All 5 Religions!

          Christianity is a religion that is most prominent in Europe, The America’s, and Southern Africa. There are about 2.2 billion adherents in the world, we call them Christians. The founder of Christianity was Jesus Christ. Christians believe that Jesus is the son of God, who died for our sins. The holy book is The Bible, especially the New Testament. The Pope is the head of the catholic church, and priests are local authorities. The denominations are the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and Protestants. 

          Islam has 1.5 adherents, making it the second largest religion. We call these adherents muslims. Islam is most common in Indonesia, the Middle East, and North Africa. The founder was Muhammad who lived from 570-632. The holy book for Muslims is the Qur’an. They have monotheistic beliefs, similar to Christianity. They also have five pillars which are testimony, prayer, alms-giving, fasting, and pilgrimage. There are two different denominations. One is the Sunnis who make up 75-90% of Muslims. The other is Shiites who are 10-20%. 

           The third largest religion is Hinduism, with 1.1 billion followers. Hindus read the Vedas which are eternal truths revealed to ancient sages. The Vedas are composed in verse form or songs. Their geographic location is mostly in India and Nepal. There is no distinct founder of this religion. In fact, Hindus believe in intellectual and physiological points rather than commandments. They also believe in reincarnation. 

          Buddhism is most common in Southeast Asia, China, Nepal, and Japan. There are about 500 million-1.5 billion Buddhists in the world. It is very hard to get an exact count because Buddhism allows it’s adherents to follow another religion as well. The founder was Siddhartha Gautama. There are four different denominations which are Tibetan, Zan, Theravada, and Admidist. They believe in the four noble truths and the eight fold path.

          Lastly is Judaism with 14-18 million adherents. They are called Jews. They are mostly found in Israel. The founder was Abraham and The Torah is their holy book. They believe in ethical monotheism, meaning that God is one, and concerned with the actions of humankind. They also have 10 commandments and 13 principles of faith.