Every person needs to believe that his destiny is controlled by certain higher powers: god or gods, fortune, the elements and others, which is why a huge number of religions have been known throughout the history of mankind. The power of faith is truly difficult to overestimate, which is why even in the modern era of high technology people try to adhere to some religion. With the development of civilization, human awareness of the world around us also changed, so some ways of interpreting everything earthly gradually faded into oblivion: for example, now paganism is one of the oldest religions and is not at all popular these days. This article presents the youngest religions.
Major religions of the world
Among the many religious movements, the most common can be identified:
- Islam;
- Judaism;
- Buddhism;
- Christianity;
- Shintoism.
Different parts of the world have their own religions. In European countries, Christianity is mainly practiced - it is far from the youngest religion. It originated in Palestine at the beginning of the first century AD. Christian believers pray with a rosary in their hands or with a crucifix. Parishioners listen to sermons and sing hymns while visiting houses of worship. The idea of Christianity is the establishment of God's kingdom throughout the Earth after the second coming of the Messiah.
Buddhism is the world's oldest religion, originating in the sixth century BC and most widely practiced in India. Now Buddhism is practiced in the countries of Asia and the Far East. It has about 850 million believers.
Buddhist monks, unlike Christian priests, wear red or yellow robes.
Shintoism is common in Japan. Family altars are practiced here. Believers ask their gods for help to carry out unimportant, completely earthly matters: successful work, passing exams, successful marriage.
Atheism implies the absence of any form of faith. Atheists are people who do not belong to any religion in the world. This belief was mainly widespread in the so-called countries of victorious socialism.
Along with atheists, there are agnostics who believe that God is unknowable and can never be known.
Islam is most widespread in Asian countries, although recently this religion has become popular in some Western countries, as well as in Africa. Practitioners of Islam make up a fifth of the world's population, which is more than a billion people. Worshipers visit the minaret, where the voice of a Muslim herald can be heard calling for daily five-time prayer. The mosque is a place of worship for believers. Islam is the youngest world religion.
Baha'i leaders
The Baha'i writings say that after the death of the Bab there will be one more religious leader on earth, however, his name is not mentioned anywhere. After some time, Mirza Hussein Ali appeared, a rich heir from a noble family. He renounced everything he had and proclaimed himself the second envoy, which was mentioned in the letters. His mission was to support the poor. He lived like ordinary people of that time, dutifully enduring all the hardships of poverty.
Balaull (as Mirza called himself), promoted equality between social strata. He is one of the most prominent followers of the Bahá'ís. He was repeatedly subjected to persecution, torture and imprisonment. In the mid-19th century, Tsarist Russia offered Balaull to take refuge in their country, however, the man refused and was sent into exile to the Ottoman Empire. He died at the end of the 19th century. Since then, the Baha'i teachings have spread throughout the world. This was facilitated by the children and grandchildren of the late Mirza, who translated all his writings and teachings into English.
After Mirza’s death, his son Abbas Effendi became the “Guardian of the Baha’i Faith.” Throughout the entire time, he accompanied his father in his exiles and supported him in every possible way. Mirza himself appointed Abbas as his successor just before his death. Abbas named himself 'Abdu'l-Bahá and continued to spread and improve his father's teachings. He did everything possible to strengthen his faith. Abdu'l-Bahá died in 1921. Shortly before his death, he appointed Shoghi Effendi's grandson Robbani as the "Guardian" of the faith. He also followed the scriptures and instilled faith in the masses until 1957.
The emergence of Islam
So, the youngest religion is Islam. It originated in the seventh century AD on the Arabian Peninsula, which was inhabited by Arab tribes. The historical figure who founded Islam was Muhammad, born in 570 AD in the city of Mecca. The Prophet was educated in the family of his own grandfather, since his father died before the birth of his heir.
Muhammad's mother died a little later, when the boy was six years old. When the prophet turned 25, he married a rich widow, and at the age of 40 he was already acting as a religious preacher. One day, secluded in a cave for reflection, he was called by the angel Gabriel to preach sermons in the name of Allah. These were the first revelations that made up the Koran. And from the moment Muhammad moved to the city of Medina in 622, the Muslim calendar began. At the same time, Mecca itself is considered the center of the Muslim religion.
Arabs - who are they?
In ancient times, the Arabian Peninsula was inhabited by different tribes. According to legend, they owe their origin to Ishmael, the son of Hagar, Abraham's concubine. In the 18th century BC. e. Abraham, listening to his wife Sarah, who was plotting against the girl, drove the unfortunate Hagar and her son straight into the desert. Ishmael found water, mother and son survived, and it was Abraham who became the ancestor of all Arabs.
The Arabs, remembering the intrigues of Sarah and the fact that her children took advantage of Abraham's rich inheritance, quietly hated the Jews for a long time, not forgetting that Hagar and Ishmael were abandoned in the desert to certain death. But at the same time, wanting to take revenge, they lived calmly even where Islam appeared, without annoying anyone, and this continued until the seventh century AD.
