National religions can be understood as religions whose adherents belong to the same ethnic group. In a broad sense, all pagan religions are national in one way or another, although in paganism such a phenomenon as syncretism is also possible, when the gods of different peoples are worshiped at the same time, including them in a common pantheon - a set of deities in a certain polytheistic religion. In a narrow sense, national religions can be understood as those whose doctrine, for a number of reasons, simply excludes going beyond the national framework. For example, in classical Hinduism, the doctrine of salvation is closely connected with ideas about the varna system of society, from which non-Hindus are excluded.

Finally, world religions are religions to which anyone can belong, regardless of their ethnicity. There are three world religions: Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. As you can see, only the last two represent monotheism. At present, the majority of the world's population belongs to their followers.

Find out the signs common to world religions. First, each of them has a founder whose name is well known, although the idea of ​​the status of the founder varies. In Buddhism, this is the Buddha. In Christianity, Jesus Christ. In Islam, Muhammad. Secondly, world religions are characterized by the presence of a pronounced moral side of religious teaching, addressed to a specific human person. It is the following of the proposed moral path by a person that forms the basis of salvation. Therefore, the presence of the figure of the founder of religion as a religious role model, inseparable from the dogma itself, looks quite natural.

6. Buddha Gautama and his teachings.

The Buddha's teaching, distinguished by its depth and high morality, was a protest against Vedic formalism. Rejecting the authority of both the Vedas and the Brahmin priesthood, the Buddha proclaimed a new path of liberation. Its essence is set forth in his sermon Turning the Wheel of Doctrine (Dhammachakkhappavattana). This is the "middle way" between the extremes of ascetic asceticism (seemingly senseless to him) and the satisfaction of sensual desires (equally useless). Essentially, this path is to understand the “four noble truths” and live in accordance with them.

I. The Noble Truth of Suffering. Suffering is inherent in life itself, it consists in birth, old age, illness and death, in union with the unpleasant, in separation from the pleasant; in not achieving the desired, in short, in everything that is connected with existence.

II. The noble truth about the cause of suffering. The cause of suffering is the craving that results in a new birth and is accompanied by joy and delight, exultation at the pleasures found here and there. It is the craving for lust, the craving for existence and non-existence.

III. The noble truth of the cessation of suffering. The cessation of suffering is the cessation of desires through the rejection of them, the gradual liberation from their power.

IV. The noble truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering. The path to the cessation of suffering is the eightfold path of rightness, namely the right view, the right thought, the right speech, the right action, the right way of life, the right effort, the right mindset, the right concentration. Progress along this path leads to the disappearance of desires and liberation from suffering.

The Buddha's teaching differs from the Vedic tradition, which relies on ritual sacrifices to the gods of nature. Here the fulcrum is no longer dependence on the actions of priests, but inner liberation with the help of the right way of thinking, right behavior and spiritual discipline. The teaching of the Buddha is also opposed to the Brahmanism of the Upanishads. The authors of the Upanishads, the seers, abandoned the belief in material sacrifices. Nevertheless, they retained the idea of ​​the Self (Atman) as an unchanging, eternal entity. They saw the path to liberation from the power of ignorance and rebirth in the merger of all finite “I” in the universal “I” (Atman, which is Brahman). Gautama, on the other hand, was deeply concerned with the practical problem of man's liberation through moral and spiritual purification, and opposed the idea of ​​the immutable essence of the Self. In this sense, he proclaimed "Not-Self" (An-Atman). What is usually called "I" is a collection of constantly changing physical and mental components. Everything is in process and therefore is able to improve itself through right thoughts and right actions. Every action has consequences. Recognizing this "law of karma," the mutable "I" can, by making the right effort, get away from urges to bad deeds and from retribution for other deeds in the form of suffering and the continuous cycle of birth and death. For a follower who has reached perfection (arahat), the result of his suffering will be nirvana, a state of serene insight, dispassion and wisdom, deliverance from further births and the sorrow of existence.

