"Religion is a range of social-cultural systems, including designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relate humanity to supernatural, transcendental, and spiritual elements."
A comparative exploration of major religious traditions, including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism.
Creation myths and cosmologies: These are myths and stories that describe how the world and universe were created according to different religious traditions.
Monotheism vs. polytheism: The difference between belief systems that worship only one god and those that worship multiple gods.
Sacred texts: The holy books, scriptures or texts that shape and define the beliefs of different religious traditions.
Religious rituals: The different types of rituals and practices that religious traditions utilize in worship, prayer and other religious activities.
Religious symbols: The use of icons, images, and other symbols to represent religious concepts and ideas.
Religious leaders: The role of religious leaders, such as priests, rabbis, imams, and pastors, and their significance within different religious traditions.
Doctrine and theology: The core beliefs and teachings of different religious traditions, as well as how these beliefs are interpreted and practiced.
Sacred spaces: The different types of buildings and spaces that are considered sacred and their importance within different religious traditions.
Spirituality and mysticism: The concepts of spiritual growth, enlightenment, and mystical experiences in different religious traditions.
The role of religion in society: The historical and contemporary roles of religion in society and its influence on politics, culture, and social issues.
Missionary movements and evangelism: Exploration of the practice of spreading a particular religious message to new people or areas of the world.
Sacred music: An examination of the musical traditions within different religious communities and how they reflect and shape religious beliefs and practices.
Folk religion and syncretism: The blending of different religious traditions and the emergence of religious practices that merge two or more distinct belief systems.
Critical approaches to religion: An exploration of academic approaches to studying religion, such as anthropology, sociology, and religious studies.
Ethics and morality: Discussion of the ideas and values espoused by different religious traditions regarding how people should live and treat one another.
Abrahamic Religions: These are the monotheistic religions derived from the teachings of the prophet Abraham. These include Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Eastern Religions: These are the religious traditions that originated in the eastern parts of the world. These include Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Taoism, and Confucianism.
African Traditional Religions: These are the indigenous religions of Africa. These include Candomble, Santeria, Vodou, and Ifa.
Native American Religions: These are the religious traditions of the indigenous peoples of North America.
Pagan and Neopagan Religions: These are the polytheistic and nature-based religions of ancient Europe, which have been revived or recreated in modern times.
New Religious Movements: These are the religious movements that have emerged in the modern era, and not tied to any particular tradition. These include Scientology, Falun Gong, and Rastafarianism.
Secular Worldviews: These are the non-religious belief systems that reject the supernatural and objective morality, such as humanism and atheism.
"Different religions may or may not contain various elements ranging from the divine, sacredness, faith, and a supernatural being or beings."
"Religious practices may include rituals, sermons, commemoration or veneration (of deities or saints), sacrifices, festivals, feasts, trances, initiations, matrimonial and funerary services, meditation, prayer, music, art, dance, or public service."
"Religions have sacred histories and narratives, which may be preserved in sacred texts, symbols, and holy places, that primarily aim to give life meaning."
"Traditionally, both faith and reason have been considered sources of religious beliefs." (implies that some religious stories may be believed as true)
"There are an estimated 10,000 distinct religions worldwide..."
"Four religions—Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism—account for over 77% of the world's population."
"The religiously unaffiliated demographic includes those who do not identify with any particular religion, atheists, and agnostics, although many in the demographic still have various religious beliefs."
"Most definitively including the Abrahamic religions Christianity, Islam, and Judaism..."
"A portion of the world's population, mostly located in Africa and Asia, are members of new religious movements."
"Scholars have indicated that global religiosity may be increasing due to religious countries having generally higher birth rates."
"The study of religion comprises a wide variety of academic disciplines, including theology, philosophy of religion, comparative religion, and social scientific studies."
"Theories of religion offer various explanations for its origins and workings, including the ontological foundations of religious being and belief."
"Religions have sacred histories and narratives, which may be preserved in sacred texts, symbols, and holy places..."
"Religious practices may include rituals, sermons, commemoration or veneration (of deities or saints), sacrifices, festivals, feasts, trances, initiations, matrimonial and funerary services, meditation, prayer, music, art, dance, or public service."
"Most definitively including the Abrahamic religions Christianity, Islam, and Judaism..."
"Although there is no scholarly consensus over what precisely constitutes a religion."
"Traditionally, both faith and reason have been considered sources of religious beliefs."
"Four religions—Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism—account for over 77% of the world's population."
"The remaining 9,000+ faiths account for only 8% of the population combined."