Koran
The Koran is the holy book of Muslims. He is God's revelation. The Quran is the recorded speeches and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad decades after his death. This is a record of the so-called speeches of Allah put into the mouth of the prophet. And although Islam is the youngest religion, the Arabs at that time did not yet know paper and recorded all the words and sermons of the prophet on primitive media: palm leaves, parchment, camel shoulder blades. Sometimes the text of the Koran was memorized and transmitted orally. Muslims have a negative attitude towards the idea of translating the Koran into other languages, believing that this would cause the divine texts to lose their harmony.
The historical narrative of the Qur'an coincides with the course of events described in the Bible. Prominent personalities also act in parallel:
- Abraham;
- Noah;
- Adam;
- Moses;
- Joseph;
- David;
- Solomon;
- Or me;
- John the Baptist;
- Maria;
- Jesus.
Events such as:
- the fall of the first man;
- flood;
- death of Sodom.
Cao Dai religion (6.7 million followers)
Cao Dai is a belief system that originated in Vietnam in 1926, and is seen as a distinctly nationalistic Vietnamese religion. The faith was founded by Ngo Van Thieu, a former official who believed he received a message from a deity during a séance. The first temple of this religion was built in the south of Vietnam in the city of Tay Ninh, it is considered a real tourist attraction in Vietnam. Cao Dai contains elements from other major world religions, including Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam and Taoism. The full name of the religion is translated as “Great Faith, for others, universal redemption.”
Top 10 Most Irreligious Countries in the World
Sharia
In Muslim beliefs, a prominent role is given to Sharia - a set of rules and principles of behavior that are mandatory for Muslims.
The most serious sins for a Muslim are:
- drunkenness;
- adultery;
- participation in gambling;
- depiction of any designs in the mosque, except for ornaments.
Islam attaches great importance to the performance of the main rituals - the pillars of Islam:
- the formula of confession must be pronounced;
- five times prayer must be performed;
- Ramadan must be fasted;
- mercy must be shown to the poor;
- must visit Mecca.
Islam arose at the beginning of the 7th century in Western Arabia, in Mecca
Islam translated from Arabic means “submission”, “surrender to God”. This is the youngest and second largest number of adherents, after Christianity, the world monotheistic Abrahamic religion. The number of adherents is more than 1.8 billion people living in more than 125 countries.
In 28 countries, Islam is the state or official religion. The majority of Muslims (85-90%) are Sunnis, the rest are Shiites and Badis. The preacher of Islam is the prophet Muhammad (571 - 632). The holy book is the Koran.
28 in so many countries of the world Islam is the state religion
The second most important source of Islamic doctrine and law is the Sunna, which is a set of traditions (hadith) about the sayings and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad. The language of worship is Arabic. Followers of Islam are called Muslims.
Al-Masjid an-Nabawi Mosque, Saudi Arabia. Here is the tomb of the prophet Muhammad. Prophet Muhammad is the founder of Islam. Photo: upload.wikimedia.org
Islam arose at the beginning of the 7th century in Western Arabia, in Mecca, where paganism reigned. Muhammad was one of the active Meccan Hanifs. The founder of Islam was born into the Qurshait tribe, was a shepherd, and was engaged in caravan trade.
In 610, at the age of 40, he declared himself a messenger (rasul) and prophet (nabi) of the one God (Allah) and began preaching a new monotheistic religion in Mecca, which he called Islam. In his sermons, Muhammad called for faith in one God, spoke about the brotherhood of believers and adherence to simple moral standards.
The prophet's calls did not meet with understanding and sympathy among the nobility of Mecca, who treated him with hostility. In 622, Muhammad, along with a few followers, fled from persecution by polytheists from Mecca to Medina.
Islam arose at the beginning of the 7th century, its founder was the Prophet Muhammad.
In Medina, Muhammad rallied the Arab population of the city around himself and created the first Muslim community (ummah). After the Muslim conquest of Mecca in 630, Islam became a pan-Arab religion, and Mecca became the center of Islam.
After the death of Muhammad, a theocratic state was formed - the Caliphate. The fullness of secular and spiritual power was concentrated in the hands of the caliphs. The first caliphs were Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali. After them, the Caliphate was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty (661 - 750) and Abbasids (750 - 1258).
The wars of conquest waged by the first Islamic state in the 7th-8th centuries led to the spread of Islam in the countries of Western and Central Asia, North Africa, parts of India and Transcaucasia. Islam also penetrated into the Balkan Peninsula through Turkey.
Al-Haram Mosque and Mecca in the 20th century. Mecca is the center of Islam. Photo: upload.wikimedia.org
Islamic theology says that the first Muslims on earth were the first people Adam and Hawa (Eve). Islamic prophets include Nuh (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), Davud (David), Musa (Moses), Isa (Jesus) and others.
That is why in Islam it is believed that the prophet Muhammad was not the founder of Islam, but only the last prophet (“Seal of the Prophets”) who restored the true faith.
Muslims call Jews and Christians "people of the Book." Biblical stories about the prophets, about the creation of the world and man, about the global flood, etc., are reflected in a slightly transformed form in the Koran.