According to legend, immediately after the death of Gautama, about 500 of his followers gathered in Rajagriha to expound the teaching in the form in which they remembered it. The doctrine and rules of conduct were formed, which guided the monastic community (sangha). Subsequently, this direction was called Theravada (“school of elders”). At the "second council" in Vaishali, the leaders of the community declared illegal indulgences in the ten rules that were practiced by local monks. This is how the first split happened. Vaishali monks (according to the Mahavamsa, or Great Chronicle Ceylon, there were 10 thousand of them) left the old order and established their own sect, calling themselves mahasanghiks (members of the Great Order). As the number of Buddhists grew and Buddhism spread, new schisms arose. By the time of Ashoka (3rd century BC), there were already 18 different “schools of teachers”.

Religion is a person's worldview based on belief in the supernatural and worship of it. The components of religion as a worldview are the observance by people of certain moral norms, their adherence to a special system of values, the practice of rituals and the recognition of a cult. As a rule, it involves the creation of an organized association of believers in a separate, clearly structured structure - the church.

In most religious communities and communities, the leading position is occupied by clergy or clergy. The religious worldview is most often based on certain sacred texts that contain the foundations of this faith and, according to its supporters, are dictated either directly by God or by people who have reached the highest stages of initiation into the sacrament (that is, saints).

Major religions in the world

According to the statistics of 2012, on the basis of religion, 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 world's population)
• Hinduism - believers 0.95 billion (14% of the world's population)
• - believers 0.47 billion (6.7% of the world's population)
• traditional Chinese religions - believers 0.46 billion (6.6% of the world's population)
• Sikhs - believers 24 million (0.3% of the world's population)
• 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)
• non-religious - about 0.66 billion (9.4% of the world's population)
• atheists - about 0.14 billion (2% of the world's population).

The relationship between secular and religion. State religion

The relationship between religion and secular power in any state is regulated by the Constitution, the laws of the country, adopted by the parliament and the traditions of the population. Religion occupies the strongest position in countries where it is recognized as the state religion. it
- in Catholic countries - in - Vatican City, Malta, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Monaco, (a number of cantons), in - Costa Rica, Dominican Republic
- in Orthodox states - in Macedonia.
- in Protestant states (Anglicanism) - this is in the composition, while Northern Ireland and Wales do not have a state church;
- in Protestant states (Lutheranism) - Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Ireland, Scotland as part of Great Britain;
- - Israel;
- Islam (Sunnis) - Afghanistan, Sudan, Palestine, Algeria, Brunei, Qatar, Yemen, Jordan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Mauritania, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Maldives, Somalia, Morocco, UAE (United Arab Emirates);
- Islam (Shia) - and Iraq;
- Buddhism -, Cambodia, Bhutan, Laos.

Religion and science

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

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

2. Independence. Religion and science deal with different areas knowledge. This point of view is based on the teachings of the transcendent Immanuel Kant, which is formulated in the Critique of Pure Reason.

3. Dialogue. From the field of knowledge overlap and there is a need to eliminate contradictions on certain issues by refuting or harmonizing positions.

4. Integration. Both of these areas of knowledge are combined into one holistic system of reasoning. Defended by some philosophers and theologians, for example, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Ian Barbour.

Religion and medicine

In an article published in the Psychiatric Times by David Larson, President of the National Institute for Health Research (USA), and his co-authors, "The Forgotten Factor in Psychiatry: Religious Commitment and mental health The authors agreed that "lack of religious or spiritual interests remains a serious risk factor for the development of alcoholism and drug addiction."

On the other hand, spirituality can indeed help overcome any alcohol or drug abuse, for example: "45 percent of patients in religious addiction recovery programs were drug-free a year later—compared to 5 percent in non-religious community programs." (Desmond and Maddux, 1981).

religious court

In some countries, there are also religious courts (eg Muslim Sharia court) and customary courts.

There are two types of these organs:
- church courts (considering internal church disputes on the basis of religious law) operating in many countries of the world (Great Britain, Russia), and R.S. (consider more wide circle issues, albeit on the basis of religious law, eg. marriage and family disputes). Not only the clergy, but also the laity of a given denomination fall under the jurisdiction of the latter (such courts operate, for example, in Israel).
- The religious courts include, in principle, the Sharia courts, which, however, have a mixed, state-public nature.

