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While the word religion is difficult to define and understand, one standard model of religion that is used in religious studies courses defines it as
Many religions have their own narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to explain the origin of life or the universe. They tend to derive morality, ethics, religious laws, or a preferred lifestyle from their ideas about the cosmos and human nature. According to some estimates, there are roughly 4,200 religions, churches, denominations, religious bodies, faith groups, tribes, cultures, movements, or ultimate concerns.
The word religion is sometimes used interchangeably with the words "faith" or "belief system", but religion differs from private belief in that it has a public aspect. Most religions have organized behaviours, including clerical hierarchies, a definition of what constitutes adherence or membership, congregations of laity, regular meetings or services for the purposes of worship of a deity or for prayer, holy places (either natural or architectural) or religious texts. Certain religions also have a sacred language often used in liturgical services. The practice of a religion may also include sacrifices, festivals, feasts, trance, rituals, ceremonies, initiations, funerals, marriages, meditation, invocation, mediumship, music, art, dance, public service, or other aspects of human culture. Religious beliefs have also been used to explain parapsychological phenomena such as out-of-body experiences, near-death experiences, and reincarnation, along with many other paranormal and supernatural experiences.
Some academics studying the subject have divided religions into three broad categories: world religions, a term which refers to transcultural, international faiths; Indigenous religions, which refers to smaller, culture-specific or nation-specific religious groups; and new religious movements, which refers to recently developed faiths.Harvey, Graham (2000). Indigenous Religions: A Companion. (Ed: Graham Harvey). London and New York: Cassell. Page 06. One modern academic theory of religion, social constructionism, says that religion is a modern concept that suggests all spiritual practice and worship follows a model similar to the Abrahamic religions as an orientation system that helps to interpret reality and define human beings,Vergote, Antoine, Religion, belief and unbelief: a psychological study, Leuven University Press, 1997, p. 89 and thus believes that religion, as a concept, has been applied inappropriately to non-Western cultures that are not based upon such systems, or in which these systems are a substantially simpler construct.
World religions
A world religion is a religion that has wide distribution and influence and goes beyond a singular ethnic group.
Eastern religions
Eastern religions are the religions which originated in East, South and Southeast Asia, encompassing a diverse range of eastern and spiritual traditions.
East Asian religions
World religions that originated in East Asia, also known as Taoic religions; namely Taoism and Confucianism and religions and traditions descended from them. They have their basis in the East Asian folk religions and the Chinese religious philosophy schools called the Hundred Schools of Thought including:
Taojia ("School of the Tao") Mojia ("School of Mo") Mingjia ("School of Names") Rujia ("School of Scholars") Yangism Yinyangjia ("School of Yin Yang") Zajia ("School of Syncretism")
Confucianism
Confucian ritual religion Current Texts Confucianism Donglin movement Han Learning Korean Confucianism Tonghak Silhak Lingnan Confucianism Neo-Confucianism Cheng-Zhu school Edo Neo-Confucianism Tongcheng school Yangmingism Taizhou School New Confucianism Confucian church Indonesian Confucianism Confucian Academy Progressive Confucianism New Text Changzhou school Gongyang school Holy Confucian Church Old Text Tianzuism Taigu school
