This list is Sourced from the Encylopaedia Britannica, Wikipedia, Beliefnet, and Adherents.com (a collection of 43,870 adherent statistics and religious geography citations). The list is based on number of members. For a complete list (which also includes atheism and agnosticism, see the Wikipedia article or the Encylopaedia Britannica chart).
1. Christianity [Abrahamic, 27 AD] 2.1 billion adherents [Wikipedia | Britannica | Beliefnet]
Christianity is a monotheistic religion which is based on the teachings of the Old Testament and Jesus of Nazareth. Christians believe that Jesus, as the Son of God is part of the Trinity (God as three persons in one), the others being God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. Christians believe that Christianity fulfils Judaism. Most Christians believe that the death and resurrection of Jesus to be the cornerstone of their faith. Protestant ofshoots of Christianity believe that salvation comes from the belief in God alone, whereas Catholic and Orthodox Christians belief that faith, combined with good works is required for salvation.
The Christian scriptures are called the Bible – comprising two books, the Old Testament (based on the Septuagint) and the New Testament. Protestants and Catholics have the same books in the New Testament, but Martin Luther removed 7 books from the Old Testament during the Protestant reformation, considering them to be apocryphal. He also removed four books from the New Testament but was later persuaded to put them back – they were Hebrews, James, Jude, and Revelation.
Christians believe in Sacraments (Catholics and Orthodox and some Anglicans believe in 7: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Communion, Confession, Last Rites, Holy Orders, and Matrimony; some Protestants (following Martin Luther) believe in the sacramental nature of Baptism and Holy Communion, while others reject outright the concept of sacramental theology.
Christianity is generally broken into three branches: Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism. Catholicism is the largest with over 1 billion adherents. The Orthodox and Catholic Churches split in the 11th century in an event called the Great Schism. Protestantism split from Roman Catholicism in in the 16th century in an event called the Protestant Reformation.
2. Islam [Abrahamic, 610 AD] 1.3 billion adherents [Wikipedia | Britannica | Beliefnet]
Islam is a monotheistic religion originating with the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th-century Arab religious and political figure. Muslims believe that God revealed the Qur’an to Muhammad, God’s final prophet, and regard the Qur’an and the Sunnah (the words and deeds of Muhammad) as the fundamental sources of Islam. They do not regard Muhammad as the founder of a new religion, but as the restorer of the original monotheistic faith of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets. Islamic tradition holds that Judaism and Christianity distorted the messages of these prophets over time either in interpretation, in text, or both.
Almost all Muslims belong to one of two major denominations, the Sunni and Shi’a. The schism developed in the late 7th century following disagreements over the religious and political leadership of the Muslim community. Roughly 85 percent of Muslims are Sunni and 15 percent are Shi’a. Muslims consider the Qur’an to be the literal word of God; it is the central religious text of Islam. Muslims believe that the verses of the Qur’an were revealed to Muhammad by God through the angel Gabriel on many occasions between the years 610 and his death on July 6, 632.
Islam considers itself to be the supreme religion and therefore Muslims must not place themselves in a position inferior to that of the followers of other religions. Pursuant to this principle, Muslim women may not marry non-Muslim men, non-Muslims may not inherit from their Muslim relatives, and a testimony of a non-Muslim is inadmissible against a Muslim. A non-Muslim who insults Islam must be put to death, according to most schools of Islamic jurisprudence, or flogged and imprisoned, according to others.
This item has caused some debate in the comments below. See here for the complaint, and here for the reply.
3. Hinduism [Dharmic, 1500 BC] 1 billion adherents [Wikipedia | Britannica | Beliefnet]
Hinduism has no founder, being itself a conglomerate of diverse beliefs and traditions. It is the world’s oldest existent religion, and has approximately a billion adherents, of whom about 905 million live in India and Nepal. Hinduism contains a vast body of scriptures. Divided as revealed and remembered and developed over millennia, these scriptures expound on theology, philosophy and mythology, providing spiritual insights and guidance on the practice of dharma (religious living). Among such texts, the Vedas and the Upanishads are the foremost in authority, importance and antiquity. Other major scriptures include the Tantras, the sectarian Agamas, the Purāṇas and the epics Mahābhārata and Rāmāyaṇa. The Bhagavad Gītā, a treatise excerpted from the Mahābhārata, is sometimes called a summary of the spiritual teachings of the Vedas.
