Faith in God surrounds a person from infancy. In childhood, this still unconscious choice is associated with family traditions that exist in every home. But later a person can consciously change his confession. How are they similar and how do they differ from one another?
The concept of religion and the prerequisites for its appearance
The word "religion" comes from the Latin religio (piety, shrine). This is a worldview, behavior, actions based on faith in something that surpasses human understanding and supernatural, that is, sacred. The beginning and meaning of any religion is faith in God, regardless of whether he is personified or impersonal.
There are several prerequisites for the emergence of religion. First, from time immemorial, man has been trying to go beyond the boundaries of this world. He seeks to find salvation and consolation outside of it, sincerely needs faith.
Secondly, a person wants to give an objective assessment of the world. And then, when he cannot explain the origin of earthly life only by natural laws, he makes the assumption that a supernatural force is applied to all this.
Thirdly, a person believes that various events and occurrences of a religious nature confirm the existence of God. The list of religions for people of faith already serves real proof the existence of God. They explain it very simply. If there were no God, there would be no religion.
The oldest types, forms of religion
The birth of religion took place 40 thousand years ago. It was then that the emergence of the simplest forms of religious beliefs was noted. It was possible to learn about them thanks to the discovered burials, as well as rock and cave art.
In accordance with this, the following types of ancient religions are distinguished:
- Totemism. A totem is a plant, animal or object that was considered sacred by a particular group of people, tribe, clan. At the heart of this ancient religion there was a belief in the supernatural power of the amulet (totem).
- Magic. This form of religion, based on belief in magical abilities person. The magician with the help of symbolic actions is able to influence the behavior of other people, natural phenomena and objects from a positive and negative side.
- Fetishism. From among any objects (the skull of an animal or a person, a stone or a piece of wood, for example), one was chosen to which supernatural properties were attributed. He was supposed to bring good luck and protect from danger.
- Animism. All natural phenomena, objects and people have a soul. She is immortal and continues to live outside the body even after his death. All modern types of religions are based on the belief in the existence of the soul and spirits.
- Shamanism. It was believed that the head of the tribe or the clergyman has supernatural power. He entered into conversation with the spirits, listened to their advice and fulfilled the requirements. Belief in the power of the shaman is at the heart of this form of religion.
List of religions
There are more than a hundred different religious directions, including ancient forms and modern trends. They have their own time of occurrence and differ in the number of followers. But at the heart of this long list are the three most numerous world religions: Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. Each of them has different directions.
World religions in the form of a list can be represented as follows:
1. Christianity (almost 1.5 billion people):
- Orthodoxy (Russia, Greece, Georgia, Bulgaria, Serbia);
- Catholicism (the states of Western Europe, Poland, the Czech Republic, Lithuania and others);
- Protestantism (USA, Great Britain, Canada, South Africa, Australia).
2. Islam (about 1.3 billion people):
- Sunnism (Africa, Central and South Asia);
- Shiism (Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan).
3. Buddhism (300 million people):
- Hinayana (Myanmar, Laos, Thailand);
- Mahayana (Tibet, Mongolia, Korea, Vietnam).
National religions
In addition, in every corner of the world there are national and traditional religions, also with their directions. They originated or gained special distribution in certain countries. On this basis, the following types of religions are distinguished:
- Hinduism (India);
- Confucianism (China);
- Taoism (China);
- Judaism (Israel);
- Sikhism (Punjab state in India);
- Shinto (Japan);
- paganism (Indian tribes, peoples of the North and Oceania).
Christianity
This religion originated in Palestine in the Eastern part of the Roman Empire in the 1st century AD. Its appearance is associated with faith in the birth of Jesus Christ. At 33, he took martyrdom on the cross to atone for human sins, after which he resurrected and ascended to heaven. Thus, the son of God, who embodied the supernatural and human nature became the founder of Christianity.
The documentary basis of doctrine is the Bible (or Holy Bible), consisting of two independent collections of the Old and New Testaments. The writing of the first of them is closely connected with Judaism, from which Christianity originates. New Testament was written after the birth of religion.
Symbols of Christianity - Orthodox and catholic cross. The main provisions of faith are defined in dogmas, which are based on faith in God, who created the world and man himself. The objects of worship are God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit.
Islam
Islam, or Islam, originated among the Arab tribes of Western Arabia in early VII century in Mecca. The founder of the religion was the prophet Muhammad. This man from childhood was prone to loneliness and often indulged in pious reflections. According to the teachings of Islam, at the age of 40, on Mount Hira, the heavenly messenger Jabrail (Archangel Gabriel) appeared to him, who left an inscription in his heart. Like many other world religions, Islam is based on the belief in one God, but in Islam it is called Allah.
