DIFFERENT RELIGIONS OF

THE WORLD

 Sikhism is the fifth largest

organized
religion
in
the
world,with approximately 30
million adherents.And one of
the most steadily growing.It is
amonotheisticreligion founded
byGuru Nanak Devin
the
1500s. The religion professes
its roots in the area ofPunjab,
whose territories form part of
IndiaandPakistan.

 This system of religious philosophy

and
expression
has
been
traditionally known as the Gurmat
(literally the counsel of the gurus) or
the Sikh Dharma. Sikhism originated
from the word Sikh, which in turn
comes from the Sanskrit root iya
meaning "disciple" or
"learner.
Sikhism is the 3rd largest religion in
India with 2% of the total population
being Sikh. There is also a large
concentration of Sikhs inMalaysia,
Thailand,Burma,Philippines

 Daoism (TAOISM)
Taoism
(modernly:
Daoism)
is
a
philosophical and religious tradition that
emphasizes living in harmony with theTao(
modernly romanized as "Dao").
The
termTaomeans
"way",
"path"
or
"principle", and can also be found in
Chinese philosophies and religions other
than
Taoism.
In
Taoism,
however,Taodenotes something that is
both the source and the driving force
behind everything that exists. It is
ultimatelyineffable: "The Tao that can be
told is not the eternal Tao."

 Laoziis traditionally regarded as the founder of

the tea party examen and is closely associated
in this context with "original", or "primordial",
Taoism.Whether
he
actually
existed
is
commonly
disputed;however,
the
work
attributed to him the Daodejing is dated to
the late 4th century BC.
Taoist propriety and ethics may vary depending
on the particular school, but in general tends to
emphasizewu-wei(action through non-action),
"naturalness", simplicity, spontaneity, and the
Three Treasures: compassion, moderation, and
humility.
Significant Taoist communities can be found in
China,Korea,JapanandVietnamalong with the
Chinese,Korean,JapaneseandVietnamese
diaspora.

 Laoziis traditionally regarded

as the founder of the tea party
examen
and
is
closely
associated in this context with
"original",
or
"primordial",
Taoism.Whether he actually
existed
is
commonly
disputed;however, the work
attributed to him the
Daodejing is dated to the
late 4th century BC.

 Taoist propriety and ethics may vary

depending on the particular school,
but in general tends to emphasize
wu-wei(action through non-action),
"naturalness",
simplicity,
spontaneity,
and
the
Three Treasures:
compassion,
moderation, and humility.
Significant Taoist communities can
be found inChina,Korea,Japanand
Vietnamalong with theChinese,
Korean,JapaneseandVietnamese
diaspora.

 Shinto (Shintoism)
Kami-no-michiis almost unique toJapan
and theJapanese diaspora. It is a set of
practices carried out to establish a
connection between present-day Japan
and its ancient past. Shinto practices were
first recorded and codified in the written
records of theKojikiandNihon Shokiin the
7th and 8th century. Still, these earliest
Japanese writings do not refer to a unified
"Shinto
religion",
but
rather
to
disorganizedfolklore,history,
and
mythology. Shinto today is a term that
applies to publicshrinessuited to various
purposes
such
aswar memorials,

 Shintois the largest religion in

Japan, practiced by nearly 80%
of the population, yet only a
small
percentage
of
these
identify
themselves
as
"Shintoists" in surveys.According
to surveys carried out in 2006
and 2008 show that 3% to 3.9%
of the population of Japan are
members
of
Shinto sects and derived religion
s

 Zoroastrianismwas once the state

religion of thePersian Empire, but is
now a minority mostly found inIndia
andIran. It worships amonotheistic
god,Ahura Mazda,
and
was
founded byZoroaster. It is the
originalIranian religion.
Zoroastrianism is a religion and
philosophy based on the teachings of
prophet Zoroaster (also known as
Zarathustra), probably founded some
time before the 6th century BC. The
term Zoroastrianism is, in general
usage, essentially synonymous with

 In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura

Mazda is all good, and no evil originates
from Him. Thus, in Zoroastrianism good
and evil have distinct sources, with evil
(druj) trying to destroy the creation of
Mazda (asha), and good trying to sustain
it. Mazda is not immanent in the world,
and His creation is represented by the
Amesha Spentas and the host of other
Yazatas, through whom the works of God
are evident to humanity, and through
whom worship of Mazda is ultimately
directed. The most important texts of the
religion are those of the Avesta, of which a
significant portion has been lost, and
mostly only the liturgies of which have

 Judaismis
the
predominant
religion inIsrael(75.6%), which
has a nominal Jewish population
of about 6.1 million,though the
matter of distinguishing Jewish
religious, cultural and ethnic
identity is a complex one.
Outside of Israel there are small
ancient communities ofJewish
still
livinTurkey(17,400),
Azerbaijan(9,100),Iran(8,756),
India(5,000)
andUzbekistan

 Christianityis
a
widespread
minority
religion inAsiawith more
than 286 million adherents
according
to
Pew Research Centerin
2010,and
nearly
364
million
according
to
BritannicaBook of the Year
2014.constituting around

 Islam is a monotheistic and

Abrahamic religion articulated
by the Qur'an, a book
considered by its adherents
to be the verbatim word of
God (Arabic: Allh) and by
the teachings and normative
example (called the Sunnah)
of Muhammad, considered by
them to be the last prophet of
God.Islamis
the
second

Shinto ("the way of the Kami") is

the name of the formal state
religion of Japan that was first
used in the 6th century C.E.,
although the roots of the
religion go back to at least the
6th century B.C.E. Shinto has
no founder, no official sacred
texts, and no formalized
system of doctrine. Shinto has
been formative in developing
uniquely Japanese attitudes

Belief inkamisacred or divine

beings, although also
understood to be spiritual
essencesis one of the
foundations of Shinto. Shinto
understands that thekaminot
only exist as spiritual beings,
but also in nature; they are
within mountains, trees, rivers,
and even geographical regions.
In this sense, the kami are not
like the all-powerful divine

 Related to the kami is the

understanding that the Shinto
followers are supposed to live in
harmony and peaceful coexistence
with both nature and other human
beings. This has enabled
Shinto to exist in harmony with other
religious traditions. As the foundation
for Japanese culture, Shinto has also
played a significant role in the
political realm. For centuries, Shinto
religious festivals and ceremonies
have become indistinguishable from

 Shintoism
Kami-no-michiis almost
unique toJapanand the
Japanese diaspora. It is a set
of practices carried out to
establish a connection
between present-day Japan
and its ancient past. Shinto
practices were first recorded
and codified in the written
records of theKojikiand

 Still, these earliest Japanese

writings do not refer to a unified
"Shinto religion", but rather to
disorganizedfolklore,history,
andmythology. Shinto today is a
term that applies to public
shrinessuited
to
various
purposes such aswar memorials
,harvest festivals, romance, and
historical monuments, as well as
various sectarian organizations.

 Shintois the largest religion in

Japan, practiced by nearly 80%
of the population, yet only a
small
percentage
of
these
identify
themselves
as
"Shintoists" in surveys.According
to surveys carried out in 2006
and 2008 show that 3% to 3.9%
of the population of Japan are
members
of
Shinto sects and derived
religions.