The main features of religion

Any religion always assumes the following components:
1. Religious consciousness. Religious consciousness exists in the form of images, ideas, moods, feelings, experiences, habits, traditions
2. Religious activity (cult and non-cult). Cult activities are a collection of symbolic activities by which believers attempt to connect with supernatural forces. These are religious rites, rituals, sacrifices, divine services, prayers, etc. Extra-cult activities can be spiritual and practical. The spiritual includes self-contemplation, different kinds meditation, revelations, the development of religious ideas, the composition of religious texts. The practical side of non-cult activities is made up of all kinds of actions aimed at the dissemination and protection of religion.
3. Religious organization. Religious organizations - a form of possible streamlining of the joint religious activities believers, the primary organizational link of which is a religious group or community. The highest form of organization is the Church.

Theories about the origin of religion

1. Religious. It is distributed exclusively among believers and suggests the emergence of religion as a result of divine revelation. According to this theory, God himself revealed himself to people in the form of signs, phenomena, and the gift of sacred texts.
2. Scientific. Assumes a rational explanation of the reasons why people at one time turned to religion. There are several of them:
- dependence on natural phenomena, fear of all kinds of cataclysms;
- endowing with sacred properties of their leaders, the deification of kings (for example, as in ancient Egypt).

In addition, there are many more, so-called situational, reasons for contacting various people to faith (as before, so now):
- a feeling of fear of possible retribution for committed deeds (sins);
- dissatisfaction in earthly life and the desire to compensate for all the failures that he encountered in this world, in another - the other world;
- the need for moral support and consolation, which can only be found among fellow believers;
- imitation of others;
- respect for believing parents;
- adherence to traditions and national feeling.

Forms of religiosity

The concept of "religiosity" reflects the originality and originality of the spiritual world of the individual according to the degree of influence of faith on his consciousness. religious man- one who believes in the real existence of supernatural forces, primarily God, and underworld in which he will definitely fall after his earthly life. To do this, he fulfills all the prescriptions prescribed by his religion and regularly performs cult actions. the main objective and the purpose of the believer's actions is service to God. Strict adherence to religious norms and rules will help a person to join the Divine. At the same time, earthly life is considered only as an intermediate stage on the path to eternal bliss.

However, the degree of religiosity of a person can vary significantly. There are several forms of "immersion" 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 obligatory initiation, strict knowledge of the systems of belief, strict observance of all cult actions and prescriptions.
2. Ordinary believers. In such people, faith is deeply rooted in all structures of consciousness; it morally regulates all their life activities. An ordinary believer fulfills all church prescriptions, embodies the highest values ​​of his religion in his own behavior and actions. But, at the same time, he is capable of dialogue with representatives of other religions, treats them tolerantly.
3. Religious fanatics. People who are committed to religious ideas to an extreme degree, striving to strictly follow them in practical life and urging everyone to do the same, intolerant of non-believers and dissidents, confident in their own infallibility. As a rule, such people are prone to violent actions.

Functions of Religion

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

worldview 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. Man's inability to control many natural and social processes, the need to overcome forces beyond his control is illusoryly embodied in religious beliefs.
· Communicative function. Religion can also act as a means of communication between people. For example, at meetings, during the performance of certain rituals, during worship services in temples.
Regulatory function. Religious norms, which a believer strictly adheres to, concern not only the religious side of his life, they also regulate the social behavior of a person (in the family, at home, 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

During its history, mankind has created more than five thousand different religions. Naturally, they were and remain very diverse. Therefore, it became necessary to classify them according to various criteria.

Depending on the number of gods, religions are divided into monotheistic and polytheistic.

Monotheistic (monotheism) include Christianity, Islam, Judaism and others.

Polytheistic (polytheism) include Buddhism, Hinduism, Shintoism, etc.