Taoism
New Taoism Qigong Zhong Gong Quanzhen School Shangqing School Way of the Five Pecks of Rice Way of the Celestial Masters Northern Celestial Masters Zhengyi Dao Syncretic Taoism Dragon Gate Taoism Wuliupai Huang–Lao Kōshin Xuanxue Yao Taoism
Indian religions
The four world religions that originated in the Indian subcontinent, also known as Dharmic and Indic religions; namely Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and Buddhism and religions and traditions descended from them. The Dharmic religions are derived from various schools of philosophy present in India which were largely part of either the Sramana movement or Brahmanism, including:
Ajivika Ajñana Akiriya Buddhism CharvakaRadhakrishnan, Sarvepalli. Vol. 1-2. Indian Philosophy (1923) Vol. 1, 738 p. (1927) Vol. 2, 807 p. Oxford University Press. Jainism Nyaya Mimamsa Samkhya Sassatavada Vaisheshika Vedanta Yoga
Ayyavazhi
Buddhism
Mahayana
Tiantai Tendai Cheontae Huayan school Baiyunzong (syncretic) Daśabhūmikā Seon Buddhism Jogye Order Kwan Um School Taego Order Thiền Buddhism Tiep Hien Order Trúc Lâm (syncretic) Zen Buddhism Japanese Zen Caodong school Sōtō Keizan Jakuen Giin Linji school Otokan Rinzai Ōbaku Fuke-shū Sanbo Kyodan Madhyamaka Sanlun Prasaṅgika Svatantrika Nichiren Buddhism Fuju-fuse Honmon Butsuryū-shū Kempon Hokke Nichirenism Nichiren Shōshū Nichiren Shū Pure Land Buddhism
Honganji-ha Ōtani-ha Ohigashi Yuzu Nembutsu Seizan Jōdo-shū Chinzei Yogācāra East Asian Yogācāra Navayana
Theravada
Sangharaj Nikaya Mahasthabir Nikaya Dwara Nikaya Shwegyin Nikaya Thudhamma Nikaya Amarapura–Rāmañña Nikāya Galduwa Forest Tradition Siam Nikaya Sri Lankan Forest Tradition Dhammayuttika Nikaya Thai Forest Tradition Maha Nikaya Dhammakaya Movement Vipassana movement Vajrayana
Azhaliism Bongthingism Chinese Esoteric Buddhism Newar Buddhism Indonesian Esoteric Buddhism Shingon Buddhism Tachikawa-ryū Southern Esoteric Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism Bon (syncretic) Gelug Yellow Shamanism (syncretic) Kagyu Dagpo Kagyu Karma Kagyu Drukpa Kagyu Shangpa Kagyu Nyingma Sakya Jonang Bodongpa
Hinduism
Ganapatya Halumatha Sant Mat Dadupanth Kabir panth Ravidassia religion Sadh Satya Mahima Dharma Shaivism Aghori Kapalika Kashmir Shaivism Kaumaram Nath Adinath Sampradaya Inchegeri Sampradaya Pashupata Shaivism Shaiva Siddhanta Veerashaivism Lingayatism Shaktism Caribbean Shaktism Srikula Smartism Śrauta Tantra Kaula Newar Hinduism Vaishnavism/Krishnaism Balmikism Bhagavata tradition Brahma Sampradaya Madhva tradition Gaudiya Vaishnavism Manipuri Vaishnavism Haridasa Ekasarana Dharma Kapadi Sampradaya Mahanubhava Nimbarka Sampradaya Pranami/Pranami Sampraday Radha Vallabh Sampradaya Ramsnehi Sampradaya Rudra Sampradaya Pushtimarg Sri Vaishnavism Ramanandi Sampradaya Thenkalais Manavala Mamunigal Sabha Vaishnava-Sahajiya Warkari
Vedanta
Advaita Vedanta Akshar-Purushottam Darshan Bhedabheda Achintya Bheda Abheda Dvaitadvaita Dvaita Vedanta Pratyabhijna Shaiva Siddhanta Shiva Advaita Shuddhadvaita Vishishtadvaita
Syncretic Hinduism Banjara Hinduism Baarmati religion Bengali folk religion Baul Kartabhaja Matuaism Bhil Hinduism Folk Hinduism Dyaoism Indonesian Hinduism Balinese Hinduism Javanese Hinduism Tenggerese Hinduism Kaharingan Naurus Nuaulu religion Lokhimon Zunism (disputedly Hindu)
Jainism
Digambara Kanji Panth Taran Panth Śvētāmbara Murtipujaka Sthānakavāsī Yapaniya
Sikhism
Sects such as the Nirankari, Ramraiya and Namdhari are not accepted within the Sikh Rehat Maryada (Sikh Code of Conduct) as they believe in a current human guru.
