All world religions, with the exception of Buddhism, originate from a relatively small corner of the planet, located between deserted shores Mediterranean, Red and Caspian seas. From here come Christianity, Islam, Judaism and the now almost extinct Zoroastrianism.

Christianity. The most widespread of the world's religions is Christianity, with 1.6 billion followers. Christianity retains its strongest position in Europe, America and Australia.

Christianity appeared at the beginning of our era as a development of biblical wisdom that had been created over the previous 2000 years. The Bible teaches us to understand and realize the meaning of life. Biblical thinking attaches decisive importance to the issue of life and death, the end of the world.

Jesus Christ preached the ideas of brotherhood, hard work, non-covetousness and love of peace. The service of wealth was condemned and the superiority of spiritual values ​​over material values ​​was proclaimed.

The First Ecumenical Council, which met in Nicaea in 325, laid the dogmatic foundations of the One Holy Council Apostolic Church for many centuries to come.

Christianity adopted the view of the “inseparable and inseparable” union of two natures in Jesus Christ - divine and human. In the 5th century supporters of Archbishop Nestor were condemned, who recognized the basic human nature of Christ (later separated into Nestorians), and followers of Archimandrite Eutyches, who argued that in Jesus Christ there is only one divine nature. Supporters of the one nature of Jesus Christ began to be called Monophysites. Adherents of monophysics make up a certain proportion among modern Orthodox Christians.

In 1054, the main split of the Christian Church into the Eastern ( Orthodox center in Constantinople (now Istanbul) and Western (Catholic) with its center in the Vatican. This division runs through the entire history of the world.

Orthodoxyestablished itself mainly among the peoples of Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Largest number adherents of Orthodoxy - Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Greeks, Romanians, Serbs, Macedonians, Moldovans, Georgians, Karelians, Komi, peoples of the Volga region (Mari, Mordovians, Udmurts, Chuvash). There are pockets of Orthodoxy in the USA, Canada, and a number of Western European countries.

A tragic split occurred in the history of Russian Orthodoxy, which led to the emergence of the Old Believers. The origins of the schism go back to the years of the adoption of Christianity by Russia. In those days, two closely related statutes dominated in Byzantium, according to which the rite of worship was carried out. In the east of Byzantium, the most widespread was the Jerusalem Charter, and in the west the Studian (Constantinople) Charter prevailed. The latter became the basis of the Russian charter, while in Byzantium the Jerusalem Charter (St. Sava) increasingly became predominant. From time to time, certain innovations were introduced into the Jerusalem Rule, so that it began to be called modern Greek.

Russian Church until the middle of the 17th century. conducted the ritual according to the archaic Studite Rule with two-fingered baptism, preserving Orthodoxy in the highest purity. Many Orthodox peoples looked at Moscow as a spiritual center.

Outside the Russian state, including in Ukraine, church ceremonies were carried out according to the modern Greek model. Since the union of Ukraine and Russia in 1654, Kyiv begins to exert a huge influence on the spiritual life of Moscow. Under its influence, Moscow begins to turn away from antiquity and adopts a new way of life, more pleasing to Kyiv. Patriarch Nikon introduces new ranks and rituals. The icons are updated according to Kyiv and Lviv models. Patriarch Nikon edits Church Slavonic liturgical books based on modern Greek editions of the Italian press.

In 1658 Nikon founded the New Jerusalem monastery and the city New Jerusalem, according to his plan, the future capital of the Christian world.

As a result of Nikon's reforms, six major innovations were introduced into the canon. Dual finger sign of the cross was replaced by three-fingered, instead of “Isus” it was ordered to write and pronounce “Jesus”, during the sacraments the circumambulation of the temple was ordered to be done against the sun.

The introduction of non-Orthodox veneration of the king placed him above religious spiritual dominion. This reduced the role of the church in the state, reducing it to the position of the Church Prikaz (prikaz, this is a kind of ministry in Russia at that time). Many believers perceived Nikon's reforms as a deep tragedy, secretly professed the old faith, went to torment for it, burned themselves, went into forests and swamps. The fateful year of 1666 led to a catastrophic split of the Russian people into those who accepted the new rite and those who rejected it. The latter retained the name “Old Believers.”