Depending on the sphere of distribution, religions are divided into three groups:
1. World - cover people of different nationalities. There are only three of them - Christianity, Islam, Buddhism.
2. National - distributed only among representatives of one people. For example, Judaism is wu, Shintoism is among the Japanese, Taoism is among the Chinese, Hinduism is among the Hindus, Zoroastrianism is among the ancient Persians.
3. Tribal - common among tribes that have not yet transformed to the level of peoples. This type includes:
- shamanism - belief in interaction with the world of spirits;
- totemism - belief in an imaginary family union with a totem (natural object), which can be an animal, plant, natural phenomenon;
- animism - belief in the animation of all objects and things surrounding a person;
- fetishism - belief in the supernatural power of objects;
- magic - belief in the possibility of achieving a certain goal in a supernatural way.

Depending on the attitude to the Bible, religions are divided into two groups:
1. Abrahamic religions - refer to the Old and New Testament traditions. These are Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
2. Non-Abrahamic religions - all the rest.

(not global, but all).

The world religion is a religion that has spread among the peoples of different countries around the world. The difference between world religions from national and national-state religions in that in the latter the religious connection between people coincides with the ethnic connection (the origin of believers) or political. World religions are also called supranational, as they unite different peoples on different continents. History of World Religions always closely connected with the course of the history of human civilization. List of world religions small. Religious scholars count three world religions which we will briefly review.

Buddhism.

Buddhism- oldest world religion, which arose in the VI century BC in the territory modern India. On the this moment, according to various researchers, has from 800 million to 1.3 billion believers.

In Buddhism there is no creator god, as there is in Christianity. Buddha means enlightened. In the center of religion, the teachings of the Indian prince Gautama, who left his life in luxury, became a hermit and ascetic, thought about the fate of people and the meaning of life.

In Buddhism there is also no theory about the creation of the world (no one created and no one controls it), there is no concept of an eternal soul, there is no expiation of sins (instead of this - positive or negative karma), there is no such a multicomponent organization as the church in Christianity. Buddhism does not require absolute devotion and rejection of other religions from believers. It sounds funny, but Buddhism can be called the most democratic religion. Buddha is something like an analogue of Christ, but he is not considered either a god or a son of God.

The essence of the philosophy of Buddhism- striving for nirvana, self-knowledge, self-contemplation and spiritual self-development through self-restraint and meditation.

Christianity.

Christianity arose in the 1st century AD in Palestine (Mesopotamia) on the basis of the teachings of Jesus Christ, which were described by his disciples (apostles) in the New Testament. Christianity is the largest world religion in geographical terms (it is present in almost all countries of the world) and in terms of the number of believers (about 2.3 billion, which is almost a third of the world's population).

In the 11th century, Christianity split into Catholicism and Orthodoxy, and in the 16th century, Protestantism also broke away from Catholicism. Together they make up the three major currents of Christianity. Smaller branches (currents, sects) are more than a thousand.

Christianity is monotheistic, although monotheism a little non-standard: the concept of God has three levels (three hypostases) - Father, Son, Holy Spirit. The Jews, for example, do not accept this; for them God is one, and cannot be binary or ternary. In Christianity, faith in God, service to God and a righteous life are of paramount importance.

The main manual of Christians is the Bible, which consists of the Old and New Testaments.

Both Orthodox and Catholics recognize the seven sacraments of Christianity (baptism, communion, repentance, chrismation, marriage, unction, priesthood). Main differences:

• the Orthodox do not have a Pope (single head);
• there is no concept of "purgatory" (only heaven and hell);
• priests do not take a vow of celibacy;
• slight difference in rituals;
• holiday dates.

Among Protestants, anyone can preach, the number of sacraments and the importance of rites are reduced to a minimum. Protestantism is, in fact, the least strict branch of Christianity.

Islam.

AT islam also one god. Translated from Arabic means "subjugation", "submission". God is Allah, the prophet is Mohammed (Mohammed, Mohammed). Islam ranks second in terms of the number of believers - up to 1.5 billion Muslims, that is, almost a quarter of the world's population. Islam originated in the 7th century on the Arabian Peninsula.