Prominent themes in Hindu beliefs include Dharma (ethics/duties), Samsāra (The continuing cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth), Karma (action and subsequent reaction), Moksha (liberation from samsara), and the various yogas (paths or practices). Hinduism is a diverse system of thought with beliefs spanning monotheism, polytheism, pantheism, monism and even atheism. It is sometimes considered as henotheistic (devotion to a single “God” while accepting the existence of other gods), but such a view may be considered an oversimplification of the complexities and variations of belief.
4. Buddhism [Dharmic, 600 BC] 376 million adherents [Wikipedia | Britannica | Beliefnet]
Buddhism is also known as Buddha Dharma or Dhamma, which means roughly the “teachings of the Awakened One” in Sanskrit and Pali, languages of ancient Buddhist texts. Buddhism was founded around the fifth century BCE by Siddhartha Gautama – most commonly referred to as The Buddha. In Buddhism, any person who has awakened from the “sleep of ignorance” (by directly realizing the true nature of reality), without instruction, and teaches it to others is called a buddha. All traditional Buddhists agree that Shakyamuni or Gotama Buddha was not the only Buddha: it is generally taught that there have been many past Buddhas and that there will be future Buddhas too.
While there are now many sects of Buddhism, they all hold to four fundamental points: 1, All accept the Buddha as their teacher; 2, all accept the Middle Way (non-extremism), Dependant Origination, the Four Noble Truths, and the Noble Eightfold Path; 3, all accept that both monks and the laity can pursue the path to englightenment; and 4, all consider Buddahood to be the highest attainment.
5. Sikhism [Dharmic, 1469 AD] 23 million adherents [Wikipedia | Britannica | Beliefnet]
Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak (1469-1539 AD) who was the first of Sikhism’s 10 Gurus, a lineage of holy teachers that continued until the end of the 17th century. The Gurus are understood to be the mediators of divine grace. Sikhism originated in the Punjab region of northwest India, where it drew on elements from Bhakti Hinduism and Islamic Sufism to develop into a distinctive religious tradition in its own right. Sikhs believe that liberation from the karmic cycle of rebirths occurs in the merging of the human spirit with the all-embracing spirit of God. Sikh males are recognisable by their long beards and turbans – worn to cover the hair that traditional says they should not cut.
Their religious worship involves contemplation of the divine Name. The ultimate deity is known by several names: Sat (truth), Sat Guru (true Guru), Akal Purakh (timeless being), Kartar (creator), and Wahi-Guru (“praise to the Guru”). By concentrating on God’s Name (or many titles), Sikhs believe that one conquers the ego and unites with God.
The compilation of the Sikh scriptures, the Adi Granth, was begun in 1604 by the Fifth Guru. The last of the ten Gurus, Guru Gobind Singh, announced that he would be the last personal Guru and that thereafter, Sikhs were to regard the Adi Granth (Guru Granth Sahib) as their teacher. This sacred book is considered the living embodiment of all ten Gurus and is therefore the focus of worship in all Sikh temples and local gurudwaras, or sanctuaries.
6. Judaism [Abrahamic, 1300 BC] 14 million adherents [Wikipedia | Britannica | Beliefnet]
Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people, based on principles and ethics embodied in the Bible (Tanakh) and the Talmud (Rabbinical discussions on ethics, customs, and law). According to Jewish tradition, the history of Judaism begins with the Covenant between God and Abraham, the patriarch and progenitor of the Jewish people. Judaism is among the oldest religious traditions still in practice today.
Throughout the ages, Judaism has clung to a number of religious principles, the most important of which is the belief in a single, omniscient, omnipotent, benevolent, transcendent God, who created the universe and continues to govern it. Originally Judaism had priests and a temple in which sacrifices were made to God. The priesthood is an inherited position, and although priests no longer have any but ceremonial duties, they are still honored in many Jewish communities. Many Orthodox Jewish communities believe that they will be needed again for a future Third Temple and need to remain in readiness for future duty.