Catholicism is the other main branch of Christianity.It is common in Northern and South America. Catholics include Italians, Spaniards, Portuguese, part of the French, most of the Belgians, part of the Austrians and Germans (southern lands of Germany), Poles, Lithuanians, Croats, Slovenes, most of the Hungarians, Irish, some Ukrainians (in the form of Uniatism or Greek Catholicism). A major center of Catholicism in Asia is the Philippines (the influence of Spanish colonization). There are many Catholics in the countries of Africa, Australia, and Oceania.

Western Catholic Church boldly discarded the old ones and came up with new rituals that were closer in spirit to the Europeans and their ideas about the world as a space calling for conquest. Expansionism and enrichment of the church were dogmatically justified. The speeches of non-Catholics and heretics were brutally suppressed. The result was continuous wars, massive repressions of the Inquisition and a decline in the authority of the Catholic Church.

In the XIV-XV centuries. ideas of humanism and renaissance arose in Europe. During the Reformation of the 16th century. Protestantism separated from Catholicism. Protestantism, which arose in Germany, was formed in the form of several independent movements, the most important of which were Anglicanism (closest to Catholicism), Lutheranism and Calvinism. From the Protestant churches, new movements were formed that were sectarian in nature, their number currently exceeds 250. Thus, Methodism spun off from Anglicanism, and the Salvation Army, organized on a military scale, is closely associated with Methodism. Baptism is genetically related to Calvinism. Pentecostal sects emerged from Baptistism, and the Jehovah's Witnesses sect also separated. Mormons of non-Christian confession occupy a special place in the Protestant environment.

The stronghold of Protestantism is Northern and Central Europe. In the United States, about 64% of the population is Protestant. The largest group of American Protestants are Baptists, followed by Methodists, Lutherans, and Presbyterians. In Canada and South Africa, Protestants make up about half the population. There are many adherents of Protestantism in Nigeria. Protestantism predominates in Australia and most countries in Oceania. Individual forms This branch of Christianity (especially Baptism and Adventism) is widespread in Russia and Ukraine.

The founder of Protestantism, the Catholic monk M. Luther, came out with demands to limit the excessive power of the church and calls for hard work and frugality. At the same time, he argued that the salvation of the human soul and deliverance from sins is accomplished by God himself, and not by human forces. The Calvinist Reformation went even further. According to Calvin, God pre-eternally chose some people for salvation and others for destruction, regardless of their will. Over time, these ideas turned into revisions Christian dogmas. Calvinism turned out to be imbued with an anti-Christian denial of asceticism and the desire to replace it with the cult of the natural man. Protestantism has become the ideological justification of capitalism, the deification of Progress, and the fetishization of money and goods. Protestantism, like no other religion, reinforces the dogma of the conquest of nature, which was later adopted by Marxism.

Islam the youngest world religion. Islam dates back to 622 AD. e., when the Prophet Muhammad and his followers moved from Mecca to Medina and the Bedouin Arab tribes began to join him.

Traces of Christianity and Judaism can be seen in the teachings of Muhammad. Islam recognizes Moses and Jesus Christ as the penultimate prophet as prophets, but places them below Muhammad.

In private life, Muhammad prohibited pork, alcoholic beverages and gambling. Wars are not rejected by Islam and are even encouraged if they are fought for faith (holy war of jihad).

All the foundations and rules of the Muslim religion are united in the Koran. Explanations and interpretations of obscure passages of the Koran made by Muhammad were recorded by his close people and Muslim theologians and compiled a collection of traditions known as the sunnah. Later, Muslims who recognized the Koran and the Sunnah began to be called Sunnis, and Muslims who recognized only one Koran, and of the Sunnah only sections based on the authority of the prophet’s relatives, were called Shiites. This division still exists today.

Religious dogma formed the basis of Islamic law, Sharia - a set of legal and religious norms based on the Koran.

Sunnis make up about 90% of Muslims. Shiism predominates in Iran and southern Iraq. In Bahrain, Yemen, Azerbaijan and mountainous Tajikistan, half the population is Shiite.

Sunnism and Shiism gave rise to a number of sects. From Sunnism came Wahhabism, which is dominant in Saudi Arabia, spreading among the Chechens and some peoples of Dagestan. The main Shiite sects were Zaydism and Ismailism, influenced by atheism and Buddhism.

