Articles, Exploring World Religions

In-depth, citation-backed articles on beliefs, practices, history, and culture across the world's religious traditions.

For background on recurring topics where religion meets public life, see Religion in Public Life.

How Islam Began: The Life of Prophet Muhammad and the Rise of Islam

In the span of a single generation, Muhammad transformed the Arabian Peninsula and launched a religious civilization that now encompasses nearly two billion people.

ReligionCompare Editorial TeamFebruary 21, 202612 min read

FAQ

Is Buddhism a Religion or a Philosophy?

Buddhism has monasteries and meditation halls, rituals and relics, devotion and detachment. So is it a religion, a philosophy, a psychology, or something that defies Western categories entirely?

ReligionCompare Editorial TeamFebruary 18, 202610 min read

Culture

Can You Convert to Judaism? How Conversion Works Across Different Branches

Judaism does not proselytize, but it does accept converts, through a process that varies dramatically depending on whether you approach an Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform rabbi.

ReligionCompare Editorial TeamFebruary 15, 202610 min read

Beliefs

Heaven, Hell, and the Afterlife: What the World's Religions Teach About What Happens When We Die

From the pearly gates of Christian heaven to the Buddhist wheel of rebirth, humanity has imagined the afterlife in astonishingly varied ways. Here is what the major traditions actually teach.

ReligionCompare Editorial TeamFebruary 12, 202612 min read

Practices

What Happens at a Hindu Funeral? Understanding Hindu Death Rites and Cremation

Hindu funeral rites, antyesti, the "last sacrifice", are among the most elaborate and symbolically rich death rituals in any world religion. Here is a structured guide to how they work.

ReligionCompare Editorial TeamFebruary 9, 202610 min read

FAQ

What Is the Difference Between Sunni and Shia Islam?

The Sunni-Shia divide is Islam's oldest and most consequential internal division. It began as a political dispute over succession and evolved into distinct theological and legal traditions.

ReligionCompare Editorial TeamFebruary 6, 202611 min read

History

The Great Schism: How Christianity Split Into Catholic and Orthodox

In 1054, papal legates placed a bull of excommunication on the altar of Hagia Sophia. The event crystallized a divide that had been growing for centuries between East and West.

ReligionCompare Editorial TeamFebruary 3, 202611 min read

Practices

Baptism Explained: Why Christians Are Baptized and How It Differs by Denomination

Baptism is Christianity's universal rite of initiation, yet churches disagree sharply on when, how, and why it should be performed. Here is what unites and divides them.

ReligionCompare Editorial TeamJanuary 31, 202610 min read

Practices

Why Do Muslims Fast During Ramadan? The Meaning Behind the Practice

Ramadan is far more than abstaining from food. It is a month of spiritual renewal, communal solidarity, and disciplined devotion observed by nearly two billion Muslims worldwide.

ReligionCompare Editorial TeamJanuary 28, 202610 min read

Beliefs

Karma Explained: How Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism Understand Cause and Effect

Karma is one of the most widely borrowed, and widely misunderstood, concepts in world religion. Four major traditions share the word but diverge sharply on what it means.

ReligionCompare Editorial TeamJanuary 25, 202611 min read