5 Most Common Religions

Religion has been an extremely influential part of our world's history. Religion has influenced people's lives since prehistoric times. In Western culture, the major religious powers have been Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism. They have also been a crucial part of the expansion of Middle Eastern life. The civilizations of Asia have been colored by the teachings of Buddha.

The arts have been very much inspired by religion. Some of the most beautiful buildings throughout the world are places of worship. There have been many works of art, such as sculptures, paintings, books, dances, and movies which have religious themes.

Approximately 3.5 to 4 billion people are members of these five religions. This is roughly 80% of the people in the entire world.

One of the most ancient religions in the world is JUDAISM. The Jews were the first to believe in just one God. Judaism shaped Christianity and Islam. Judaism states that God sent the Messiah to unify and direct His people on the path set forth for them. The belief of Christians is that the Messiah was Jesus. The Jewish people disagree; they believe that He will arrive in the future. Judaism teaches that death is not the ending, and that waiting for you is a whole other world. Jewish belief does not include exact details of the afterlife.

CHRISTIANITY is based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians are people who follow the religion of Christianity. They believe in one God, the creator of the whole world. They believe that God sent his son, Jesus, also known as the Messiah, to the world to save humans from sin and to help them have eternal life. For this purpose that son had to die. This is the same God who is worshiped by the Jews.

Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) preached the ISLAM religion. He was sent by Allah as his messenger, but had begun life as a Mecca born Arab. Muslims are people who adhere to the principles of the Prophet (P.B.U.H.). The definition of the word Islam is "submission", and Muslim is defined as "one who submits" (to God). The only religion that has more believers in the world than Islam is Christianity.

One of the ancient religions of the world is HINDUISM. It derived its name from the Indus River. Of the Hindus of the world, two thirds of them live here, but a lot of them also live in Africa. There are many gods in the Hindu belief system. The highest god is Brahman. The goal of Hindus is to ultimately join with Brahman. Until then, believers are in rebirth called "reincarnation".

BUDDHISM was founded in India 2,500 years ago by Prince Siddhartha Gautama, an educator. To the people who supported him, he was the Buddha. At various moments in history, it has been a leading force in religion, civilization, and society in the majority of Asia. Today, the world contains 300 million Buddhists, mostly living in Sri Lanka, southern Asia, and Japan.

These five distinct religions have several differences, but they also share some commonalities:
* faith in a higher power beyond humans
* lessons of ultimate salvation (e.g. life after death)
* a specific code of conduct
* a history steeped in holy stories
* ceremonies and holy rituals.