In Oman, the third branch of Islam, Ibadism, has become widespread, whose followers are called Ibadis.

Buddhism. The oldest of the world's religions is Buddhism, which arose in the middle of the 1st millennium BC. e. in India. After more than 15 centuries of dominance in India, Buddhism gave way to Hinduism. However, Buddhism spread widely throughout the countries of Southeast Asia, penetrating into Sri Lanka, China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, and Mongolia. The number of Buddhist adherents is estimated at approximately 500 million people.

In Buddhism, all the social and moral dogmas of Hinduism are preserved, but the requirements of caste and asceticism are weakened. Buddhism converts more attention for the current life.

At the beginning of the first millennium, Buddhism split into two major branches. The first of them - Theravada, or Hinayana - requires believers to undergo mandatory monasticism. Its adherents - Theravadins - live in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand (about 90% of the population of these countries), as well as in Sri Lanka (about 60%).

Another branch of Buddhism - Mahayana - admits that lay people can also be saved. Mahayana followers are concentrated in China (including Tibet), Japan, Korea, and Nepal. There are some Buddhists in Pakistan, India, and among Chinese and Japanese immigrants to the Americas.

Judaism. Judaism can be classified among the world religions with a certain degree of convention. This is the national religion of the Jews, which arose in Palestine in the 1st century. BC e. Most adherents are concentrated in Israel ( official religion states), USA, European countries and Russia.

Judaism retained the ideas of brotherhood and mutual assistance from the Egyptian religion with the ideas of righteousness and sinfulness, heaven and hell. New dogmas responded to the unity of the Jewish tribes and the increase in their belligerence. The sources of the beliefs of this religion are Old Testament(recognized by later Christianity) and the Talmud (“commentaries” on the Old Testament books).

National religions. The most common national religions are those of India. What is noteworthy is the introversion of Indian religions, their focus on such an internal and spiritual connection that opens up wide opportunities for self-improvement, creates a feeling of freedom, bliss, humility, dedication, tranquility, and is capable of compressing and collapsing the phenomenal world until a complete coincidence of the world essence and human soul.

Religion of China consisted of several parts. The earliest beliefs are those associated with agriculture, developed in the 7th millennium BC. They believed that there was nothing higher than in which a country man finds peace and beauty. About 3.5 thousand years ago, previous beliefs were supplemented by the cult of veneration of great ancestors - sages and heroes. These cults were embodied in Confucianism, formulated by the philosopher Confucius, or Kung Fu Tzu (551-479 BC).

The ideal of Confucianism was the perfect man - modest, selfless, with self-esteem and love for people. The social order in Confucianism is one in which everyone acts in the interests of the people, represented by the extended family. The goal of every Confucian is moral self-improvement, respectful respect for elders, honoring parents and family traditions.

At one time, Brahmanism and Buddhism penetrated into China. On the basis of Brahmanism, almost simultaneously with Confucianism, the doctrine of Taoism arose. Chan Buddhism, which spread in Japan under the name Zen Buddhism, is internally connected with Taoism. Together with Taoism and Confucianism, Chinese religions have developed into a worldview, the main features of which are the worship of the family (ancestors, descendants, home) and a poetic perception of nature, the desire to enjoy life and its beauty (S. Myagkov, 2002, N. Kormin, 1994 G.).

Religion of Japan. From about the 5th century. AD The Japanese became acquainted with the wisdom of India and China, adopted a Buddhist-Taoist attitude towards the world, which did not contradict their primordial faith, Shintoism, the belief that everything is full of spirits, gods (ka-mi), and therefore deserves a reverent attitude. Main feature transformed under Chinese influence Japanese Shintoism it became that it, like Taoism, does not teach goodness and does not expose evil, for “the tangled threads of happiness and misfortune cannot be separated.” The eradicated evil will inevitably emerge in such vigorous growth that the world builder did not even suspect about it. The Japanese perceive their homeland as the sacred property of the nation, which is in the temporary care of the living for transmission to descendants. Several million Japanese are adherents of Shintoism (T. Grigorieva, 1994).

Zoroastrianism distributed mainly in India (Parsis), Iran (Gebras) and Pakistan.

