Religions which believe in god

Learn More: Conservative , Moderate , Liberal. Switch Display To: belief in God by political ideology. Learn More: Smaller government; fewer services , Bigger government; more services. Switch Display To: belief in God by views about size of government.

Learn More: Does more harm than good , Does more good than harm. Switch Display To: belief in God by views about government aid to the poor. Switch Display To: belief in God by views about abortion. Learn More: Should be accepted , Should be discouraged. Switch Display To: belief in God by views about homosexuality. Switch Display To: belief in God by views about same-sex marriage.

Learn More: Stricter environmental laws and regulations cost too many jobs and hurt the economy , Stricter environmental laws and regulations are worth the cost. Switch Display To: belief in God by views about environmental protection. Learn More: Evolved; due to natural processes , Evolved; due to God's design , Always existed in present form. Switch Display To: belief in God by views about human evolution.

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It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions.

It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. They produce cultural constructs, power dynamics, and historical narratives. They can also produce philosophical innovation, ethical reform, and the advancement of social justice. Taken together, these brief and sometimes overlapping histories offer a window into human history itself.

Each of these entries is a surface-level look at the religion in question. Try capturing everything about Buddhism in just words! We also scratch the surface when it comes to the number of actual religions and denominations, both current and ancient. This is merely an introduction.

Use it to get started on your religious studies essay, to brush up before an exam on religion and world history, or just to learn more about the world around you. Below are some of the leading spiritual and religious traditions in the world, both past and present:. Atheism refers to either the absence of a belief in the existence of deities or to an active belief that deities do not exist.

This belief system rejects theology as well as the constructs of organized religion. Use of the term originated in the ancient world and was meant to degrade those who rejected commonly accepted religious precepts. It was first self-applied during the Age of Enlightenment in 18th century France. The French Revolution was driven by the prioritization of human reason over the abstract authority of religion.

This prompted a period of skeptical inquiry, one in which atheism became an important cultural, philosophical, and political entity. Many who characterize themselves as atheists argue that a lack of proof or scientific process prevents the belief in a deity. Some who refer to themselves as secular humanists have developed a code of ethics that exists separate from the worship of a deity. Polling around the world has produced an extremely wide variance, with the largest rates of atheism generally seen in Europe and East Asia.

Instead, agnosticism argues that the limits of human reasoning and understanding make the existence of god s , the origins of the universe, and the possibility of an afterlife all unknowable.

Like atheism, the term emerged around the fifth century BCE and was contemplated with particular interest in Indian cultures. It gained more popular modern visibility when coined by English biologist Thomas Henry Huxley , who in recognized that incapacity of humans to truly answer questions regarding the divine. To Huxley, and the agnostic and athiest thinkers who followed, theistic or gnostic religions lack scientific basis, and therefore, should be rejected. Today, Babism exists with a few thousand adherents, concentrated largely in Iran, and standing separately from the Islamic ideologies that surround it.

Buddhism is both a religion and philosophy. The traditions and beliefs surrounding Buddhism can be traced to the original teachings of Gautama Buddha, a sagely thinker who is believed to have lived between the fourth and sixth centuries BCE.

The Buddha lived and taught in the eastern part of ancient India, providing the template for a faith based on the ideas of moral rectitude, freedom from material attachment or desire, the achievement of peace and illumination through meditation, and a life dedicated to wisdom, kindness, and compassion. Though its scriptures and traditions inform countless subsequent sects and ideologies, Buddhism is largely divided into two branches: Theravada — the goal of which is to achieve freedom from ignorance, material attachment, and anger by practicing the Noble Eightfold Path, all in pursuit of a sublime state called Nirvana; and Mahayana — the goal of which is aspire to Buddhahood by practicing the Zen principles of self-control, meditation, and expression of the insight of Buddha in your daily life, especially for the benefit of others, all to the end of achieving bodhisattva, or an ongoing cycle of rebirth by which you can continue to enlighten others.

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth. Christianity teaches that Jesus is the Son of God and the Messiah the savior of humanity foretold in the Torah, the primary scriptural doctrine of the Jewish faith.

Christian scripture incorporates both the Torah referred to by Christians as the Old Testament with the story of Jesus, his teachings, and those of his contemporaneous disciples the New Testament. These form the Bible , the central text of the Christian faith.

This idea and its adherents spread rapidly through ancient Judea around the first century CE, then throughout the ancient world. Christians believe Jesus successfully met and completed all the requirements of the Old Testament laws, took upon himself the sins of the world during his crucifixion, died, and rose to life again so that those who place their faith in him are forgiven their sins, reconciled to God, and granted grace for daily living.

Christians maintain that heaven with God awaits them after bodily death, whereas eternal separation from God in hell awaits those who neither received forgiveness for their sins nor acknowledged Jesus as Lord. Christianity has seen countless reformation movements, which spawned innumerable sects and offshoot denominations.

