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In the brief history of mankind, the world has known countless religions. Some of them still live on today, but others have been lost through the years. While religion may not be as popular as it used to be, many people still choose to believe in religion. In fact, some religions still count billions of followers making them some of the most popular world religions. Check out the list below for the list of the top 10 most popular world religions to find out more about them.
#10: Shintoism
Shinto or Kami-no-Michi is the main traditional religion of Japan. According to historians, it emerged around the year 2000 BC making it one of the older world religions. Shintoism focuses mainly on custom and ritual practices that can link its followers to their cultural past. Due to Japan’s socio-economic climate, the religion is in a sharp decline, with only 4 million followers worldwide.[1]BBC – Shinto However, most of these followers are in Japan.
#9: Jainism
Jainism is probably the oldest of the world religions that still exists today. It started in India. It teaches its followers to lead a life with selflessness. Jainism greatly influenced the cultural figure Mahatma Gandhi. Today, Jainism counts approximately 4.5 million followers.[2]BBC – Jainism Jainism does this by guiding its followers through the process of the renunciation system of the soul. At its core, Jainism is a religion of love and serenity towards every living being on the planet.
Its main standards are the Ahimsa, non-possessiveness, and non-absolutism. The followers of this religion or “Jains”, must follow the 5 main commandments. These core principles of this religion lead its followers in an ascetic life without temptations. The first commandment is the Ahimsa which calls for peacefulness. The second commandment is the Satya which tells the Jains to not lie. The third commandment is the Asteya which tells Jains to not take things from other people. The fourth commandment is the Brahmacharya which calls for celibacy. The fifth and final commandment is called the aparigahawhich. This commandment tells Jains to not connect with earthly pleasures.
#8: Confucianism
Confucianism is part of the famous Chinese social order taught by the Confucius. Confucianism also goes by the name of Ruism. It teaches how to best deal with your daily problems in life. Followers best describe it as a set of traditions and philosophies to help live a simply way of life. As such, many religious historians look at it as one of the most humanistic or rationalistic world religions.
The Chinese philosopher Confucius, who lived in China between 551-479 BC, developed Confucianism. His teaching put particular stress upon the importance of family and social harmony, instead of supernatural spiritual values or greater beings. Today, Confucianism counts about 8 million followers.[3]Assasi, Reza. 2013. The Forgotten Constellation Representing the Chariot of Mithras[4]Hal – Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Ancestors, Masters: Some Remarks on the Politico-Religious in China Today However, its influence can still be heavily felt in most Asian cultures.
#7: Bahaism
The Bahai Faith is a religion that teaches equality and unity among all people. However, it was only establish in 1863, making it one of the younger of the world religions. Bahaism came out of Persia and parts of the Middle East. Today, Bahaism has about 8 million followers, known as Bahais, spread worldwide.
The root of this religion is the Babi religion. The founder, Bahaulla, claimed that God would soon send a prophet, like Jesus in Christianity and Muhammad in Islam. However, it has been a large target of constant persecution. In fact, in 1863, the founder of the religion was exiled from Iran.[5]BBC – Bahá’í
#6: Judaism
Judaism is the religion often associated with the Jewish people. However, over the course of history, different people have called them by different names. For example, the Romans called they Hebrews and the Greeks called them Judah. As such, Judaism is one of the older world religions. In fact, it is an ancient, monotheistic, Abrahamic religion that originated approximately 3500 years ago in the Middle East. The Torah is the religion’s main text. Furthermore, the Torah, includes the religious, cultural, and philosophical ideas of the Jewish people.
However, Judaism also has a great number of religious texts other than just the Torah. For example, the Tanakh or the Hebrew Bible, Midrash, and Talmud are supplemental texts to the Torah.
In Judaism, it is assumed that the Jews are God’s favorite people, and will help them to achieve greatness. However, they are also to be the ethical and spiritual leaders of the world. Furthermore, Judaism is the core religion that many other religions such as Christianity and Islam branched off from. Today, Judaism counts approximately 20 million followers worldwide.[6]BBC – Judaism
#5: Sikhism
Sikhism is a monotheistic religion that originated in the region of Punjab within the Indian subcontinent sometime at the end of the 15th century. As a result, this makes it one of the the youngest of major world religions. The word Sikhism or Sikhi means disciple or learner. The core beliefs of the religion are based on the sacred scripts of the Guru Granth Sahib. They include faith and meditation on the name of the one creator, divine unity with our creator, and equality with all of humankind.