In addition to the major religions, there are dozens of local traditional beliefs in the world, mainly in the form of fetishism, animism and shamanism. There are especially many of them in Africa, primarily in Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Togo, and Benin.

In Asia, followers of tribal cults predominate only in East Timor, but are also common on the islands of western Oceania and among the peoples of Northern Russia (shamanism).

Knowledge begins with a question. Since childhood, comprehending the basics of knowledge, people seek their personal path to God. Everyone longs for spiritual light. They want to know the fundamental truths, concepts, sacraments, the essence of worship services, rituals. There are many questions! But there are also answers.

How many religions are there in the world

About five thousand religions are known to science. Largest quantity Several world religions have adherents.

Christianity. Followers of Jesus Christ are united in more than 100 churches, movements and sects. These are Eastern Catholic churches. Old Catholicism. Protestantism. Orthodoxy. Spiritual Christianity. Sect. It is the largest world religion both in terms of the number of adherents, of which there are about 2.1 billion, and in terms of geographical distribution - almost every country in the world has at least one Christian community.

Islam is divided into 7 movements: Sunnis, Shiites, Ismailis, Kharijites, Sufism, Salafis (Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia), radical Islamists. Followers of Islam are called Muslims. Muslim communities exist in more than 120 countries and, according to various sources, unite up to 1.5 billion people.

Buddhism consists of three main and many local schools: Theravada - the most conservative school of Buddhism; Mahayana - the latest form of development of Buddhism; Vajrayana – occult modification of Buddhism (Lamaism); Shingon-shu is one of the main Buddhist schools of Japan, belonging to the Vajrayana movement. Estimates of the number of followers of Buddhism range from 350 to 500 million. According to the Buddha, “all that we are is the result of our thoughts, the mind is everything.”

Judaism is divided into 11 movements: Orthodox Judaism, Litvaks, Hasidism, Orthodox modernism, religious Zionism, Conservative Judaism, Reform Judaism, Reconstructionist Judaism, the movement of humanistic Judaism, Renovationist Judaism of Rabbi Michael Lerner, Messianic Judaism. Has up to 14 million followers.

Hinduism. A religion that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The historical name of Hinduism in Sanskrit is Sanatana Dharma, which translated means “eternal religion”, “eternal path” or “eternal law”. It has its roots in the Vedic civilization, which is why it is called the world's oldest religion. 1 billion followers.

The privileged caste is the Brahmins. Only they alone could be ministers of the cult.

Confucianism. Formally, Confucianism never had the institution of a church, but in terms of its significance, the degree of penetration into the soul and education of the consciousness of the people, it successfully played the role of a religion. In Imperial China, Confucianism was the philosophy of learned thinkers. Over 1 billion followers.

African traditional religions. Practiced by approximately 15% of Africans, they include a variety of concepts of fetishism, animism, totemism and ancestor worship. Some religious beliefs are common to many African ethnic groups, but they are usually unique to each ethnic group. Has 100 million followers.

Shintoism- traditional religion of Japan. Forms of Shinto: temple, imperial court, state, sectarian, folk and home. Only about 3 million Japanese turned out to be ardent supporters of Shintoism, who gave preference to this particular religion.

Voodoo. The general name for religious beliefs that emerged among the descendants of black slaves taken from Africa to South and Central America.

Religion is a certain worldview that seeks to understand the higher mind, which is the root cause of everything that exists. Any belief reveals to a person the meaning of life, his purpose in the world, which helps him find a goal, and not an impersonal animal existence. There have always been and will be many different worldviews. Thanks to the eternal human search for the root cause, the religions of the world were formed, the list of which is classified according to two main criteria:

How many religions are there in the world?

The main world religions are Islam and Buddhism, each of which is divided into numerous large and small branches and sects. It is difficult to say how many religions, beliefs and convictions there are in the world, due to the regular creation of new groups, but according to some information, religious movements on modern stage there are thousands.

World religions are called so because they have gone far beyond the borders of the nation, country, and have spread to a huge number of nationalities. Those who are not worldly confess within a smaller number of people. The monotheistic view is based on the belief in one God, while the pagan view assumes the existence of several deities.

