, and the person must choose whose side. After the decisive battle, which, according to Zoroastrians, is already nearing, the righteous will fall into paradise, and evil and its minions will be overtaken in hell. An important role in the Zoroastrian cult is played by the fire that is attributed to the cleansing force, hence the second name of Zoroastrians - fireproken.

In the VI-VII centuries. Zoroastrianism was the state religion of Iran, many adherents of this teaching were on the territory of today's Azerbaijan. Everything changed the invasion of Islam. Now Zoroastrians are about 300 thousand, most live in India and Iran. However, this creed had a noticeable impact on the spiritual life of many nations. Elements of Zoroastrianism can be revealed in Christianity, and in Islam.

Approximately the third part of the world's population - christians. Christianity originated at the beginning of I. in the Middle East. You can judge his place in the fate of mankind by the fact that the countdown of the new era went from the Nativity of Christ, on the birth of Jesus Christ, the founder of this religion.

Christianity emerged in the Wednesday of the Jewish people and genetically connected with Judaism. Christians recognize the God of Judaism (for them it is God's god), the authority of Tanah (Old Testament), believe in the immortality of the soul, paradise and hell. This similarity ends.

If the Jews are still waiting for the coming of the Messiah, then Christians believe that he has already come to them: they were Jesus Christ,

Son of God. God Christians are one in three faces: Father, Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit. Most of Christianity followers are honored by Jesus Christ Bogochlovecom, combining two nature: Divine and Human. They recognize the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary from the Holy Spirit. Thus, Christianity belongs to the idea of \u200b\u200ba horror consumption, i.e. Combining the perfect, spiritual, divine start and bodily in the image of Jesus Christ.

He redeemed the sins of people on his martyr's death on the cross. God in Christianity is not a dead idol or an inaccessible ideal, it was a living person who preferred suffering, abuse and gave his life for all people in the world. Unlike other religions, calling for God, God came to man in Christianity. The main commandment of Christ people - the commandment of love towards near, patience and all-sucking.

Currently, Christianity broke up on a large number of rival areas. The first major church split occurred in 1054 and led to the formation of Orthodoxy and Catholicism, which differ from each other with the peculiarities of the creed, cult and organization. For example, Catholics are organizationally united, the head of their church is Pope. In turn, Orthodoxy was divided into 15 carcouquet (independent) churches: Konstantinople, Alexandrian, Antioch, Jerusalem, Russian, Cairell, Georgian, Serbian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Polish, Czechoslovak, Elaladskaya, Albanian, American. There is no complete unity between Orthodox and Catholics in the calendar issue. There are differences in the dogmatic region.

In Catholicism, the entire clergy is celibe, and in Orthodoxy, only monks hold it.

Catholicism became the spiritual basis of Western civilization, and Orthodoxy - East, Slavic. If Catholicism is a supranational church, then Orthodoxy, on the contrary, managed to closely merge with each of the peoples turned into Christianity. Russian, Greeks, Serbs, the church and the national idea, the church and the state are inseparable, one is perceived as a continuation of another. The special branch of Orthodoxy is old-selling. Disagreements with the official church concern mainly a rite.

Currently, Orthodox is more than five times less than Catholics. They constitute about 9% of all Christians and 3% of the world's population. The followers of Catholicism combine 50% of Christians in the world - more than 17% of the world's population.

In the XVI century As a result of the Reformation from Catholicism, Protestantism broke off. In the head of the corner, the Protestants put direct communication of believers with Christ through the Bible, without the mediation of priests. The cult in Protestantism is extremely simplified and cheaper, there is no worship of the Virgin and Saints, there is no reverence of relics and icons. Salvation, as Protestantism teaches, is achieved by the personal faith, and not the execution of rites and good deeds. No in Protestantism and the Institute of Monastics, he does not represent a single whole in the organizational plan and is divided into many currents. The most early Protestant directions are English, Lutheranism and Calvinism.

In Anglicism, the head of the church is the king of England, and in the creation issues a decisive role belongs to Parliament, in which Anglican bishops are included in the upper chamber. Lutheranism received its name by the name of its founder Martin Luther (1483-1546). In Lutheran churches - Kirchi - no painting, images, but the crucifix is \u200b\u200bsaved. Pastors and bishops are elected. There is no sharp boundaries between the clergy and the laity, since the principle of the universal priesthood is recognized. Lutheranism centers are Germany and Scandinavian countries, as well as the United States.