Combined, Christianity is the largest religion in the world, with roughly 2. Its impact on the shape of world history and on present-day world culture is incalculable. Confucianism was a dominant form of philosophy and religious orientation in ancient China, one that emerged from the teachings of Chinese philosopher Confucius, who lived — BCE. Confucius viewed himself as a channel for the theological ideas emerging from the imperial dynasties that came before him. With an emphasis on family and social harmony, Confucianism was a distinctly humanist and even secularist religious ideology.

Confucianism had a profound impact on the development of Eastern legal customs and the emergence of a scholar class and with it, a meritocratic way of governing. As Buddhism became the dominant spiritual force in China, Confucianism declined in practice. And with the emergence of communism and Maoism in the 20th century, the mainstream practice of Confucianism was largely at an end.

However, it remains a foundational ideology and force underlying Asian and Chinese attitudes toward scholarly, legal, and professional pursuits. Indeed, the strong work ethic advocated by Confucianism is seen as a major catalyst for the late 20th century rise of the Asian economies.

Today, there are various independent Confucian congregations, but it was only in that congregation leaders in China gathered together to form the Holy Confucian Church. Druze refers to an Arabic ethnoreligious group that originated in and still largely inhabits the Mountain of Druze region in southern Syria. Despite a small population of adherents, the Druze nonetheless play an important role in the development of their region known in historical shorthand as the Levant. The Druze view themselves as the direct descendants of Jethro of Midian, distinguished in Jewish scripture as the father-in-law of Moses.

As such, the Druze are considered related to Judaism by marriage. Like their in-laws, the Druze are monotheistic, professing faith in only one God. Druze ideologies are something of a hybrid though, drawing from the cultural teachings of Islam, but also incorporating the wisdom of Greek philosophers, such as Plato, and concepts of reincarnation similar to those in Hindu canon.

Indeed, its present-day scriptures and community remain somewhat insular. The close-knit communities rooted in present day Syria, Lebanon, and Israel have long been subject to persecution, particularly at the hands of Islamic theocracies. This may be one reason that the Druze, while participating actively in the politics and affairs of their home nations, shield their customs and practices from the eyes of outsiders. In Hinduism a person is on their own trying to gain release from karma.

In New Age a person is working at their own divinity. In Buddhism it is an individual quest at being free from desire. And in Islam, the individual follows religious laws for the sake of paradise after death. This is what leads to the creation of religions. We also want to feel at peace, fulfilled and have inner strength.

And so we move to practices like meditation, religious rituals, self-help books, fasting, prayer, personal sacrifice, pilgrimages, etc. While striving for enlightenment, Buddha never claimed sinlessness. Muhammad also admitted that he was in need of forgiveness. In Hinduism, sacred fires can be used to overcome sin, suffering and adversity. In other religions it is common to require hours in prayer or meditation multiple times a day; periods of fasting; financial sacrifices; long pilgrimages.

The prophet Isaiah is a prophet honored in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Instead of our striving to pay for our sins, Isaiah wrote of a coming Savior who would personally pay for the sins of all humanity:. Jesus Christ identified himself as this Savior that Isaiah talked about. Indeed, Jesus was whipped, beaten, a crown of long thorns pressed into his head, then his hands and feet nailed to a cross where he hung until death, willingly dying in our place.

Our sin was paid for by Jesus on the cross. He now offers us complete forgiveness and welcomes us to freely come to him. Throughout his public life, thousands of people followed Jesus, as he performed countless miracles, healing the sick, causing the lame to walk, the blind to see, feeding crowds of 5, people. Unlike other spiritual leaders, Jesus said he himself would judge the world, forgive sin, give people eternal life, answer prayers…attributes belonging only to God.

Over and over he identified himself as equal to God, leading to his crucifixion. However, Jesus also offered final proof of his deity, saying he would rise from the dead three days after his burial. He didn't say he would reincarnate someday into a future life.

Who would know if he actually did it? In spite of that, on that third day, Jesus' tomb was found empty and many people testified that they saw him alive again. News spread throughout the world that any person could be fully forgiven by Jesus and know him for all eternity by believing in him. The message was clear. To know more about Jesus see Why Jesus is God. God invites us to freely come to him. This is not a commitment to a method of self-improvement like the Eight Fold Path or the Five Pillars, or meditation, or good works or obeying the Ten Commandments.

These seem clear, well-defined, easy-to-follow paths for spirituality. But they become a burdensome striving for perfection, and connection with God is still distant. Religious efforts or good deeds are insufficient to cover our sin. Instead, we can know Jesus our Savior who fully accepts us because of his death for our sins and our faith in him.

If so, you can begin a relationship with God right now. It is as simple as sincerely asking him for his forgiveness of your sin and inviting him to enter your life. Jesus said, "Behold, I stand at the door [of your heart] and knock.

If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him. You can open that door and invite him into your life right now, by simply asking him in prayer. The exact words are not important, but this might help you express it:. Thank you, Jesus, for dying for my sins. Come into my life as you offered. Thank you for giving me an eternal relationship with you.