RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD

In many countries it or rather the religions and beliefs, by their importances, are at the basis of the crop and society. To discover or better understand these religions or philosophies, one proposes here some bases to you and especially references towards sites discussing in details of those.

è In preamble

Some definitions and “general information” on the religions and a very complete “gate” on the topic.
Distribution of the various religions by country.

è main religions

. Christianity
Christianity is the first religion with approximately 30% of Christians in the world (more than 2,6 billion people).
It is divided into three main ramifications with the catholics (1,2 billion believers), (1 billion) and thodoxe (illion especially in Eastern Europe).
Each one of these branches, and more particularly Protestantism, can be also divided into various currents that besides, while travelling, one will on the occasion to run alongside. Among those:
Mormons: illion mainly in Canada and the USA (in particular in ).
: 1,illion people primarily in the USA, Belize and , Paraguay.
: very close to , they are approximately 209 ainly in the North-East of the USA.

. Islam
Islam is the second religion of the world with approximately 15% followers (1,3 billion). It is very present in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and incidentally in Europe. It is Indonesia which is the first Moslem country in the world.
Various currents and tendencies exist on the level of the religion with two dominant which are:
- Islam:
Traditional Islam which one finds in particular in Southeast Asia and Saudi Arabia.
- Shiite Islam:
Another form of Islam very present especially in Iran and in the Middle East.

.
The is the third most widespread religion with nearly a billion practitioners very mainly in India, in Nepal and Bangladesh.
It is also one of the bases of the Indian society (80% of the population are there) which in practice more or less gave birth to very many currents and sects in India and in the area.

. Other Indian religions
- :
3 to illion followers in India, in particular in where several holy places are present, on a total of illion.
- :
illion followers mainly in India of North (, Cashmere) and strong minorities in the Anglo-Saxon countries (the USA, England…). In the beginning it is a sect created in century which was transformed little by little into religion but also into political movement (Cashmere).
- (or ):
Minority religion of India from Iran whose members (rather resulting from the easy classes) are primarily concentrated in the area of Bombay. Known for the Turns of Silence in Bombay; crowned place where the corpses of the followers must be devoured by the birds.

. Buddhism
Resulting from , Buddhism is one of the great religions/spiritualities of the world with illion followers divided for much in , in Southeast Asia, .

. Confucianism and Taoism
In fact philosophies and popular religions of China gather approximately illion followers.
The Taoism is a mixture of the worship of the spirits of nature and ancestors, principles of and various beliefs.
The Confucianism is as for him a moral and political philosophy according to .

. Judaism
The Judaism counts approximately illion followers in Israel like primarily in Europe and North America.

è Some other religions

. Animism

Under the Animisme term (and Shamanism) are gathered in a rather broad way all the religions known as “primitive” whose bases rest, inter alia things, in the report of the man and nature. One thus finds religions animists a little everywhere on planet and in particular in Africa, more as regards the shamanism at the Indians of Americas and many populations of Asia of the North-East (Siberia, Mongolia, China…).

. Voodoo
Beyond what with been able to take again the cinema or the literature, the voodoo is at the same time a religion and a philosophy animist imported of West Africa by the slaves. A African worship and rites to which certain elements of the Catholic religion are added punctually.
One finds the voodoo in Haiti and in the Haitian diaspora, more under the name of in Cuba and of in Brazil. Even if officially just 6% of the Haitians say , a vast majority of the population practices and believes in the voodoo. While waiting, few chances for the visitor to witness ceremonies or even speaking about the subject with the Haitians.

.
Known for the reggae, Bob and the , finds its bases in Ethiopia d' . It is at the same time a mystical, political and cultural movement (which are not limited only to the music), present in Jamaica and some other islands the Caribbean (approximately 606 002 followers).

.
is the fundamental religion of Japan which honors the ancestors. It is a mixture of animism, shamanism and polytheism.

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