Today, Sikhism counts 25 million followers or Sikhs worldwide. However, the great majority of them living in the Punjab area of northwest India.[7]BBC – Sikhism
#4: Buddhism
The Buddhist religion resembles Hinduism in many ways. It is both a religion and a dharma, that includes many different traditions, beliefs, and spiritual practices that are mainly based on the original teachings of Gautama Buddha, also known as Siddhartha Gautama, Shakyamuni Buddha or just Buddha. Historians believe that Buddha lived in ancient India, between the 6th and the 4th centuries BC. At the time, his teachings were a true revelation because he taught the middle way as opposed to the two extremes of being intemperate or ascetic.
Today, Buddhism is the fourth most popular of the world religions and counts 520 million followers. To give you an idea of how many people that is, it accounts for approximately 5.25% of the world population.[8]BBC – Buddhism
#3: Hinduism
Hinduism is an Indian religion and dharma, which translates to a way of life. The followers of Hinduism are called Hindus. It is mainly practiced in India. Historians agree that Hinduism is the oldest of the world religions. In fact, Hindus often call it Sanatana Dharma, which translates to the eternal tradition, or the eternal way. Historically, the religion of Hinduism is considered a fusion of multiple Indian cultures that coexisted in the passing of the millenia. As such, there is no single founder of Hinduism.
Additionally, Hinduism does not have a single holy book like Christianity or Islam. Rather, it has many sacred texts. These texts are divided into two categories, the Sruti, and the Smrti. The Hindu texts discuss about theology, philosophy, yoga, rituals and many other topics. Hindus have a very interesting way of viewing their god. Despite the common view that Hinduism is a polytheistic religion, it actually is a monotheistic one. In fact, Hindus believe that god is too complex for humans to understand completely. Therefore, it is necessary to portray many aspects of him. In addition, they believe that every part of the world is an image of god. As such, it is important to treat everything with love and respect.
Today, Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world. In fact, there are about about 1.5 billion people or about 15.5% of the world’s population that call themselves Hindus.[9]BBC – Hinduism
#2: Islam (with all of its Branches and Sects)
Islam is another Abrahamic monotheistic religion. It teaches that there is only one god and the prophet Muhammad is his messenger. Currently, Islam is the second largest of the world religions with over 1.8 billion followers worldwide. Amazingly, this accounts for about 23.2% of the world’s population.
Their holy city and site is Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and its Grand Mosque. According to Islam, it is a place that every Muslim should visit at least one time in their lives. It contains the holy Black Stone that Muslims believe to be the only piece that remains from an altar that Abraham himself built.
The meaning of the word Islam is “submission to God”. According to Islam’s holy book, the Quran, the main requirement of the Islam are to treat your fellow people with love and to keep the religion’s laws.[10]BBC – Islam[11]CNN – The world’s fastest-growing religion is [12]Pew Research Center – Why Muslims are the world’s fastest-growing religious group
#1: Christianity (with all of its branches and sects)
Christianity is by far the most popular of the world religions. In fact, today it counts about 2.5 billion followers or roughly 31.5% of the world’s population. A majority of these followers are located in North and South America, Europe, and Oceania. Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, that mainly depends on the teachings of the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, and of his disciples. Historians believe that Jesus Christ lived about 2000 year ago dating to the approximate start of Christianity.
Through the years, Christian dogma and the Bible have suffered many alterations and many sects have been born as a result of this fact. In fact, some of the biggest Christian sects that exist right now are Catholicism, Anglicanism, Protestantism, and Orthodoxy. While many sects believe slightly different things, all agree that some of the most important Christian holidays include Christmas and Easter. Other than that, each sect tends to have some additional exclusive holiday.[13]BBC – Christianity[14]Pew Research Center – The Global Religious Landscape[15]Pew Research Center – Global Christianity – A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Christian Population
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