Beginner Guides

African diaspora religions are a family of spiritual traditions that developed in the Americas and the Caribbean when enslaved Africans blended their indigenous West and Central African religious practices with elements of Catholicism and, in some cases, indigenous American and spiritist traditions. These syncretic religions include Vodou (Haiti), Candomble (Brazil), Santeria/Lucumi (Cuba), Umbanda (Brazil), Obeah (Caribbean), and numerous related traditions.

The Baha'i Faith is a monotheistic religion founded in 19th-century Persia (modern Iran) that teaches the essential unity of all religions and the oneness of humanity. With an estimated 5 to 8 million adherents spread across virtually every country and territory in the world, it is one of the most geographically widespread religions despite its relatively small size.

Buddhism is one of the world's major religions, with about 324 million adherents in 2020 by Pew Research Center's estimate, concentrated primarily in East and Southeast Asia. The tradition traces its origins to the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha ("the awakened one"), who lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent during the 5th century BCE.

The Roman Catholic Church is the largest single Christian denomination and the largest religious organization in the world, with approximately 1.3 billion baptized members. Headed by the Pope in Rome, the Catholic Church traces its origins to the apostle Peter, whom Catholics regard as the first Bishop of Rome, and through him to Jesus Christ himself.

Christianity is the world's largest religion, with an estimated 2.3 to 2.4 billion adherents across virtually every country on Earth. The tradition traces its origins to the 1st century CE in the eastern Mediterranean region of Roman Judea, centered on the life, teachings, death, and reported resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.

Confucianism is a philosophical, ethical, and social tradition originating in ancient China, centered on the teachings of Kongzi (Confucius, 551-479 BCE). Whether Confucianism is a "religion" in the Western sense is debated, it lacks a creator deity, an afterlife theology, and a priestly class, yet it has profoundly shaped the moral, social, political, and ritual life of East Asia for over two millennia.

The Druze are an ethnoreligious group whose faith originated in the early 11th century CE during the Fatimid Caliphate, centered in Cairo, Egypt. With an estimated 1 to 2 million adherents concentrated primarily in Lebanon, Syria, Israel, and Jordan, the Druze represent one of the Middle East's most distinctive religious communities.

Hinduism is the world's third-largest religion and the oldest major living religious tradition, with approximately 1.2 billion adherents, about 15% of the global population. Unlike most other major religions, Hinduism has no single founder, no single scripture, and no single set of teachings.

Indigenous and traditional religions encompass an extraordinarily diverse array of spiritual systems practiced by peoples across every inhabited continent. These traditions are deeply rooted in specific lands, languages, ancestral lineages, and ecological relationships, making them fundamentally place-based in ways that distinguish them from the universalizing aspirations of religions like Christianity, Islam, or Buddhism.

Islam is the world's second-largest religion, with approximately 1.9 to 2.0 billion adherents, roughly one-quarter of the global population. The Arabic word "islam" means "submission" (to the will of God), and a Muslim is "one who submits".

Jainism is an ancient Indian religion known for its rigorous commitment to non-violence (ahimsa) and ascetic discipline. With approximately 4 to 5 million adherents, the vast majority living in India, Jainism is one of the smaller major world religions but has exerted an influence on Indian culture, philosophy, and ethics far out of proportion to its numbers.

Jehovah's Witnesses are a worldwide Christian denomination known for their door-to-door evangelism, their refusal of blood transfusions and military service, and their distinctive theological positions that set them apart from mainstream Christianity. The organization reported a peak of about 9.2 million publishers (members who regularly engage in evangelism) in its 2025 service year, and about 20.6 million people attended its annual Memorial observance.

Judaism is one of the oldest monotheistic religions in the world, with approximately 14 to 15 million adherents globally. It is the foundational tradition of the Abrahamic family of religions, from which Christianity and Islam both historically emerged.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), commonly known as Mormonism, is a restorationist Christian tradition founded by Joseph Smith in upstate New York in 1830. With approximately 17 million members worldwide, it is the largest and most well-known organization within the broader Latter-day Saint movement.

Orthodox Christianity encompasses the Eastern Orthodox Church and its family of autocephalous (self-governing) churches, collectively representing approximately 220 million Christians worldwide. The Orthodox Church understands itself as the original, undivided Church founded by Christ and the apostles, maintaining an unbroken continuity of faith, worship, and apostolic succession from the earliest centuries of Christianity.

Paganism is an umbrella term for a diverse family of modern spiritual movements that draw inspiration from pre-Christian European religions, nature veneration, and esoteric traditions. Wicca, the largest and most well-known pagan tradition, was developed in mid-20th-century England by Gerald Gardner and has since spread worldwide.

Protestantism is a major branch of Christianity that originated with the 16th-century Reformation, a movement that challenged the authority and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. Today, Protestantism encompasses an extraordinarily diverse family of churches, denominations, and movements with an estimated 800 million to 1 billion adherents worldwide, making it the second-largest branch of Christianity after Catholicism.

Rastafari is a religious and social movement that originated in Jamaica in the 1930s, centered on the belief that Haile Selassie I (1892-1975), the Emperor of Ethiopia, is the returned messiah and the earthly manifestation of God (Jah). With an estimated 700,000 to 1 million adherents worldwide, Rastafari has had a cultural influence, particularly through reggae music, far exceeding its numerical size.

Secular humanism and atheism represent non-theistic worldviews that have grown significantly in global prominence over the past century. While distinct in emphasis, atheism is the absence of belief in gods, while secular humanism is a positive philosophical framework emphasizing reason, ethics, and human flourishing without supernatural reference, they frequently overlap and are often discussed together.

Shinto is the indigenous spiritual tradition of Japan, centered on the veneration of kami, sacred spirits or divine forces present in nature, ancestors, and remarkable phenomena. Unlike most major world religions, Shinto has no single founder, no fixed creed, and no centralized doctrinal authority.

Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded in the Punjab region of South Asia in the late 15th century CE by Guru Nanak Dev Ji (1469-1539). With approximately 25 to 30 million adherents worldwide, it is the fifth-largest organized religion.

Taoism (also spelled Daoism) encompasses a rich family of philosophical and religious traditions that originated in ancient China. The tradition centers on the concept of the Dao (Tao), the fundamental, nameless force that is the source and pattern of everything in the universe.

Unitarian Universalism (UU) is a liberal, non-creedal religious movement that draws from multiple religious and philosophical traditions while affirming the inherent worth and dignity of every person. With approximately 800,000 adherents, primarily in the United States, the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) represents one of the most theologically diverse religious organizations in the world.

Zoroastrianism is one of the world's oldest continuously practiced religions, originating in ancient Persia (modern Iran) and traditionally attributed to the prophet Zarathustra (known in Greek as Zoroaster). With an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 adherents worldwide, it is now one of the smallest major world religions, but its historical influence on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, particularly concepts of heaven and hell, angels and demons, a final judgment, and a cosmic struggle between good and evil, has been enormous.