The world's largest religion, which arose 2,000 years ago in Palestine. It has about 2.3 billion believers. In the 11th century there was a division into Catholicism and Orthodoxy, and in the 16th century Protestantism also separated from Catholicism. These are three large branches, there are more than a thousand other small ones.

The basic essence of Christianity and its distinctive features from other religions are as follows:

Orthodox Christianity has adhered to a tradition of faith since apostolic times. Its foundations were formulated by the Ecumenical Councils and dogmatically enshrined in the Creed. The teaching is based on the Holy Scriptures (mainly New Testament) And Sacred Tradition. Divine services are performed in four circles, depending on the main holiday - Easter:

• Daily.
• Sedmichny.
• Mobile annual.
• Fixed annual.

In Orthodoxy there are seven main Sacraments:

• Baptism.
• Confirmation.
• Eucharist (Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ).
• Confession.
• Unction.
• Wedding.
• Priesthood.

In the Orthodox understanding, God is one in three persons: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. The Ruler of the world is interpreted not as an angry avenger for the misdeeds of people, but as a Loving Heavenly Father, caring for his creation and bestowing the grace of the Holy Spirit in the Sacraments.

Man is recognized as the image and likeness of God, with free will, but fallen into the abyss of sin. The Lord helps those who want to restore their former holiness and get rid of passions on this path.

Catholic teaching is a major movement in Christianity, widespread mainly in Europe, Latin America and the USA. This doctrine has much in common with Orthodoxy in its understanding of God and the relationship between the Lord and man, but there are fundamental and important differences:

• the infallibility of the head of the church, the Pope;
• The Holy Tradition is formed from 21 Ecumenical Councils (the first 7 are recognized in Orthodoxy);
• the distinction between the clergy and the laity: people in the rank are endowed with Divine Grace, they are assigned the role of shepherds, and the laity - the herd;
• the doctrine of indulgences as a treasury of good deeds performed by Christ and the Saints, and the Pope, as the vicar of the Savior on earth, distributes forgiveness of sins to whomever wants and who needs it;
• adding your understanding to the dogma of the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son;
• introducing dogmas about the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary and Her bodily ascension;
• the doctrine of purgatory as the average state of the human soul, cleansed of sins as a result of difficult trials.

There are also differences in the understanding and performance of some Sacraments:

Arose as a result of the Reformation in Germany and spread throughout Western Europe as a protest and desire to transform the Christian Church, getting rid of medieval ideas.

Protestants agree with Christian ideas about God as the Creator of the world, about human sinfulness, about the eternity of the soul and salvation. They share the understanding of hell and heaven, while rejecting Catholic purgatory.

Distinctive features of Protestantism from Catholicism and Orthodoxy:

• minimizing church sacraments– before Baptism and Communion;
• there is no division between clergy and laity, every person is well prepared in matters Holy Scripture can be a priest for himself and for others;
• worship takes place at native language, is built on joint prayer, reading psalms, sermons;
• there is no veneration of saints, icons, relics;
• monasticism and the hierarchical structure of the church are not recognized;
• salvation is understood only by faith, and good works will not help to justify oneself before God;
• recognition of the exclusive authority of the Bible, and each believer interprets the words of Scripture at his own discretion, the criterion being the point of view of the founder of the church organization.

The main directions of Protestantism: Quakers, Methodists, Mennonites, Baptists, Adventists, Pentecostals, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons.

The world's youngest monotheistic religion. The number of believers is about 1.5 billion people. The founder is the prophet Muhammad. Holy book - Koran. For Muslims, the main thing is to live according to the prescribed rules:

• pray five times a day;
• observe the fast of Ramadan;
• give alms 2.5% per year of income;
• make a pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj).

Some researchers add a sixth duty of Muslims - jihad, which manifests itself in the struggle for faith, zeal, and diligence. There are five types of jihad:

• internal self-improvement on the path to God;
• armed struggle against non-believers;
• struggle with your passions;
• separation of good and evil;
• taking action against criminals.

Currently, extremist groups use jihad of the sword as an ideology to justify their murderous activities.

A world pagan religion that denies the existence of the Divine. Founded in India by Prince Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha). Briefly summarized by the teaching of the Four Noble Truths:

1. All human life- suffering.
2. Desire is the cause of suffering.
3. To overcome suffering, you need to get rid of desire with the help of a specific state - nirvana.
4. To free yourself from desire, you need to follow eight basic rules.