Following the destruction of Jerusalem and the expulsion of the Jews, Jewish worship stopped being centrally organized around the Temple, prayer took the place of sacrifice, and worship was rebuilt around rabbis who acted as teachers and leaders of individual communities. Modern Judaism is generally split into three groups: Orthodox, Conservative, and Liberal.
7. Baha’i Faith [Abrahamic, 1900 AD] 7 million adherents [Wikipedia | Britannica | Beliefnet]
Baha’i was founded in Iran in the mid-nineteenth century by Mirza Husayn Ali (1817-1892). Better known as Baha’ullah, he believed that he was the prophet foretold by the Bab, a religious leader who was believed to be a direct descendent of the prophet Muhammad. Baha’ullah was persecuted and banished several times during his life, and he died as a prisoner in Palestine. Babism (from which Baha’i originates) was a breakaway from shi’a Islam.
Important Baha’i prophets include Adam, the Jewish prophets, Jesus, and Muhammed, all of whom have been succeeded by Baha’ullah. The closest thing to a religious text the Baha’i have is Baha’ullah’s Kitab al-Aqdas (The Most Holy Book) which contains detailed instructions for Baha’i living.
The Baha’i believe that all religions teach the same truth. They therefore reject prejudice–racial, political, or otherwise–and stress ethical teachings such as world peace, education, and sexual equality. Although they believe that God is completely unknowable, they hold that God’s presence and works are evident in the creation of the world and the existence of the prophets, among other things.
8. Confucianism [Taoic, 600 BC] 6.4 million adherents [Wikipedia | Britannica | Beliefnet]
Confucianism is a Chinese set of philosphical and ethical beliefs that were taught by the sage Confucius. It has had a tremendous effect on East Asia right up to the 21st century. Debated during the Warring States Period and forbidden during the short-lived Qin Dynasty, Confucianism was chosen by Emperor Wu of Han for use as a political system to govern the Chinese state. There is a large body of Confucian texts which includes the I Ching (a series of divinations) and a series of books on poetry, rituals, music, and more. You can view a complete list of these texts on Wikipedia.
Confucianist doctrine remained a mainstream Chinese orthodoxy for two millennia until the 20th century, when it was attacked by radical Chinese thinkers as a vanguard of a pre-modern system and an obstacle to China’s modernization, eventually culminating in its repression during the Cultural Revolution in the People’s Republic of China.
Confucianism aims at making not simply the man of virtue, but the man of learning and of good manners. The perfect man must combine the qualities of saint, scholar, and gentleman. Confucianism is a religion without positive revelation, with a minimum of dogmatic teaching, whose popular worship is centered in offerings to the dead, in which the notion of duty is extended beyond the sphere of morals proper so as to embrace almost every detail of daily life.
9. Jainism [Dharmic, 600 BC] 4.2 million adherents [Wikipedia | Britannica | Beliefnet]
Jainism is one of the oldest religions in India and it has co-existed alongside Hinduism despite being a minority of less than 1% of the population. The religion was founded by Mahavira (“The Great Hero”) who is considered to be the most recent in a long line of 24 teachers who have brought Jainism to the world during various epochs. These teachers preach a belief in enlightenment through austerity and rejection of the world. Jains do not believe in a god and they seek release from endless reincarnations through strict self-denial.
Jainism also places a great emphasis on non-harm of living things and will often have their mouths covered with muslin to prevent accidentally swallowing insects. Many Jains also use a small brush to sweep the ground in front of them while travelling so they don’t accidentally step on a creature.
The main religious text of Jainism is called Agamas. An agama is an ancient Jain textbook. There were many agamas in ancient times, but as time passed, many of them were lost or destroyed. At present, 45 agamas are available. Agamas are written in the Prakrit language. These are read and studied by Jain monks (sadhus) only. The sacred literature was not written down until 500 AD.
There are two main types of Jain, the Digambaras and the Shvetambaras. The Digambaras have much simpler rituals and disdain earthly belongings to a point that the male monks live completely naked.