Calvinism (reforment) occupies the most radical position in Protestantism. Founded by the French theologian Jean Calvin (1509-1564). Calvinism completely eliminated the church hierarchy. The Church of Calvinists consists of independent communities - congregations managed by advice. Images in the temples are not allowed, the cross ceased to be an attribute of the cult, no and sacred closures, no altar. Dogmat is adopted in Calvinism, in which the main criterion for the rescue of a person is the role that he occupies in society. Therefore, it is not necessary to save the soul to rescue the soul or good deeds, but the work in such a way, if a person is rich, pious and respect, his salvation is already granted. Most of the Calvinists live in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Scotland, Germany, France (Huguenotes), USA, South Africa and Indonesia.

Islam is a religion that experienced the influence of Judaism arose at the beginning of the VII century. In the Hijaz among the tribes of Western Arabia and during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad (570-632) became the famous and influential spiritual achievement of the era.

If Christianity began its story as a sect of Judaism, Izlam appeared immediately as a separate religion, and among his followers there were no Jews. Muhammad did not believed that he preaches a new religion, he believed that he restores the initial, pure religion, which Jews distorted and Christians. Islam shares the main ideas about God Creator with Judaism and Christianity.

In Islam, God Allah is one. For Muslims, he is incomprehensible and great, only it is known that merciful and merciful.

In this religion, there is no abundance of strict prohibitions and petty prescriptions of Judaism and asceticism and moralism of Christianity. Each Muslim should believe in Allah as the only God and recognize Muhammad his prophet. Islam does not know the priesthood - all Muslims are equal before Allah. The priests - Mullah are simply connoisseurs and are usually chosen by believers themselves.

Islam is not only religion and lifestyle, but also a policy. He does not know the division into secular and spiritual. In the Islamic state, Allah must rule. Islam is a solid system of values \u200b\u200bforming ideology, psychology, certain forms of culture, lifestyle and thinking as every believer and the whole Muslim community.

The Holy Book Islam is the Koran, containing the creeds of this religion. Based on the meaning of being - this is faith and worship Allah - the main dogmas of faith are formed: Belief in Allah, Vera on the day; faith in predestination; faith in the scriptures; Faith in the Messengers of Allah.

Currently, the number of Muslims exceeds 1 billion people, it is the majority of the population in 35 countries of the world. Islam is the most dynamically developing religion in the world. Over the past 100 years, the share of Muslims in the population of the Earth has grown from 13 to 19%.

The above brief overview of the main religions of the modern world shows that the dogmas of each of them put in the head of the corner of kindness, non-violence, the desire to protect their followers from the vices (not to death, not steal, etc.), faith in love for neighbor and others. At almost the occurrence of religions, there was intolerance to the injectors. Intolerance was the cause of many wars, conflicts, various sorts of religious and national character. The intolerance of society is the term intolerance of his citizens. Fanatism, stereotypes, insults on a racial topic are specific examples of intolerance expression that take place daily in people's life. This phenomenon leads only to counter intolerance, it forces people subject to her, look for the exit forms, and often such manifestations are aggressive, even cruel deeds. The idea of \u200b\u200btolerance has a long history. Moses (XII century BC, Middle East): "Do not kill; Do not want your home of your neighbor, nor a slave ... Nothing that your neighbor. " Confucius (VI-V centuries BC, China): "Do not make others what you do not wish, then neither in the state, nor in the family will not be dissatisfied." Socrates (V-IV centuries. BC, Greece): How much was the arguments, but all the overturned, and only one stands firmly: what to repair injustice is more dangerous than tolerate, and what should not seem good man, but be good And in private affairs, and in public - and this is the main in life concern. " The moral evangelical commandments are imbued with universal values, respect and a sense of compassion for a person, without complying with the entire living. The spiritual liberation of a person, along with his economic and political freedom, defended the best thinkers of the past, they preach the progressive minds of the present.

The most important task today should be the fence of people, primarily the younger generation, from the negative impact of national and religious extremism. The experience of the historical past should be in demand. The device of Russia before the October coup can largely serve as an example. It is important to preserve unity and stability in our multinational state, strengthening peace and consent. We make a mistake, repeating the schemes of Western countries when national traditions are blocked. The tendency to integrate developed countries reveals that from the inside there is a rust of separatism, extremism and terrorism. Countering extremism in Russia is to strengthen the national and religious foundations of life. A peaceful coexistence of various denominations should be provided with the seniority of the Russian state-forming people.

