1.

Introduction

Today, more than seven billion people live on the Earth, and each day more than 310,000
people are born. Most of them decide on one of the many religions in the world.

Over the years the anthropologists have tried to craft definitions of religion . Most of
definitions agree that a religion is a worldview in which people personify cosmic forces and
devise ways to deal with them.
Most of definitions say that religion is a cultural system of behaviors and practices, world
views, sacred texts, holy places, ethics, and societal organisation that relate humanity to what
an anthropologist has called "an order of existence".

Religious practices may include rituals, sermons, commemoration or veneration (of God or
deities), sacrifices, festivals, feasts, trances, initiations, funerary services, matrimonial
services, meditation, prayer, music, art, dance, public service, or other aspects of human
culture.

In this essay we are going to say something about world’s religions in general. Also we are
going to describe few of them more closely.
 2. Religions in the world

As we already said, there are many religions in the world.

Religion can be explained as a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the
universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies,
usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code
governing the conduct of human affairs.

Here are some of them : Baha'i, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam,
Jainism, Judaism, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoism, Wicca and some other Neopagan religions,
Zoroastrianism, and Druidism.

And here are some religious symbols in clock-wise order : Judaism, Christianity, Islam,
Bahá'í Faith, Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Slavic neopaganism, Celtic polytheism,
Heathenism (German paganism), Semitic neopaganism, Wicca, Kemetism (Egyptian
paganism), Hellenism, Italo-Roman neopaganism.
 3. Religions in one sentence

Atheism- atheists are people who believe that god or gods are man-made constructs.

Baha'i- one of the youngest of the world's major religions.

Buddhism- a way of living based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama.

Candomblé -a religion based on African beliefs, originating in Brazil.

Christianity -the world's biggest faith, based on the teaching of Jesus Christ.

Hinduism- a group of faiths rooted in the religious ideas of India.

Islam - revealed in its final form by the Prophet Muhammad.

Jainism - an ancient philosophy and ethical teaching that originated in India.

Jehovah's Witnesses – a Christian-based evangelistic religious movement.

Judaism - based around the Jewish people's covenant relationship with God.

Mormonism - the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Paganism - contemporary religions usually based on reverence for nature.

Rastafari - a young religion founded in Jamaica in the 1930s.

Santeria - Afro-Caribbean syncretic religion originating in Cuba.

Shinto - japanese folk tradition and ritual with no founder or single sacred scripture.

Sikhism - the religion founded by Guru Nanak in India in the 15th Century CE.

Spiritualism - spiritualists believe in communication with the spirits of people who have died.

Taoism - an ancient tradition of philosophy and belief rooted in Chinese worldview.

Unitarianism - an open-minded and individualistic approach to religion.

Zoroastrianism - one of the oldest monotheistic faiths, founded by the Prophet Zoroaster.
 4. Christianity, Islam , Hinduism

4.1 Christianity

With nearly two billion professed adherents worldwide, Christianity is the largest religion in
the world. It has dominated western culture for centuries and remains the majority religion of
Europe and the Americas.

Christian belief centers on the life of Jesus of Nazareth, a teacher and healer who lived in first
century Palestine. The primary source of information about the life of Jesus are the Gospels.
The Gospels describe a three-year teaching and healing ministry during which Jesus attracted
12 close disciples and other followers who believed him to be the Messiah (Christos).

Jesus' teachings focused on the themes of the kingdom of God, love of God and love of
neighbor.His growing popularity with the masses was seen as dangerous by Jewish religious
leaders and the Roman government, leading to his execution by crucifixion. Christians believe
Jesus rose from the dead three days later, and in so doing made it possible for those who
believe to be forgiven of sin and attain eternal life. Much of Christian belief and practice
centers on the resurrection of Christ.

The sacred text of Christianity is the Bible, which consists of the Old Testament (the Jewish
Bible) and the New Testament. The New Testament contains 27 books: four gospels
(narratives of Jesus' life), one account of the apostles' ministry after Jesus' death, letters from
church leaders (the earliest of which predate the Gospels), and an apocalyptic work.

Christianity has divided into three major branches.

Roman Catholicism represents the continuation of the historical organized church as it

developed over the centuries, and is headed by the Pope. Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman
Catholicism separated in 1054, when the Patriarch of Constantinople and the Pope
excommunicated each other. Protestantism arose in the 16th century.
 4.2 Islam

Islam began in Arabia and was revealed to humanity by the Prophet Muhammad. Those who
follow Islam are called Muslims. Muslims believe that there is only one God. The Arabic
word for God is Allah.