10. Shinto [Taoic, 300 BC] 4 million adherents [Wikipedia | Britannica | Beliefnet]
Shinto is a religious system that originates in Japan which has influences from Buddhism and other Chinese religions. Shinto recognizes no all-powerful deity and is a diverse set of traditional rituals and ceremonies, rather than a system of dogmatic beliefs or ethics. Shinto recognises a variety of gods (kami) which are the powers of nature primarily associated with such things as animals, trees, mountains, springs, boulders, the sun, and sometimes ancestors. Offerings are made to these gods and they are later eaten.
Shinto rituals involve dance and Shinto priests bless the offerings to the gods with branches from the sacred sakaki tree dipped in holy water. In some parts of Japan, women Shamans fall into a trance and speak for the gods.
Shinto does not have a founder or canon of religious texts, but a written Shinto mythology appears in the early sections of the eighth-century books “Kojiki” (“Records of Ancient Matters,” completed in 712 AD) and “Nihon Shoki” (“Chronicles of Japan,” completed in 720 AD), which record the role of the kami in creating Japan and the Japanese imperial lineage
Technorati Tags: religion
i’m sure we will see each other…if only people could have the understanding and faith! that day will be amazing, and i’ll be glad to be one of the chosen few!
Jesus himself says on at least two occasions that he came for the Jews, not the Gentiles. How, then are the Gentiles to find God?
Matthew 10:5-6
Matthew 15:24-26
The disciples also, were picky about who they preached to.
Acts 11:19
James 1:1
It is only after Paul becomes fed up with the Jews’ reactions to his preaching, that anyone talks about preaching to the Gentiles.
Acts 18:6
May I be so callous at this point to point out the obvious?
Some people here clearly see a defined difference in the teaching of religion.
All religion is, is an attempt to explain our lives, why we are here, why we die and what happens after this.
Another point id like to raise I personally have nothing against religion. I am not religious and I find it irritating when people say things like:
“HE will be revealed shortly in tremendous glory coming where the whole earth will see at once the truth. There will be no doubt anymore when this occurs.”
This irritates me but to quote a famous saying “I might not like what you said but ill fight to the death for your right to say it”.
Another issue I have is with Islamic countries. Living where I do. I find Islamic culture strange but I accept it as different. BUT I do think that their politics and laws are somewhat backwards. I believe this as many Islamic countries:
a) Still have the death penalty
b) Many are dictatorships
I often think that it must take extreme faith to believe in a god. Faith I admire. I personally wish i could believe… for a greatly fear death and the possibility of there being nothing afterwards. But for me god does not make sense. I just find it hard to comprehend how god works. Where is he? If he loves and forgives us all why is there a hell? Why do people want the world to end????
I’m afraid I may never understand religion. Do not judge me and if you can answer my questions. I would appreciate another view point.
jesus came into the world not proclaiming to be King of the Jews. It was of others that asked of him if he was king of the Jews.
Jesus proclaimed himself to be the Son of God and that he who believeth in him will not persih but have eternal life.
He was the savior for all people of the world.
PC-
alot of people are on the same boat as you, alot of people don’t understand god…but nobody can figure out god except for of course himself..thats the faith kicking in! it to me sounds like your open to trying, but you just need some help…its scary trying to figure out gods meaning behind the things he does, but i always think of it this way..he does everything because he loves us! and the reason he can’t live or be on earth is because like i said before, he cannot look upon sin! and as far as the hell thing goes…there is a consequence for our actions…god gives us free will, thats why we’re suppose to try and make the right dicisions but following in his ways, he doesn’t want us to go to hell, he wants us to be in heaven with him someday! and some people want the world to end because they want to be taken up to heaven sooner so that we can live for ever in paradise with him! i would really like to see you believe, i can tell you have a passion about you thats waiting to show, plus you sound like a pretty smart guy! it’s never to late to start living right!
Cybogen- I didn’t say that Jesus proclaimed Himself King of the Jews. The Romans did that.
I’m simply citing Bible verse, where He says He was sent to save the Jews, not the Gentiles.
But He answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the House of Israel.
Matthew 15:24
House of Israel, not the whole world.
Whoa! Three whole days, and no reply? Where is everybody?
Was there a Rapture?
Have been speniding the weekend worshipping the Lord and reading HIS word. I am still in touch with you. We are all one.