Holy Scripture - Koran. The symbols of Islam are the star and the crescent. The main provisions of the Muslim faith are contained in dogmas. They must be recognized and unquestioningly fulfilled by all believers.
The main types of religion are Sunnism and Shiism. Their appearance is connected with political disagreements between believers. Thus, the Shiites to this day believe that only the direct descendants of the Prophet Muhammad carry the truth, while the Sunnis think that it should be an elected member of the Muslim community.
Buddhism
Buddhism originated in the 6th century BC. Homeland - India, after which the teaching spread to the countries of the South-East, South, Central Asia and to the Far East. Considering how many other most numerous types of religions exist, we can safely say that Buddhism is the most ancient of them.
The founder of the spiritual tradition is Buddha Gautama. He was an ordinary man, whose parents were granted a vision that their son would grow up to be a Great Teacher. The Buddha was also lonely and contemplative, and turned to religion very quickly.
There is no object of worship in this religion. The goal of all believers is to reach nirvana, the blissful state of insight, to be freed from their own fetters. Buddha for them is a kind of ideal, which should be equal.
Buddhism is based on the doctrine of the four Noble Truths: on suffering, on the origin and causes of suffering, on the true cessation of suffering and the elimination of its sources, on the true path to the cessation of suffering. This path consists of several stages and is divided into three stages: wisdom, morality and concentration.
New religious currents
In addition to those religions that originated a very long time ago, in modern world still new creeds continue to emerge. They are still based on faith in God.
The following types can be noted modern religions:
- scientology;
- neo-shamanism;
- neopaganism;
- Burkhanism;
- neo-Hinduism;
- raelites;
- oomoto;
- and other currents.
This list is constantly being modified and supplemented. Some types of religions are especially popular among show business stars. For example, Tom Cruise, Will Smith, John Travolta are seriously passionate about Scientology.
This religion originated in 1950 thanks to science fiction writer L. R. Hubbard. Scientologists believe that any person is inherently good, his success and peace of mind depend on himself. According to the fundamental principles of this religion, humans are immortal beings. Their experience is longer than one human life and the possibilities are unlimited.
But everything is not so clear in this religion. In many countries, it is believed that Scientology is a sect, a pseudo-religion with a lot of capital. Despite this trend is very popular, especially in Hollywood.
There are several versions of the origin of the word religion. According to one of them, it comes from the Latin religion- conscientiousness, piety, reverence, religion, holiness, worship, etc. According to another version, it comes from the Latin verb religion meaning to connect, connect. There is also an opinion that it could come from another verb reeligere, that is, to reunite.
Since this word has so many variants of origin, the definition of this concept is given a large variety. But actually religion - it is a way for people to communicate with God. And that's why there are so many of them.
God is one, but all people are different and everyone chooses in life for himself the path that is easier for him to go through. That is why the Lord allowed the existence of so many religious movements. After all, all true religions will eventually lead to Him. For some, this path will be short, and for some, a large number of lives will be needed. It depends on which religious direction a person has chosen. And although the preachers of different religions claim that only their path is true and short, however, they are all different.
As a person surrenders to God, so God answers him. If a person's heart is completely open to communion with God, then He leads him along the shortest path. If there are material attachments in a person, then the Almighty directs him along the path that will give the person time to get rid of these attachments. It all depends on the choice of the person himself.
There are several directions in religions:
- Atheism is the denial of the existence of God.
- Monotheism is the worship of one God.
- Polytheism is the worship of multiple gods.
- Pure theism is the recognition of the right of existence of all true religions, because there is an understanding that God is one.
If we briefly consider what the main religious movements gave people, then we can say the following:
- Judaism- Through the Jews, the Lord gave 10 Commandments, observing which all exactly and in the sequence in which they go, a person will certainly achieve the perfection of his life. This is very important point. Since, only having realized the first Commandments, a person will be able to follow the rest without deviations. These Commandments are so important that even the followers of Vaishnavism ask Christians to follow them.
- Christianity“Jesus taught people love for God and neighbor, which did not exist before, since all worship was performed out of fear of the might of the Almighty. He brought the concept of loving service to the Almighty from his travels in India and the Himalayas, where he studied with local priests for 7 years. The Gospel confirms the novelty of the teaching that Jesus brought to the people.