Religion is a human worldview, based on faith in supernatural and worship. Composite parts of religion as a worldview is observing people of certain moral norms, following their special system of values, the practice of rites and recognition of the cult. As a rule, it involves the creation of an organized association of believers in a separate, well-structured structure - the church.

In most religious communities and communities, the leading place is occupied by servants of a cult or clergy. The religious worldview is most often based on some sacred texts that contain the foundations of this faith and, in the opinion of its supporters, are dictated by either God directly or people who have reached the highest stages of dedication to the sacrament (that is, saints).

Major religions in the world

According to statistical data of 2012 on a religious basis, the population professes the following
forms of religion

• christians (Orthodoxy, Protestantism)
  - believers 2.31 billion people (33% of the world's population)
• - believers 1.58 billion (23% of the population in the world)
• hinduism - believers 0.95 billion (14% of the world's population)
• - believers 0.47 billion (6.7% of the population in the world)
• traditional Chinese religions - believers 0.46 billion (6.6% of the world's population)
• sikhi - believers 24 million (0.3% of the population in the world)
• 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)
• not religious - about 0.66 billion (9.4% of the world's population)
• atheists are about 0.14 billion (2% of the population in the world).

Relationship of secular in and religion. State Religion

The relationship of religion and secular power in any state is governed by the Constitution, the laws of the country, adopted by the Parliament and the traditions of the population. Religion is the strongest position in countries where it is recognized as a state religion. it
- in Catholic countries - in - Vatican, Malta, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Monaco, (row of cantons), in -, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic
- in Orthodox states - in, Macedonia.
- in Protestant states (Anglicancy) - this is the composition, while Northern Ireland and Wales have no state church;
- in Protestant states (Lutheranism) - Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Ireland, Scotland as part of the United Kingdom;
- - 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

Regarding the interaction of science and religion there are several points of view. They can be divided into four types:

1. Conflict. Based on this point of view, religion and science contradict are incompatible with each other. The most famous representatives of this point of view are Richard Dokinz, Andrew Dixon White, Peter Ekins, Richard Feynman, Vitaly Ginzburg.

2. Independence. Religion and science are dealing with different areas of knowledge. This point of view is based on the teachings on the transcendental immunuil of Kant, which is formulated in the "critical mind criticism".

3. Dialogue. From the region of knowledge overlap and the need to eliminate contradictions on certain issues by refuting, or coordination of positions.

4. Integration. Both of these areas of knowledge are combined into one holistic reasoning system. Defended by some philosophers and theologists, for example, Pierre Teyar de Charden, Jan Barbour.

Religion and medicine

In the article published in Psychiatric Times David Larson - President of the National Institute for Health Research (USA), and its co-authors, - "Forgotten factor in psychiatry: religious dedication and mental health" The authors came to a certain opinion that "the lack of religious or spiritual interests It remains a serious risk of developing alcoholism and drug addiction. "

On the other hand, spirituality can indeed help overcome any alcohol abuse or drugs, for example: "45 percent of patients who passed religious programs to cure dependencies, a year later became free from drugs - compared with 5 percent received assistance in the framework of non-religious public programs" (DESMOND AND MADDUX, 1981).

Religious court

In some countries, religious courts also exist (for example, the Muslim Court of Sharia) and the courts based on customs.

Two types of these organ differ:
- Church courts (consider intracerer disputes on the basis of religious law), operating in many countries of the world (United Kingdom, Russia), and actually R.S. (Consider a wider range of issues, albeit on the basis of religious law, for example, marriage family, hereditary disputes). Under the jurisdiction of the latter, not only the priests are falling, but also the laity of this denomination (such courts are valid, for example, in Israel).
- The religious courts include in principle and the Sharia courts that have, however, mixed, state-social nature.