According to the teachings of the Buddha, acquiring a calm state and intuition and clearing the mind will help:

• a correct understanding of the world as a lot of suffering and sorrow;
• acquiring a firm intention to curtail your wishes and aspirations;
• control of speech, which should be friendly;
• performing virtuous actions;
• trying not to harm living beings;
• expulsion of evil thoughts and a positive attitude;
• the realization that human flesh is evil;
• perseverance and patience in achieving the goal.

The main branches of Buddhism are Hinayana and Mahayana. Along with it, there are other religions in India, widespread in varying degrees: Hinduism, Vedism, Brahmanism, Jainism, Shaivism.

What is the oldest religion in the world?

For Ancient world polytheism (polytheism) was characteristic. For example, Sumerian, ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman religions, Druidism, Asatru, Zoroastrianism.

One of the ancient monotheistic beliefs is Judaism - the national religion of the Jews, based on the 10 commandments given to Moses. main book- Old Testament.

Judaism has several branches:

• Litvaks;
• Hasidism;
• Zionism;
• orthodox modernism.

Also available different kinds Judaism: conservative, reformist, reconstructionist, humanistic and renovationist.

Today it is difficult to give a definite answer to the question “What is the oldest religion in the world?”, since archaeologists regularly find new data to confirm the emergence of different worldviews. We can say that beliefs in the supernatural have been inherent in humanity at all times.

The huge diversity of worldviews and philosophical beliefs since the emergence of mankind does not make it possible to list all the religions of the world, the list of which is regularly updated with both new movements and branches from already existing world and other beliefs.

Hello, dear schoolchildren!

Today we have a rather complex topic. IN 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, to have a little idea of ​​what the believing people breathe. I'll try to write in simple words so that everything is clear to everyone. Well, if it’s still not clear, 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.

• They turned to some gods to make it rain.
• To others - to help in the fight against enemies.
• Still others were asked for help in trouble and illness.

This is how religion was born - belief in a supernatural helper called God, and the ability to contact him through prayer.

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

Every religious belief includes:

• standards of morality and ethics;
• behavior rules;
• a set of rituals and rites with the help of which people turn to shrines, asking for help in daily matters.

There are three main religions in the world today. All other beliefs are just branches from them with their own small subtleties. The most important principles of life are preserved in any religion.

The oldest religion is Buddhism

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

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

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

• old age in the form of a decrepit old man who caught his eye;
• illness through meeting 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 existence of everything that surrounds us, and, as Buddhists say, he became enlightened, therefore he was called Buddha.

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

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 - highest state souls;
• a person himself determines his future destiny by his actions, being reborn in another life into a new one Living being who you will be later depends on how you behave in this life;
• good behavior is kindness and the ability to have compassion for others;
• correct life path– this is honesty;
• correct speech is the absence of lies;
• the correct action is not to harm anything living, not to steal and not to have bad habits;
• proper training is the understanding that anything can be achieved if you put in the effort.

Today Buddhism is supported by different countries more than 500 million people.

Buddhists of Asia, Far East, Laos, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Cambodia all their own free time devote themselves to meditation in monasteries, trying to achieve this 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, one cannot understand great culture eastern peoples India, China, Tibet and Mongolia. Buddhism is also present in Russia; you can communicate with its fans in Kalmykia or Buryatia.

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

Christian religion

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

The religious movement that appeared in the 1st century appealed to all the humiliated who were looking for justice, with an offer 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 preaching of Jesus Christ, whose birth was predicted to the Virgin Mary.

When he turned 30, God's messenger went out to preach holy word, conveying to the people the ideas of hard work, peace and brotherhood, condemning wealth and exalting 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, an afterlife, doomsday and the end of the world.

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

The most important of them is to love God as yourself. There are also rules here: not to steal or lie, to work and to honor your parents.

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

Most Orthodox Christians live in Russia, Belarus, Greece, Moldova, and there are Canadians and Americans. Catholicism is widespread in Portugal, France, Spain, Italy, and 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, Orthodox and Catholics alike, visit church temples, undergo the baptism procedure and atone for their sins through prayers 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 being 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 Mohamed, who was born in Mecca, declaring that he was the chosen one of Allah (the god of Islamists) to carry out his sermons.