- Islam- despite the fact that Christianity refers to monotheism, the Koran denies this, affirming the polytheism of Christianity due to equating Jesus with the position of the Most High, as well as worshiping the mother of Jesus, as the mother of God, on a par with God Himself. The Prophet Muhammad tried to revive the religious foundations and return people to the path of monotheism, to the path of worshiping God Himself. In doing so, he gave what Jesus did not: he described some of the attributes of God. The Bible says almost nothing about God. Thanks to the prophet Muhammad, people were able to at least know a little about who God is.
- Buddhism- this trend preaches love for all living beings. It arose when the sacrifices made by people to cleanse their sins took on a threatening character, and there were not so many animals left. To protect sentient beings, the Lord incarnated in the form of Buddha (not to be confused with God Himself), rejected the authority of the Vedic scriptures, and stopped the massacres. It was a temporary measure needed at that time. Since the Vedas were considered non-authoritative, the personal aspect of God was rejected. As a result, the main idea is to worship the impersonal Absolute and merge with emptiness, with radiance. But, since God is a person, the predictions say that this direction will disappear over time.
- Hinduism- its uniqueness lies in the fact that, despite the single name, it represents a multitude of religious trends. Some of them preach the philosophy of emptiness, some follow polytheism, and Vaishnavism preaches pure theism. Therefore, it is impossible to consider it as a single trend, it is illogical. The ancient Vedic predictions speak of the onset of the Golden Age, which will last about 10,000 years, then the degradation of people will continue. A number of predictors say that this century will come after the catastrophe of 2012. However, followers of Vaishnavism believe that it began about 500 years ago with the advent of the Lord in the form of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who preached the glories of the Holy Name in India. He gave people the simplest, easiest and shortest way to God through the chanting of the maha-mantra: "Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare".
Often people do not know how to choose the right religion. They do not understand that it is not enough to know, you need to follow what a certain preaches. religious movement. For, as it is said in the Bible, even the demons believe in God and tremble before Him, but faith without works is dead. To achieve perfection in life, you need to go to it. And to make it easier to figure out which path to choose, you need to find answers to just three questions:
- What is the purpose of this religion?
- How is this goal achieved?
- How do you feel when you look at those who have achieved this goal?
If all the answers to these questions satisfy a person, he can safely begin his journey home to God.
Religions of the world
Religion is people's confidence in the existence of some huge, unknown, strong, powerful, wise and just force that invented, created this world and guides it - from the life and death of every person to the phenomena of nature and the course of history.Causes of Belief in God
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Fear of life. Since ancient times, in the face of the formidable forces of nature and the vicissitudes of fate, man felt his smallness, defenselessness and inferiority. Faith gave him hope for at least someone's help in the struggle for existence.
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Fear of death. In principle, any accomplishment is available to a person, he knows how to overcome any obstacles, solve any problems. Only death is not subject to him. Life, no matter how hard it is, is good. Death is terrible. Religion allowed a person to hope for the endless existence of the soul or body, not in this, but in another world or state.
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The need for laws. The law is the framework in which a person lives. The absence of limits or going beyond them threatens humanity with death. But man is an imperfect being, therefore the laws invented by man are less authoritative for him than the laws allegedly of God. If it is possible and even pleasant to violate human laws, then God’s decrees and commandments cannot be
“But how, I ask, after that a man? Without God and without future life? After all, now everything is allowed, everything can be done?(Dostoevsky "The Brothers Karamazov")
world religions
- Buddhism
- Judaism
- Christianity
- Islam
Buddhism. Briefly
: more than 2.5 thousand years.
: India
- Prince Siddhartha Guatama (VI century BC), who became the Buddha - "enlightened".
