religioncompared

Religion/Sect/ Belief System	Origins & History	Adherents Worldwide (approx.)	God(s) and Universe	Human Situation and Life's Purpose	Afterlife	Practices	Texts	More Info
Islam	Muhammad, 622 AD, Saudi Arabia	1.3 billion (Sunni: 940 million)	One God (Allah in Arabic)	Humans must submit (islam) to the will of God to gain Paradise after death.	Paradise or Hell.	Five Pillars: Faith, Prayer, Alms, Pilgrimage, Fasting. Mosque services on Fridays. Ablutions before prayer. No alcohol or pork. Holidays related to the pilgrimage and fast of Ramadan.	Qur'an (Scripture); Hadith (tradition)	ReligionFacts section BBC Religion IslamiCity
Hinduism	Indigenous religion of India as developed to present day.	900 million	One Supreme Reality (Brahman) manifested in many gods and goddesses	Humans are in bondage to ignorance and illusion, but are able to escape. Purpose is to gain release from rebirth, or at least a better rebirth.	Reincarnation until gain enlightenment.	Yoga, meditation, worship (puja), devotion to a god or goddess, pilgrimage to holy cities, live according to one's dharma (purpose/ role).	The Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, etc.	ReligionFacts section BBC Religion
Buddhism	Founded by Siddharta Gautama (the Buddha) in c. 520 BC, NE India.	360 million	Varies: Theravada atheistic; Mahayana more polytheistic. Buddha taught nothing is permanent.	Purpose is to avoid suffering and gain enlightenment and release from cycle of rebirth, or at least attain a better rebirth by gaining merit.	Reincarnation (understood differently than in Hinduism, with no surviving soul) until gain enlightenment	Meditation, mantras, devotion to deities (in some sects), mandalas (Tibetan)	Tripitaka (Pali Canon); Mahayana sutras like the Lotus Sutra; others.	ReligionFacts section BuddhaNet
Christianity (Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox)	Founded by Jesus Christ in c. 30 AD, Israel.	2 billion	One God who is a Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit	All have sinned and are thereby separated from God. Salvation is through faith in Christ and, for some, sacraments and good works.	Eternal heaven or hell (or temporary purgatory).	Prayer, Bible study, baptism, Eucharist, church on Sundays, numerous holidays.	The Holy Bible (Old and New Testaments)	ReligionFacts section Wikipedia BBC Religion
Judaism	The religion of the Hebrews (c. 1300 BC), especially after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD.	14 million	One God, Yahweh.	Obey God's commandments, live ethically. Focus is more on this life than the next.	Not historically emphasized. Beliefs vary from no afterlife to shadowy existence to the World to Come (similar to heaven).	Circumcision at birth, bar/bat mitzvah at adulthood. Synagogue services on Saturdays. No pork or other non-kosher foods. Holidays related to historical events.	Bible (Tanakh), Talmud	ReligionFacts section Judaism 101 BBC Religion
Shinto	Indigenous religion of Japan.	3-4 million	Polytheism based on the kami, ancient gods or spirits.	Humans are pure by nature and can keep away evil through purification rituals and attain good things by calling on the kami.	Death is bad and impure. Some humans become kami after death.	Worship and offerings to kami at shrines and at home. Purification rituals.	Important texts are Kojiki or 'Records of Ancient Matters' and Nihon-gi or 'Chronicles of Japan'	ReligionFacts article Wikipedia Japan Guide BBC Religion