The word "religion" comes from the Latin term religio, which means piety, holiness, piety, and superstition. The concept itself is one of the forms of social consciousness due to the belief that supernatural phenomena exist in the world. Such a judgment is the main feature and element of any religion represented by believers.
The rise of religions
Today, world religions include Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. Their main and characteristic features are the places of their distribution, which are independent of the places of occurrence. The ancient inhabitants of the planet, when they created their kinds of religions, first of all took care of the presence of ethnic needs and hoped for a certain "country" help from their gods.
The emergence of world religions originates in ancient times. Then there were such beliefs that corresponded to the dreams and hopes of not only the people, where the prophet came from, who announced the divine will. For such creeds, all national boundaries were close. Therefore, they began to control the minds of millions of people who inhabited various countries and continents. Thus, such directions as Christianity, Islam and Buddhism arose. The table of world religions will show their types in more detail.
World religions and their directions| Buddhism | Christianity | Islam |
| Great chariot | Teaching of the oldest | Catholicism | Orthodoxy | Protestantism | SUNISM | Shiism |
How did Buddhism come about and what is this kind of religion?
Buddhism appeared in ancient India in the sixth century BC. The person who founded it is Siddhartha Gautama, popularly known as the Buddha. In the future, they began to consider him a certain deity, that is, a certain being who has reached a state of higher perfection, or enlightenment.
World religions are Buddhism and its various directions. It was based on the so-called doctrine of the Four Noble Truths, consisting of the following sections:
- about suffering;
- The origin and causes of suffering;
- the complete cessation of suffering and the disappearance of its sources.
According to spiritual practice, after passing along such paths, the true end to torment occurs, and a person finds his highest point in nirvana. The most common Buddhism in Tibet, Thailand, Korea, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, China, Mongolia, Vietnam and Japan. In Russia, this direction was relevant in the Caucasus and Sakhalin. In addition, today it is the main religion of Buryatia and the Kalmyk steppe.
Everyone knows that Buddhism belongs to world religions. Usually it is divided into the Great Chariot and the Teaching of the oldest (Mahayana and Theravada). The first type includes Tibetan and Chinese schools, as well as several separate schools. His followers divide this religion into the Great and Lesser Chariots. The second species, Theravada, is the only surviving school of Nikaya. Here the concept of metta-bhavana is very actively used.
Tibetan Buddhism is characterized by Vajrayana, which is also called the Diamond Chariot, or Tantric religion. In some cases, it is considered a separate, and sometimes one of the schools of the Mahayana. This branch is quite common in countries such as Nepal, Tibet, it is found in Japan and Russia.
The emergence of the first literature of Buddhism
While the Buddhist religion flourished, literature and writing appeared. This is truly one of the world's religions, as it has millions of followers. As far back as the fourth century BC, the famous Panini created the Sanskrit language grammar, the rules and vocabulary of which later significantly helped to establish communication and mutual understanding of the most diverse nationalities and numerous tribes. Just during this period, in Sanskrit, such famous poems as “Mahabharata” and “Ramayana” were recorded, as well as treatises on various branches of knowledge.
World religions - Buddhism, Christianity, Islam - carry certain information in their directions. They are saturated with various collections of fairy tales, myths and fables. In the same period, the main rules of versification were developed. Buddhism is characterized by a craving for parables, metaphors and comparisons. Religious and philosophical works of literature are very remarkable and unique. Most of all, of course, they are associated with the description of the life of the Buddha, as well as with his sermons.
The influence of Buddhism on the construction of temples
In Japan, for example, with the advent of Buddhism, not only new architectural forms developed, but also the construction technique. This was manifested in a special type of layout of temple complexes. Stone foundations became a very important technical innovation. In ancient Shinto constructions, the severity of the building fell on piles dug deep into the earth. This significantly limited the size of the structures. In the temples, the inner territory of a rectangular shape was surrounded by a corridor, which was covered with a roof. Gates were also located here.
The entire monastery territory was surrounded by external walls of land with gates on each side. They were named according to the direction they were pointing. In addition, a rather important point is that many of the ancient monuments of Japanese architecture were built of wood.
Indeed, the process of building religious premises has always been and will be very relevant. Even from the very beginning of its development, when the foundations of world religions were just emerging, mankind designated such places. Today, when the main religions have taken root, numerous temples, monasteries, churches and other sacred places continue to be of great importance and play a huge role in the life of every person.
When and where did Christianity appear?
Such a currently known religion as Christianity appeared in the first century AD in Judea (eastern province of the Roman Empire). In addition, this direction applies to world religions. It is based on the doctrine of God-man Jesus Christ (the Son of God), who, according to legend, came to the world to people with good deeds and preached to them the laws of a right life. It was he who accepted great suffering and painful death on the cross in order to atone for their sins.
The word "Christianity" comes from the Greek term "Chriotos", which means the anointed, or messiah. Today it is considered a monotheistic religion, which, together with Islam and Judaism, is included in the Abrahamic faiths, and together with Islam and Buddhism it is part of the three world religions.
Previously, many believed that there were 4 world religions. In modern times, Christianity is one of the most widespread beliefs in the world. Today, more than a quarter of humanity professes it. This religion ranks first in the world in terms of its geographical distribution, that is, in almost every country there is at least one Christian society. The direct roots of Christian teaching are closely related to Judaism and the Old Testament.
Legend of jesus
Gospels and church traditions say that Jesus, or Joshua, was originally raised as a Jew. He observed the laws of the Torah, attended synagogue classes on Saturdays, and also celebrated holidays. As for the apostles and other first followers of Christ, they were Jews. However, after several years after the church was founded, Christianity as a religion began to be preached in other nations.