Tat Khalsa Udasi Nanakpanthi Nirankari Nirmala Sewapanthi Nihang Taksali Mina Ramraiya Namdhari Akhand Kirtani 3HO Sanatan Sikh
Yoga
Ananda Yoga Bhakti yoga Hatha yoga Bihar School of Yoga Integral Yoga Jivamukti Yoga Jnana yoga Karma yoga Kripalu Yoga Kriya Yoga Kundalini yoga Raja yoga Sahaja Yoga Siddha Yoga Sivananda yoga Surat Shabd Yoga Tantric Yoga
Middle Eastern religions
Middle Eastern religions are the world religions that have originated in or arisen to prominence within the geography of the Middle East. The term includes Abrahamic religions, which have been predominant in the region for the best part of a millennium, alongside the Iranian religions. Abrahamic religions
The Abrahamic religions are a set of religions that respect or admire the religious figure Abraham as a patriarch and/or as a prophet. It most famously includes Judaism, Christianity and Islam but also includes various smaller religions such as the Druze faith and Samaritanism. Christianity and Islam are the largest Abrahamic religions, with them being adhered to by around half of the world's population. Christianity
Early Christianity
Arianism Jewish Christianity Pauline Christianity Proto-orthodox Christianity Great Church Nicene Christianity Chalcedonian Christianity Neo-Chalcedonism Johannine Community Proto-Gnosticism Gnosticism Bogomilism Cainites Catharism Paulicianism Sethianism Valentinianism Simonians Marcionism Eastern Christianity Church of the East
Ancient Church of the East Assyrian Church of the East Chaldean Syrian Church Eastern Catholic Churches
Albanian Greek Catholic Church Belarusian Greek Catholic Church Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church Byzantine Catholic Church of Croatia and Serbia Chaldean Catholic Church Greek Byzantine Catholic Church Hungarian Byzantine Catholic Church Italo-Albanian Catholic Church Macedonian Catholic Church Maronite Church Melkite Greek Catholic Church Romanian Greek Catholic Church Russian Greek Catholic Church Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church Slovak Greek Catholic Church Syriac Catholic Church Syro-Malankara Catholic Church Syro-Malabar Church Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Ukrainian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church
Albanian Orthodox Church Bulgarian Orthodox Church Georgian Orthodox Church Greek Orthodox Church Old Believers Romanian Orthodox Church Russian Orthodox Church Belarusian Orthodox Church Serbian Orthodox Church Spiritual Christianity True Orthodox Church Old Calendarists Ukrainian Orthodox Church Oriental Orthodoxy
Armenian Apostolic Church Coptic Orthodox Church Syriac Orthodox Church Jacobite Syrian Christian Church Ethiopian Orthodox Church Eritrean Orthodox Church Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Western Christianity
Proto-Protestant
Brethren of the Free Spirit Hussites Czech Brethren Moravians Lollardy Strigolniki Waldensians Protestant
Anabaptists (Radical Protestants) Amish Hutterites Mennonites River Brethren Schwarzenau Brethren Anglicanism Anglo-Catholicism Continuing Anglican movement Evangelical Anglicanism Baptists Black church Black theology Charismatic Christianity Pentecostalism Oneness Pentecostalism Word of Faith Charismatic movement Neo-charismatic movement Christian deism Confessing Movement Eastern Protestant Christianity Evangelicalism Progressive Christianity Protestant fundamentalism Lutheranism Evangelical Catholic Neo-Lutheranism Pietism Methodism Calvinistic Methodists Holiness movement Wesleyanism Puritans Quakers Swedenborgianism Unitarianism Calvinism
Amyraldism Arminianism Christian reconstructionism Congregational churches Continental Reformed churches Swiss Reformed Dutch Reformed French Huguenot Hyper-Calvinism Neo-Calvinism New Calvinism Presbyterianism Zwinglianism Restorationism
Adventism Seventh-day Adventist Church Churches of Christ Bible Student movement Jehovah's Witnesses Latter Day Saint movement The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Mormon fundamentalism Catholic
Black Catholicism Charismatic Catholics Gallicanism Independent Catholic churches (a.k.a Independent Catholicism) Old Catholic Church Liberal Catholicism Modernist Catholics Traditionalist Catholics Sedevacantism Sedeprivationism Ultramontanism Syncretic
Brauchau Christopaganism Christian Wicca Cult of The Talking Cross Esoteric Christianity Christian Theosophy Christopaganism Martinism Universal White Brotherhood Folk Christianity Folk Catholicism