Schism in Islam
There are three main monotheistic religions in the world. These are Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Which religion is the youngest of them all? This is, of course, Islam. From Muhammad's point of view, is this the only religion that followed the “straight path”?
The Prophet believed that Christianity and Judaism had lost their way. The Jews spread a great lie against Jesus and Mary, breaking their Covenant in the process, and the Christians made Jesus equal to God, exalting him too much due to the doctrine of the Trinity. The Koran says about this: “Believe in Allah and do not say three!”
The moment of crisis in Islam came with the death of Muhammad, who left no successor. And this question became the reason that divided the ranks of Muslims. Thus, when determining the highest authority, Sunnis rely on the consent of the community, believing that the caliph may not be a direct descendant of the prophet. According to Shiites, power is inherited only through the blood line of relatives.
Prerequisites for the emergence of Islam
On the eve of the emergence of a new religion, a large number of tribes lived on the peninsula, each of which had its own beliefs of a pagan nature. It is worth noting that conflicts on religious grounds arose very rarely. One of the largest sanctuaries in which worship ceremonies were held was Mecca, which contained idols that were revered by many tribes. There was also a famous meteorite, which was worshiped by local residents and which is currently considered sacred by Muslims.
The entire history of religion is traditionally divided into several periods. At the same time, the first is considered to be the pre-Islamic one, which lasted until the appearance of the Prophet Muhammad.
Shamanism
Shamanism is a practice that involves activities that achieve changes in consciousness in order to perceive and interact with the spirit world.
A shaman is one who has access to the world of good and evil spirits. The shaman enters a trance state during the ritual and practice of divination and healing. The word "shaman" probably comes from the Evenki language of North Asia. The term became widely known after Russian troops conquered the shamanic Khanate of Kazan in 1552.
The term “shamanism” was first used by Western anthropologists for the ancient religion of the Turks and Mongols, as well as the neighboring Tungus and Samoyed peoples. As they observed and compared more religious traditions around the world, some Western anthropologists began to use the term loosely to describe unrelated magically-religious practices found in the ethnic religions of other parts of Asia, Africa, Australia, and even completely unrelated parts of the Americas, as they believed that these practices were similar to each other.
Shamanism involves the belief that shamans become intermediaries or messengers between the human world and the spiritual world. Where this phenomenon is widespread, people believe that shamans cure diseases and heal the soul, and that shamans can visit other worlds (dimensions). The shaman acts primarily in the spiritual world, which influences the human world. Restoring balance leads to elimination of the disease.
Buddhism arose in the middle of the 1st millennium BC. e. in Ancient India
Buddhism is a religious and philosophical teaching (dharma) about spiritual awakening (bodhi), which arose in the middle of the 1st millennium BC. e. in Ancient India. The founder of the teaching is considered to be Siddhartha Gautama, who later received the name Shakyamuni Buddha.
Buddhism is a religious and philosophical doctrine that arose in the 1st century BC
Thus, we can say that this world religion is older than Christianity and Islam and, at a minimum, is the same age as Hinduism. Moreover, Buddhism can be called a monotheistic religion, but Hinduism cannot.
Statue of Siddhartha Gautama in Bodh Gaya, India. Bodh Gaya is traditionally considered the place of his enlightenment. Prince Siddhartha Gautama is the founder of Buddhism. Photo: upload.wikimedia.org
Since its appearance in the first century BC, followers of this teaching have called it "Dharma" (Law, Teaching) or "Buddhadharma" (Teaching of the Buddha). At the same time, there are still disputes about from what point the history of Buddhism should be considered.
Thus, some historians propose to take as a starting point not the events that occurred in the first century BC, but the years when the Buddha entered paranirvana. The followers of this teaching themselves The term “Buddhism” was created by Europeans in the 19th century.
Various researchers have defined Buddhism in different ways - as a religion, philosophy, ethical teaching, cultural tradition, civilization, education, as a “science of consciousness.”
Buddhism was founded in the 1st century BC. Indian prince Siddhartha Gautama.
Buddhism emerged as a result of Buddha Shakyamuni observing his own consciousness. As a result, he found out that the cause of people’s suffering is themselves, their attachment to life, material values, and belief in an unchanging soul, which is an attempt to create an illusion that opposes universal variability.
You can end suffering (enter nirvana) and achieve awakening in which life is seen “as it is” by changing your lifestyle. To do this, you need to destroy all attachments and illusions of stability through the practice of self-restraint (following the five commandments) and mediation. As a result, after death a person cannot be reincarnated again
Capital monastery Gandan. Mongolia. 1972 Without studying Buddhism it is impossible to understand the culture of countries such as Mongolia and Tibet. Photo: upload.wikimedia.org
Buddhism is the oldest of the world's religions, recognized by numerous peoples with different traditions.
Without understanding it, it is impossible to understand the great cultures of the East - Indian, Chinese, not to mention the cultures of Tibet and Mongolia, imbued with the spirit of Buddhism to their last foundations.
In addition, Buddhism also influenced other world religions that came into contact with it.
