Religion

Religion (see etymology below) —sometimes used interchangeably with faith or belief system—is commonly defined as belief concerning the supernatural, sacred, or divine, and the moral codes, practices, values, institutions and rituals associated with such belief. In its broadest sense some have defined it as the sum total of answers given to explain humankind's relationship with the universe. In the course of the development of religion, it has taken many forms in various cultures and individuals.

Religion and other approaches to forming beliefs about the nature of the universe

:Main articles: Science, Philosophy, Metaphysics, Esotericism, Mysticism, Spirituality, Mythology

Related Topics:
Science - Philosophy - Metaphysics - Esotericism - Mysticism - Spirituality - Mythology

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Humans have many different methods which attempt to answer fundamental questions about the nature of the universe and our place in it (cosmology). What is reality? How can we know? Who are we? Why we are here? How should we live? What happens after we die? Religion is only one of the methods for trying to answer one or more of these questions. Other methods include science, philosophy, metaphysics, esotericism, and mysticism. Many people use more than one of these methods.

Related Topics:
Human - Universe - Cosmology - Science - Philosophy - Metaphysics - Esotericism - Mysticism

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Present day religious adherence and trends

Christianity is the religion with the largest number of professed adherents, followed by Islam and Hinduism. These statistics show the number of professed adherents of the major world religions. In addition, approximately one billion people do not profess any belief in a religion. These figures are necessarily approximate.

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• Christianity: 2.1 billion
• Islam: 1.3 billion
• Hinduism: 1.1 billion
• Buddhism: 400 million
• Chinese traditional religion: 394 million
• Primal-Indigenous: 300 million
• African Traditional & Diasporic: 100 million
• Sikhism: 23 million
• Juche: 19 million
• Spiritism: 15 million
• Judaism: 14 million
• Baha'i: 7 million
• Jainism: 4.2 million
• Shinto: 4 million
• Cao Dai: 4 million
• Zoroastrianism: 2.6 million
• Sant Mat / Surat Shabd Yoga : 2 million
• Tenrikyo: 2 million
• Neo-Paganism: 1 million
• Unitarian-Universalism: 800 thousand
• Rastafari movement: 600 thousand
• Scientology: 50 thousand

In ranking religious denominations, the Roman Catholic Church is the largest single denomination within Christianity. Sunni Islam within Islam, and Vaishnavism within Hinduism. It is impossible to say whether there are more Roman Catholics or Sunnis, as their numbers only differ by a few thousand, less than .0001% of the total, and exact counts are impossible.

Related Topics:
Roman Catholic Church - Sunni Islam

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