Koran - holy book Muslims - is a collection of the teachings of Muhammad (sermons) and were compiled after the death of the prophet. Considerable value also has Sunnah - a collection of parables about Muhammad, and Shariah - a code of conduct for Muslims. In Islam, observance of rituals is of paramount importance:

• daily five times prayer (prayer);
• fasting in Ramadan (9th month of the Muslim calendar);
• distribution of alms to the poor;
• hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca);
• pronouncing the main formula of Islam (there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet).

Previously, the number of world religions also included Hinduism and Judaism. This data is now considered obsolete.

Unlike Buddhism, Christianity and Islam are related to each other. Both religions are Abrahamic religions.

In literature and cinema, such a concept as "one universe" is sometimes found. The heroes of different works live in the same world and may one day meet, as, for example, iron Man and Captain America. Christianity and Islam take place in "the same universe". Jesus Christ, Moses, the Bible are mentioned in the Koran, and Jesus and Moses are prophets. Adam and Chava are the first people on Earth according to the Quran. Muslims in some biblical texts also see the prophecy of the appearance of Muhammad. In this aspect, it is interesting to observe that especially severe religious conflicts arose precisely between these religions close to each other (and not with Buddhists or Hindus); but we will leave this question for the consideration of psychologists and religious scholars.

Hello dear students!

Today we have enough difficult topic. AT primary school it is studied as part of the course "Fundamentals of Religious Culture and secular ethics” and, it is quite possible that the teacher will ask you to prepare a report or message for the class on the topic “Major World Religions”.

I propose today to consider them in more detail and give them brief description in order to have a small idea of ​​​​what the believing people breathe. I will try to write in simple words so that everyone can understand. Well, if it is still not clear, then you can always ask a question in the comments.

Lesson plan:

What is religion?

There were many of them, and each saint was responsible for his own sphere.

• Some gods were called upon to make it rain.
• To others - to help in the fight against enemies.
• The third was asked for help in trouble and illness.

This is how religion was born - faith in a supernatural helper called God, and the ability to turn to him through prayers.

Time passed, people's beliefs changed, matured and united into groups. Today there are many religious movements, the supporters of which may be hundreds, and may be billions of people.

Each religious belief includes:

• norms of morality and ethics;
• rules of behavior;
• a set of rituals and ceremonies, with the help of which they turn to shrines, asking for help in pressing matters.

There are three major religions in the world today. All other beliefs are just offshoots from them with their small subtleties. The most important life postulates are preserved in any religion.

The oldest religion is Buddhism

A Buddhist religious movement arose in the 6th century BC in India.

History connects the emergence of Buddhism with the name of Siddhartha Gautama.

According to ancient legend he left his luxurious home at the age of 29 when he saw the “truth of life”:

• old age in the form of a decrepit old man caught in the eye;
• illness through a seriously ill person;
• death from a collision with a funeral procession.

In search of truth, he reflected and meditated, realizing the inevitability of putting up with the obligatory moments in life. As a result, he found the meaning of the existence of everything that surrounds us, and as the Buddhists say, he became enlightened, therefore he was called the Buddha.

Found in the depths of his consciousness the truth about the fate of man, the Buddha began to share with others - this is how the sacred book Tipitaka appeared.

It lists all the main religious ideas of Buddhism:

• suffering in life is inevitable; to get rid of them, you need to renounce earthly desires, striving to achieve nirvana - the highest state of the soul;
• a person himself determines his future fate by his actions, being reborn in another life into a new living being, who you will be later depends on how you behave in this life;
• right behavior is kindness and the ability to sympathize with others;
• right life path is honesty;
• right speech is the absence of falsehood;
• right action - do not harm anything living, do not steal and do not have bad habits;
• proper training is the realization that everything can be achieved if you make an effort.

Today Buddhism is supported in different countries over 500 million people.

Asian Buddhists, Far East, Laos, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Cambodia all their own free time dedicate meditation in monasteries, trying to achieve this very highest state and free themselves from the shackles of life.

The Buddhist headquarters is located in Bangkok. Representatives of this religion choose divine statues as shrines, to which they lay flowers.

Cultural scientists believe that without understanding Buddhism, it is impossible to understand and great culture Eastern peoples of India, China, Tibet and Mongolia. Buddhism is also present in Russia, you can chat with its fans in Kalmykia or Buryatia.