The holy scripture of Muslims - this is the name given to those who have chosen Islam as their religion - is the Koran, which includes all the sermons of Muhammad.

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

According to the Muslim Koran, a person lives to pass all life's tests, serving Allah and preparing for afterlife. The most serious sins in Islam are gambling and drunkenness, as well as usury (this is when you give a loan and demand to return it in a larger amount, charging interest).

And true Muslims never eat pork. Muslims are especially attentive to fasting during the month of Ramadan, when it is not permitted daylight hours even crumbs of food.

Islam has a religious law called Sharia, the judgment of which sometimes does not fit into modern conditions - for serious sins and violations 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?

Whatever the names of the three religions, the characteristics of which we have given today, no matter how they differ in rituals, shrines and faith, all of them, taken together, establish human moral standards and rules of behavior, prohibiting causing pain and harm to all living things, resorting to deceit, behave disrespectfully towards others.

Any of the world's religions teaches tolerance, calls to be merciful and treat people kindly.

By sharing goodness, no one will become 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 bid you farewell with wishes to be kinder friend to friend.

Good luck in your studies!

Evgenia Klimkovich.

WORLD RELIGIONS

The most widespread of the world's religions is Christianity (it includes three branches - Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox), which is practiced by approximately 2.4 billion people, mainly in Europe, America and Australia. The second place in the number of believers (1.3 billion) is occupied by Islam (Muslim), which is declared the state religion in many countries of the world, located mainly in Asia and Africa. Nowadays the Muslim world includes more than 50 countries, and there are Muslim communities in 120 countries. In Russia, almost 20 million people profess Islam. The third place among world religions in terms of the number of adherents belongs to Buddhism (500 million), widespread in Central, Southeast and East Asia.

IN Lately Very big influence for all world development The Islamic factor began to exert its influence. Today the Muslim world includes more than 50 countries, and there are Muslim communities in 120 countries.

Geography of world religions.

The largest Islamic states in terms of population are Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria (from 100 to 200 million believers), Iran, Turkey, Egypt (from 50 to 70). In Russia, almost 20 million people profess Islam; This is the second most important and popular religion in the country after Christianity.

The Arabic word "Islam" literally means "submission". However, many acute political and religious conflicts are associated with this religion. Behind him stands Islamic extremism, which seeks to replace civil society with an Islamic one organized according to Sharia law. On the other side, moderate Islam can easily get along with civil society.

Tasks and tests on the topic "World Religions"

• Races, peoples, languages ​​and religions of the world - Population of the Earth 7th grade

  Lessons: 4 Assignments: 12 Tests: 1

• World Ocean - general characteristics Nature of the Earth 7th grade

  Lessons: 5 Assignments: 9 Tests: 1

• Population of Africa - Africa 7th grade

  Lessons: 3 Assignments: 9 Tests: 1

• Relief of the ocean floor - Lithosphere - the rocky shell of the Earth, grade 5

  Lessons: 5 Assignments: 8 Tests: 1

• Oceans. Generalization of knowledge - Oceans 7th grade

  Lessons: 1 Assignments: 9 Tests: 1

Leading ideas: The population represents the basis of the material life of society, an active element of our planet. People of all races, nations and nationalities are equally capable of participating in material production and in spiritual life.

Basic concepts: demography, growth rates and population growth rates, population reproduction, fertility (birth rate), mortality (mortality rate), natural increase (natural increase rate), traditional, transitional, modern type reproduction, population explosion, demographic crisis, demographic policy, migration (emigration, immigration), demographic situation, age and sex structure of the population, age and sex pyramid, EAN, labor resources, employment structure; resettlement and placement of the population; urbanization, agglomeration, megalopolis, race, ethnicity, discrimination, apartheid, world and national religions.

Skills and abilities: be able to calculate and apply indicators of reproduction, security labor resources(EAN), urbanization, etc. for individual countries and groups of countries, as well as analyze and draw conclusions (compare, generalize, determine trends and consequences of these trends), read, compare and analyze age-sex pyramids of various countries and groups of countries; Using atlas maps and other sources, characterize changes in basic indicators across the world, characterize the population of the country (region) according to the plan using atlas maps.