The first major religion is Christianity. This religion has around 2.2 adherents, which is the largest in the world. We call them Christians. The geographic location of Christianity is in Europe, the Americas, and Southern Africa. The denominations are the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Protestants (Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists, Anglicans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and many more). The founder of Christianity was Jesus Christ (Christianity is Abrahamic in origin). The holy book is The Bible, especially the Gospels in the New Testament. The beliefs of Christianity are: Jesus is both human and divine (the son of God); he led a virtuous life; he was crucified, died, buried, and resurrected; he ascended into heaven where he reigns with God the Father. The clergy of Christianity is the Pope which is the head of the Catholic Church, and priests are local authorities.
The second major religion is is called Islam. The number of adherents is 1.5 billion which is the second largest religion in the world. We call them Muslims. This religion is located in Indonesia, the Middle East, and North Africa. The denominations of Islam are Sunnis (75-90%) and Shiites (10-20%). The founder was Muhammad (570-632). Their holy book is the Qur'an (Koran). Their beliefs are monotheistic and Abrahamic. The first one is that there are five pillars (testimony, prayer, alms-giving, fasting, and pilgrimage). The second one is that Muslims see their purpose in life as serving and submitting to Allah (God), and observing Islamic Law.
The third major religion is called Hinduism. The number of adherents is 1.1 billion which is the third largest religion in the world. We call them Hindus. This religion is located in India, and Nepal. Their holy book is the Vedas- eternal truths revealed to ancient sages. This book is composed in verse form (meant to be sung and easily memorized). Hinduism has no founder. It is a series of intellectual or philosophical points of view, rather than a rigid, strict set of beliefs. It is probably the oldest extant religion, although Hinduism is less a religion than a way of life, or a faith. For example, "As a person puts on new clothes and discards old and turn clothes, similarly an embodied soul enters new material bodies, leaving the old bodies." This is an example of reincarnation, which is what the Hindus believe in.
The fourth major religion is called Buddhism. The number of adherents is 500 million to 1.5 billion. We call them Buddhists. Their geographic location is in Southeast Asia, China, Nepal, Japan, and there are 1.2 million buddhists in the United States. The denominations of Buddhism are Tibetan, Zen, Theravada, and Amidist. The founder was named Siddhartha. Part of Buddhism is living out and understanding the "Four Noble Truths" and "The Eightfold Path". The Four Noble Truths are: There is suffering; Attachment to desire is the origin of suffering; There is a cessation of suffering; and The Eightfold Path will lead to the cessation of suffering. Next is the Eightfold Path which consists of 8 ways of thinking. These are: Right View; Right Intention; Right Speech; Right Action; Right Livelihood; Right Effort; Right Mindfulness; and Right Dedication. Buddhists don't believe in one God, and this religion is okay with people practicing other religions as well.
The fifth major religion is called Judaism. The number of adherents is 14-18 million people. This is the ninth largest religion. We call the Jews. The geographic location is in Israel (6.4 million, 75.4%) and in the United States (5.3-7 million, 1.7-2.6%). The founder of Judaism was Abraham. The holy book is the Torah, which is the first five books of the Old Testament. These are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Their beliefs are ethical monotheism. They believe God is one, and concerned with the actions of human kind. They have 13 principles of faith as well. That concludes all five of the major religions in the world.
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