It is interesting! The name of the Buddhist canons "Tipitaka" means "triple basket", which is usually interpreted as "three baskets of the law." Scientists believe that perhaps the sacred texts of the rules, written in ancient times on palm leaves, were kept in wicker baskets.

christian religion

The birthplace of Christianity is Palestine, the former east of the Roman Empire.

A religious movement that appeared in the 1st century turned to all the humiliated who were looking for justice with a proposal to turn to God for help in the hope of getting rid of everything bad. The emergence of the Christian religion is associated with the sermons of Jesus Christ, whose birth was predicted to the Virgin Mary.

When he was 30 years old, the messenger of God went out to people to preach the holy word, conveying to the people the ideas of diligence, peace and brotherhood, condemning wealth and extolling the spiritual over the material. The Hebrew name of Jesus is Yeshua, which translates as “savior”, who was destined to suffer for the sins of all Christians.

The basis of the Christian religion is belief in angels and demons, the afterlife, the Last Judgment and the end of the world.

The holy book of the Christian religion is the Bible, which contains all the main ten rules - the commandments, their observance for every believing Christian is the goal in life.

The most important of these is to love God as yourself. There are also rules not to steal and not to lie, to work and honor parents.

In 1054 Christian church split into Orthodox (east) and Catholics (west), and later, in the 16th century, Protestants appeared.

Most of the Orthodox live in Russia, Belarus, Greece, Moldova, they are among Canadians and Americans. Catholicism is widespread in Portugal, France, Spain, Italy, Germany.

Today there are about 2 billion believers in the Christian religion.

This is the largest religion in the world in terms of the number of followers and geography - in every country there is, even a small, Christian community.

All Christians, both Orthodox and Catholics, attend church churches, undergo baptism and atone for their sins through prayer and fasting.

The youngest religion is Islam

The youngest world religion in terms of age appeared among the Arabs of the Arabian Peninsula in the 7th century and is translated as “submission”.

But young does not mean that there are few believers in it - today there are about 1.5 billion people from almost 120 countries of the world among the followers of Islam. The ideas of Islam were brought to the people by Muhammad, born in Mecca, who declared that he was the chosen one of Allah (the god of the Islamists) to put his sermons into practice.

The holy scripture of Muslims - this is the name of those who have chosen Islam as their religion - the Koran, where all the sermons of Muhammad were included.

An Islamic shrine is a mosque where believers come to pray 5 times a day. Many researchers believe that young Islam took its entire foundation from the Christian Bible, adding Arabic traditions: here, too, there is God's terrible judgment and demons, paradise and Satan.

According to the Muslim Quran, a person lives to pass all the trials of life, serving Allah and preparing for the afterlife. The most serious sins in Islam are gambling and drunkenness, as well as usury (this is when they lend and demand to return it to larger size, charging interest).

Also, true Muslims never eat pork. Muslims are especially attentive to fasting in the month of Ramadan, when even a crumb of food is not allowed during daylight hours.

Islam has a religious law called Sharia, the court of which sometimes does not fit into the conditions of modern times - for serious sins and violation of the Koran, Muslims are stoned to death, for minor offenses they are beaten with sticks. Such punishments are still preserved in some areas of Islamic states.

What unites the three world religions

No matter how the three religions, which we have characterized today, are named, no matter how they differ in rituals, shrines and faith, all of them, taken together, establish human norms of morality and rules of conduct, forbidding pain and harm to all living things, resorting to cheating, behaving disrespectfully towards others.

Any of the world religions teaches tolerance, calls to be merciful and treat people with kindness.

Sharing good, no one becomes a beggar,

Everything will come back a hundredfold.

Who makes our world brighter and cleaner,

He himself will become rich from kindness.

That's all for today. I say goodbye to you with wishes to be kinder friend to friend.

Success in your studies!

Evgenia Klimkovich.

In the article we will analyze the question of what religion is, give a definition of this concept, learn its history, and also briefly describe famous religions peace.

Religion is a kind of human consciousness that believes that some supernatural force rules the world. And this power is sacred, it is worshipped.