According to Islamic tradition, the angel Gabriel appeared to the Prophet over the course of
20 years, revealing to him many messages from God. Muslims recognize some earlier Judeo-
Christian prophets—including Moses and Jesus—as messengers of of the same true God. But
in Islam, but Muhammad is the last and greatest of the prophets, whose revelations alone are
pure and uncorrupted.

The Prophet dedicated the remainder of his life to spreading a message of monotheism in a
polytheistic world. In 622, he fled north to the city of Medina to escape growing persecution.
This event marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar. Eight years later, Muhammad
returned to Mecca with an army and conquered the city for Islam. By Muhammad's death, 50
years later, the entire Arabian Peninsula had come under Muslim control.

The sacred text of Islam, the Qur'an, was written in Arabic within 30 years of Muhammad's
death. Muslims believe it contains the literal word of God. Also important is the tradition of
the sayings and actions of Muhammad and his companions, collected in the Hadith.

Islamic practices center on the Five Pillars of Islam—faith; prayer; fasting; pilgrimage to
Mecca; and alms—and include several holidays and rituals as well.

Islam and the Judeo-Christian West have had a challenging relationship for centuries and
today's conflicts in the Middle East are religiously charged. Thus a focus on the facts and
efforts towards mutual understanding are particularly important when it comes to Islam.
4.3 Hinduism

Hinduism is the religion of the majority of people in India and Nepal. It also exists among
significant populations outside of the sub continent and has over 900 million adherents
worldwide.

Unlike most other religions, Hinduism has no single founder, no single scripture, and no
commonly agreed set of teachings. Scholars describe Hinduism as the product of religious
development in India that spans nearly 4,000 years, making it perhaps the oldest surviving
world religion.

Most Hindus respect the authority of the Vedas (the oldest sacred texts) and the Brahmans
(the priestly class), but some reject one of both of these authorities. Hindu religious life might
take the form of devotion to God or gods, the duties of family life, or concentrated meditation.
Given all this diversity, it is important to take care when generalizing about "Hinduism" or
"Hindu beliefs."

The first sacred writings of Hinduism, which date to about 1500-1200 BCE, were primarily
concerned with the ritual sacrifices associated with numerous gods who represented forces of
nature. A more philosophical focus began to develop around 700 BCE, with the Upanishads
and development of the Vedanta philosophy. Around 500 BCE, several new belief systems
sprouted from Hinduism, most significantly Buddhism and Jainism.
 5. Conclusion

Religion, or at least religious inquiry, is something that nearly all humans share in common.
In all corners of the world and in all eras of history, people have wondered about the meaning
of life, how to make the best of it, what happens afterwards, and if there is anyone or anything
"out there."

There are many definitions of religion,but the most often one is that religion is a cultural
system of behaviors and practices, world views, sacred texts, holy places, ethics, and societal
organisation that relate humanity to what an anthropologist has called "an order of existence".

There are pleanty religions in the world, some of them are : Baha'i, Buddhism, Christianity,
Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoism, Wicca and some
other Neopagan religions, Zoroastrianism, and Druidism.

The 5 largest religions are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism , Buddhism and Folk religion.

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, who
serves as the focal point for the religion.

Islam is a religion articulated by the Quran, a text considered by its adherents to be the
verbatim word of God (Allāh), and, for the vast majority of adherents, the teachings and
normative example of Muhammad.

Hinduism is a religion, or a way of life, found most notably in India and Nepal. Hinduism has
been called the oldest religion in the world, and some practitioners and scholars refer to it as
Sanatana Dharma, "the eternal law," or the "eternal way," beyond human origins.

Anyhow, there are many religions in the word and it´s up to you to decide what you believe
in. The main thing is that you have something to believe in and to lead you through life.
I will finish this essay with couple of qoutes.

When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the
worship of the creator. Mahatma Gandhi

“God has no religion.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life. Buddha.
6. Literature

"Hinduism." Oxford Concise Dictionary of World Religions.

"Hinduism." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service. 2004.

WEB SOURCES :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_religions_and_spiritual_traditions

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/

http://www.religioustolerance.org/var_rel.htm

http://www.religionfacts.com