. "Tipitaka" ("three baskets" of palm leaves, on which the revelations of the Buddha were originally recorded):
- Vinaya Pitaka - rules of conduct for Buddhist monks,
- Sutta-pitaka - sayings and sermons of the Buddha,
- Abidhamma Pitaka - three treatises systematizing the provisions of Buddhism
: peoples of Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Korea, Mongolia, China, Japan, Tibet, Buryatia, Kalmykia, Tuva
: a person can become happy only by getting rid of all desires
: Lhasa (Tibet, China)
: Wheel of Law (Dharmachakra)
Judaism. Briefly
: more than 3.5 thousand years
: Land of Israel (Middle East)
Moses, leader of the Jewish people, organizer of the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt (XVI-XII centuries BC)
. Tanakh:
- Pentateuch of Moses (Torah) - Genesis (Bereshit), Exodus (Shemot), Leviticus (Vayikra), Numbers (Bemidbar), Deuteronomy (Dvarim);
- Nevi'im (Prophets) - 6 books of senior prophets, 15 books of junior prophets;
- Ketuvim (Scriptures) - 13 books
: Israel
: Don't give someone what you don't want for yourself
: Jerusalem
: temple lamp (menorah)
Christianity. Briefly
: about 2 thousand years
: Land of Israel
: Jesus Christ is the son of God, who descended to earth in order to accept suffering to redeem people from original sin, resurrected after death and ascended back to heaven (12-4 BC - 26-36 AD) )
: Bible (Holy Scripture)
- Old Testament (Tanakh)
- New Testament - Gospels; Acts of the Apostles; 21 epistles of the apostles;
Apocalypse, or Revelation of John the Evangelist
: peoples of Europe, North and South America, Australia
: the world is ruled by love, mercy and forgiveness
:
- Catholicism
- Orthodoxy
- Greek Catholicism
: Jerusalem, Rome
: cross, (on which Jesus Christ was crucified)
Islam. Briefly
: about 1.5 thousand years
: Arabian Peninsula (southwest Asia)
: Muhammad ibn Abdallah, messenger of God and prophet (c. 570-632 AD)
:
- Koran
- Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah - stories about the actions and sayings of Muhammad
: peoples of North Africa, Indonesia, Near and Middle East, Pakistan, Bangladesh
: worship of Allah, who is eternal and is the only one capable of assessing a person’s behavior to determine him to paradise
Since ancient times, people have tried to explain the frightening or unusual phenomena of nature by the formation of supernatural forces. The concept of "religion" was formed relatively recently, and religions themselves were formed a very long time ago.
The concept of what is religion
Religion (from Latin religio - shrine, piety) is a form of social consciousness, a set of spiritual opinions that are based on belief in supernatural beings and powers (gods and spirits), which are considered an object of worship. This means that the term "religion" is the worship of the gods. It is associated with the concepts of "faith" and "God".
At the dawn of mankind, people were able to explain the flood and drought, sunrise and sunset, lightning and thunder by the actions of evil and good gods. There were "special" people, namely shamans, who are able to communicate with other world(with spirits and gods of ancestors). Their task was to appease the gods and predict lean and fruitful years, natural disasters or wars. All phenomena corresponded to their deity (the god of war, the god of the sun, the god of thunder, etc.).
Types of religions
There is an opinion about 3 world, that is, the most numerous religions - this is Christianity, Buddhism and Islam. But based on the very definition of the term religion, this is not very correct. Buddhism is very numerous, but it is not considered a religion. Buddhism, as well as Hinduism, Taoism, Shintoism is considered a teaching, a belief in the power of nature, and not a specific god. And Christianity, which was originally a doctrine, became a religion. Representatives of monotheistic modern religions include: Christianity, Judaism, Sikhism and Islam. Recently, such a phenomenon as "neopaganism" has been formed. This trend is rapidly spreading both in Europe and in Russia. Many are interested in the question of what unites religions, they are united by the similarity of values. Everywhere it is forbidden to kill, steal and rape.
Is . Religion is a form of understanding of the surrounding world, based on belief in the supernatural. Religion includes a whole set of moral norms, cults and rituals.
From the point of view of theology, religion is the connection between man and God. Philosophically, religion is belief in clear mind”, as well as one of the forms of self-knowledge. Sigmund Freud considered religion to be a great illusion, a means of replacing what one does not understand. Jung is a means of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy. Karl Marx is an opium for the people, that is, a means of fooling with subsequent exploitation. The term "religion" in Latin means reunion (man with God) and originated before our era - it was first mentioned by Cicero, who considered religion to be reverence for higher powers.
Sociology distinguishes such elements of religion:
- religious consciousness (attitude - personal or a whole group of believers - to God, moral standards, etc.);
- religious activity (may be cult or non-cult);
- religious relations;
- religious organizations.
Forms of religion.
There are a lot of religions - experts currently count about 28,000 religions, beliefs, religious branches and sects in the world. At the same time, the main religions can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
Consider main types of religion:
- ancient religions(beliefs and rituals):
- magic (a system of consciousness consisting in belief in secret forces and in turning to them);
- totemism (comparison of human essence with a natural object - an animal, a plant, and worship of it);
- animism (belief in spirits, otherworldly beings);
- fetishism (belief in objects allegedly endowed with magic power);
- shamanism (relationship with the world of spirits through a shaman).
- ancient religions(pagan):
- religion ancient egypt;
- religion Ancient Greece;
- the religion of ancient Rome (borrowed from the Greeks, with the pantheon in the same place, but with different names).
- Abrahamic religions(monotheism, go back to Abraham, to some extent recognize the Old Testament):