The main thing in any religion is the belief in God. Since ancient times, people have been in great need of faith, salvation and consolation. And they put forward a hypothesis that there is some kind of inexplicable force that helps, directs, does something contrary to the laws of the Earth. And that power is God. This is the lofty beginning of the world, the laws of morality.

Forms, signs, structure and types of religions

There are a lot of religions in the world, more than a hundred. Their origin began several thousand years ago.

It all started with simple types and forms of beliefs. Archaeological excavations confirm that the ancient tribes worshiped someone, they had rituals and sacraments. They had gods.

Main forms of religions:

1. Recognition of totems - sacred objects, animals, plants.
2. Magizm - a person with supernatural powers could somehow influence the events of people.
3. The choice of a talisman that could bring good luck, keep from accidents.
4. Belief in shamans, people who are endowed with sacred power.
5. A form of religion in which all objects, plants have a soul, they are alive.

To understand religions, it is necessary to reveal its structure. This is religious consciousness, activity, as well as organizations.

Organizations are a system that unites all people belonging to a particular religion. An example of religious activity is the wearing of crosses, the lighting of candles, bows.

Each religion has its own characteristics that distinguish it from others. Without these signs, it would have been destroyed, reincarnating into occultism, shamanism.

First of all, this is the primary source of the ideal to which one must strive - this is God. In addition, people believe in various spirits. They are both good and evil, they help, you can communicate with them.

Another sign is that a person is a higher, spiritual being. He must take care of his inner soul primarily. In all religions, it is believed that the soul lives forever, can exist even after death. Through faith one can spiritually retire with God.

Religion is primarily moral. There are rules for how a person should behave, what values ​​he should pursue in life, how to take care of his soul. The material world is insignificant, but the spiritual world is the most important.

Another main feature is a cult with its own rules and regulations. These are certain actions that are performed to express the worship of a particular religion.

List and Brief History of Major World Religions

There are three famous world religions. These are Christianity, Islam and Buddhism.

Christianity first appeared in the Roman Empire in the first century. From there came all the writings about the life of Jesus, who in young age He was crucified on the cross so that all the sins of people could be forgiven.

After that, he resurrected, incarnated in the son of God, in supernatural power.

The Holy Scripture, which contains the doctrine of Christianity, is called the Bible. Consists of two collections: the Old Testament and the New Testament. People who believe in Christianity go to church, pray, fast, celebrate holidays, perform various sacraments.

Types of Christianity: Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism.

Orthodoxy strictly follows faith, recognizes all 7 sacraments: baptism, communion, chrismation, priesthood, repentance, wedding and unction. Catholicism is similar.

Protestantism - does not recognize the head of the Pope, considers the faith independent, against church politics.

Islam is the religion of Muslims. It appeared among the Arab tribes at the beginning of the 7th century. It was founded by the prophet Muhammad. He was a hermit, a loner, often thought and philosophized about morality and piety.

According to legend, on his fortieth birthday, the archangel Gabriel appeared to him, left an inscription on his heart. God in Islam is called Allah. Religion is very different from Christianity.

Buddhism originated in the 6th century BC. This is the most ancient religion. The origins come from India, then it began to spread to China, to the Far East.

The most important founder is Buddha Gautama. At first he was an ordinary person. His parents once had a dream that their child would be a great man, a mentor. He was always very lonely, prone to thoughts, for him only religion and philosophy were important.

In Buddhism, there is no particular God that everyone worships. Buddha is just an ideal of what one should become. Light, pure, kind, highly moral. The goal of religion is to achieve a blissful state, to achieve insight, to be freed from shackles, to find oneself, to find peace and tranquility.

In addition to the main three religions, there are others. This is very ancient Judaism.

It is based on the Ten Commandments that God prophesied to Moses.

It is also Taoism, which has the teachings that all things appear from nowhere and go nowhere, the main thing is harmony with nature.

It was founded by a philosopher who lived in the 4th century.

Other known religions are Confucianism, Jainism, Sikhism.

Conclusion

Everyone chooses for himself which religion to worship. At different religions- one goal: to increase the spiritual morality of people.