As you know, now there are three world religions. From the very beginning, Christianity spread among Jews in Palestine and in the Mediterranean diaspora, however, starting from the first years, even more followers from other nations joined in with the sermons of the Apostle Paul.
The spread and division of Christianity
Until the fifth century, the spread of this religion was carried out on the territory of the Roman Empire, as well as in the area of its origin. Then - among the Germanic and Slavic peoples, as well as in the Baltic and Finnish regions. Such is the specificity of world religions. Christianity has now spread beyond Europe thanks to colonial expansion and the work of missionaries. The main branches of this religion are Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism.
Christianity was first divided in the eleventh century. At that time, the two largest churches appeared. This is the western one, having a center in Rome, and the eastern one, with the center located in Constantinople, in Byzantium. As the table of world religions shows, Christianity also has its own directions.
Catholic Church
The first church began to be called Catholic (translated from Greek - universal, or universal). This name reflected the desire of the western church for worldwide distribution. The Pope was the head of the Western Catholic Church. This branch of Christianity preaches the doctrine of the “supernatural merits” of various saints before God. Such acts constitute a kind of treasury, which the church can dispose of at will, that is, at its discretion.
The main world religions have their adherents in many states. Catholic followers of Europe, as a rule, are present in countries such as Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, France, Belgium, Austria, Luxembourg, Malta, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland. In addition, about half of the people in Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands are in the Catholic faith, as well as the population of the Balkan Peninsula and part of Western Ukraine and Belarus.
As for the Asian states, here the Catholic countries are the Philippines, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, India, Indonesia. In Africa, there are Catholics in Gabon, Angola, Congo, Mauritius, Seychelles and other states. In addition, Catholicism is very common in America and Canada.
Orthodoxy - the mainstream of Christianity
World religions - Buddhism, Christianity, Islam - are known to all people. What can be said about Orthodoxy? It is another major area of Christianity. As a rule, it is widespread in Eastern European countries. If we compare it with Catholicism, then Orthodoxy does not have a single religious center. Each more or less large Orthodox community exists separately, while forming autocephaly, and also it is absolutely not subordinate to any other centers.
Today there are fifteen autocephaly. According to church traditions, which take into account the time of their receipt, the official list of such churches is as follows: Constantinople, Serbian, Alexandria, Antioch, Russian, Jerusalem, Georgian, Romanian, Eliad, Bulgarian, Cyprus, Albanian, American, Czechoslovak and Polish. However, most of all, Orthodoxy was strengthened in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, as well as in some Eastern European countries.
Protestantism - the third course of Christianity
It is no secret that the world religions are Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. The third largest movement of Christianity is considered Protestantism. It represents a certain kind of Christianity and is widespread in Western Europe, America, as well as in Russia. Protestants include the old Catholics, Mennonites, Quakers, Mormons, Moravian brothers, the so-called “Christian community” and so on.
If we talk about the history of origin, we can say that Protestantism appeared in the seventeenth century in Germany. This direction was given the name because it was a kind of protest of the faithful states of Western Europe, aimed at the administrative forces of the Vatican and the popes.
Major world religions have spread throughout the world. The first founder of such a trend as Protestantism was the German figure Martin Luther. This religion, when compared with Catholicism and Orthodoxy, represents many movements and churches, the most influential of which are Lutheranism, Anglicanism and Calvinism.
Today Protestantism is very widespread in various Scandinavian countries, America, Germany, Great Britain, Canada and Switzerland. Its world center is the USA. Moreover, modern Protestantism is characterized by a desire for integration, and it found its expression back in 1948 in the World Council of Churches.
Third World Religion: Islam
The basics of world religions say that Islam is one of them. This is the third, latest in time world religion. It appeared on the territory of the Arabian Peninsula at the beginning of the seventh century. The word "Islam" comes from the Arabic term, which means obedience to God, that is, Allah, or his will. In general, Islam is a
monotheistic religion. His followers believe that the Prophet Adam is the very first person and messenger. In addition, they are convinced that Islam is the first religion of mankind, and they worship the One One God. Absolutely all the prophets spread this religion and taught how to properly serve Allah.
However, faith has been changed by people over time and has lost its authenticity. That is why Allah sent the last prophet Muhammad through whom religion was transmitted to all people as the true and perfect direction and faith of all the Prophets. Muhammad is the last prophet to spread Islam. Here, like other world religions, there is no unity. This confirms the existence of two main areas - Sunni and Shiite. Sunnis prevail quantitatively, while the latter live mainly in Iran and Iraq.
Two directions of Islam
The culture of world religions is quite diverse. Sunnism is the first branch of Islam. He appeared in the tenth century in the Arab caliphate and was a dominant religious movement. His split was served by the power in the caliphate. If we compare it with the Shiite trend, then the idea of the nature of Ali and the idea of mediation between the people and Allah were denied.
As you know, Islam belongs to world religions. Shiism is its main focus. He appeared in the seventh century in the Arab Caliphate as a group that advocated protecting the descendants of Ali and his rights from Fatima. When Shiism lost in the struggle for supreme power, it became a special trend in Islam.
Thus, there are now three world religions. When they are talked about (Christianity, Buddhism and Islam), they imply a rather complex aggregate concept, which includes some mythology, religious events, religious institutions, forms of relations between believers and religious organizations, and much more.
Moreover, for each direction of religion, such moments are characterized by their specific semantic content, their own history of origin and further existence. A specific study of all these semantic features in the development of many religions, as well as their historical types, is a special science called religious studies.