The main signs of religion

Any religion always suggests 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 industrial). Culting actions are a set of symbolic actions with which believers are trying to establish communication with supernatural forces. These are religious rituals, rituals, sacrifices, worship, prayer, etc. The extra-human activity may be spiritual and practical. The spiritual includes self-pressing, various types of meditation, revelations, the development of religious ideas, the compositions of religious texts. The practical side of the surfactant activity is all sorts of actions aimed at the dissemination and protection of religion.
3. Religious organization. Religious organizations - a form of possible ordering of the joint religious activities of believers, the primary organizational link 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 solely among believers and implies the emergence of religion as a result of Divine Revelation. According to this theory, God himself opened people in the form of signs, phenomena, giving the sacred texts.
2. Scientific. It assumes a rational explanation of the reasons why people at one time appealed to religion. There are several of them:
- dependence on natural phenomena, fear of all sorts of cataclysms;
- endowing the sacred properties of its leaders, deification of the kings (for example, as in ancient Egypt).

In addition, many other, so-called situational, reasons for the appeal of various people to faith (as before and now) are distinguished.
- a sense of fear of possible retribution for the perfect deeds (sins);
- dissatisfaction in earthly life and the desire to compensate all the failures with which it collided in this world in another - otherwise;
- the need for moral support and consolation, which can be found only among the uninimers;
- imitation of others;
- respect for believing parents;
- following traditions and national feelings.

Forms of religiosity

The concept of "religiosity" reflects the originality and identity of the spiritual world of the individual according to the degree of influence of faith on his consciousness. A religious person is the one who believes in the real existence of supernatural forces, above all, God, and the other world in which he will definitely fall after the earthly life. To do this, he performs all prescribed prescription religions and regularly performs cult action. The main goal and the meaning of the actions of the believer is the service of God. A clear adherence to religious standards and rules will help a person to join the Divine. Earthly life is considered only as an intermediate stage on the way to eternal bliss.

However, the degree of religiousness of one or another person can differ significantly. There are several forms of "dive" in faith:

1. People with moderate religiosity. In their worldview, the religious element is not decisive. Their faith in God is not specified, it does not imply compulsory preservation, strict knowledge of the creation systems, strictly implementing all cults and regulations.
2. Ordinary believers. In such people, Vera was deeply rooted in all the structures of consciousness, it morally regulates their livelihoods. An ordinary believer performs all church prescriptions, embodies the highest values \u200b\u200bof its religion in its own behavior and actions. But, at the same time, he is capable of dialogue with representatives of other religions, it treats them tolerant.
3. Religious fanatics. People, to extremely committed to religious ideas, seeking to strictly follow them in practical life and calling everyone to do the same, intolerant to the inverters and dissent, confident in their own infallibility. As a rule, such people are prone to violent action.

Functions of religion

This refers to the nature of the impact of religion per person and on society as a whole.

· WORLD FUNCTION. Religion forms a certain view of the world, explains the place of man in it, the meaning and purpose of his life.
· Illusory compensatory function. The inability of a person to control many natural and social processes, the need to overcome the strength of the forces receives a ghostly embodiment in religious ideas.
· Communicative function. Religion can act and the means of communication of people. For example, at meetings, in the performance of certain rituals, during worship services in the temples.
· Regulatory function. Religious standards, which strictly adheres to a believer relate to not only the religious side of his life, they also regulate the social behavior of a person (in the family, everyday life, at work, etc.).
· Integrating function. Religion is able to spiritually unite individual groups of people, as well as society as a whole.

Types of religions

For its history, humanity has created more than five thousand different religions. Naturally, they were and remain very diverse. Therefore, there was a need for their classification on various features.

Depending on the number of religion gods, divided into monotheistic and polytetic.

The monotheistic (monoboise) includes Christianity, Islam, Judaism and others.

Polyteistic (multi-grays) include Buddhism, Hinduism, syntoism, etc.

Depending on the distribution of religion, divided into three groups:
1. World - cover people of various nationalities. There are only three of them - Christianity, Islam, Buddhism.
2. National - distributed only among representatives of one people. For example, Judaism y, syntoism of the Japanese, Taoism in the Chinese, Hinduism in Hindus, Zoroastrianism in ancient Persians.
3. Trembling - are common among the tribes that have not yet been transformed to the level of peoples. To this kind include:
- Shamanism - faith in interaction with the world of spirits;
- Totemism - faith in an imaginary related union with a totem (natural object), in the role of which an animal, plant, natural phenomenon can perform;
- Animmism - faith in an animation of all the people surrounding objects and things;
- fetishism - faith in supernatural power of objects;
- Magic - faith in the ability to achieve a certain goal is supernatural by.

Depending on the relationship with the Bible, religion is divided into two groups:
1. Abrahamic religions are belonging to the Old and New Testament tradition. This is Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
2. Navel religions - all others.