This Life we live is nothing more than the blink of the eye in comparison to what life awaits for us in eternity.
Live Life right now so you can live forever in the same.
Cybogen…AMEN to that
That’s great, but neither one of you answered my question, re my posts @ 123 AND 127.
What do you say about Jesus Himself saying he was sent to save the Jews, not the Gentiles?
How do non-Jews get saved?
^^^ you sir, have a great user name.
133. downhighway61
^^^ you sir, have a great user name.
Thanks.
667 Hey I just wanted you to know that you don’t have to worry whether you’re Jew or Gentile, if you just acknowledge this. As you cited scripture from the Bible to me…I will just want you to read a verse for me that comes from the mouth of Jesus himself JOHN 3:36 Who ever believes in the Son(JESUS)has eternal life.Thats it! Simple enough! He did not include denomination. He said “Whoever”
You can be that whoever if you believe in Jesus!
Cybogen
Good one, but this was the one I had hoped someone would come up with:
And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. John 10:16
These are good too:
For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. Romans 10:12
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10:13
667 Good Insight. I find those assuring to me when I read those that you cited. Thanks for the response.
I have just one word to say after reading all those comments. FUCCCKK!!!. What a waste of time. I got tired of people using the word Allah like their talking about some devil. Allah means God. You want to know something else, Islam, Judaism and Christianity all believe in the same one god but their paths differ. So when you insult Allah and lets say you’re a Christian, then you’re insulting God, it doesn’t matter which one of the three sister religions you follow they all believe in the same God its just they differ on the paths they walk.
Religion should be banned in 50 years of we are all lucky, It’s grown *****ing old of people killing one another because they believe something else. Religion has had a negative impact on the world, only time anything was ever achieved was when religion was put aside.
quick question…i do believe that we all believe in god, that you got right, but do you all believe in Jesus Christ? thats the real question..Jesus is the path to salvation, you can try to justify that all you want, but the bible never changes, and i know without a doubt that Jesus is the way to heaven, and without him we will not get there…PERIOD!!!!!
this is gettin old…ppl sayin jesus is the son of God and wat not just because mary was a virgin…but lets get real…adam had neither a mother or father yet i dont see any religion claiming hez the son of god too….seriously there is no difference no matter what the bibble preaches!!!
no disrespect intended by the way…its just an assesment on my behalf
we are all sons and daughters of God! thats what you don’t understand…but Jesus God’s actual son, came to earth and died for all of our sins! Mary has nothing to do with anything, except for God used her because she was pure to have jesus! your totally changing everything to fit whatever…if adam was christs son, God would have stated so in the Bible, which he doesn’t so that means he’s not his son! but it does say that we are all like his children, and we need to follow by his word and walk in his footsteps! thats whats wrong with some people, they can’t have faith in something they cannot see, and they can’t obey!
Hey breana !
Are you mad. what kind of insulting attitude is that. God is not made of flesh and sand so how can you imagine that we all are or even ‘JESUS(PBUH)’ was his son. you are only abusing the name of God but you don’t know it . On the part of Jesus(PBUH) let me tell you something, Moses(PBUH) and Jesus(PBUH) both lost in delivering the GODs message. Mose’s (PBUH)was rejected and disobeyed by his own proud Bani-Israel and jesu’s(PBUH) own men crucified his and after his death the famous intruder John paul wrote his own bible and the christianity started.
only one prophet was completely succeded in delivering ALLAH’s message and that was MUHAMMAD(PBUH). so now it’s up to you to follow those who lose or those who won.
it amazes me how lost you really sound..read the bible and you’ll find out everything! i’m not going to argue with you because i’m doing what jesus would do..and just walk away from your arguement…call it foolish, but you my friend are just about arguing and not really wanting to know the truth!! so when you want to really know the truth, read the bible and pray!! people don’t have faith in anything anymore, thats why your understanding is worldly and not true, because if it doesn’t come from the bible, im sorry but its not true
your the ***** that needs to read old testimate you know jack *****.
thanks very much for your advice and showing me the right path to seek the truth. i will read the bible as you recommended but now you tell me from which market or bookstore do i get that really ‘true’ bible of your’s that is correct word by word. i have in past attempted to purchase the bible but every bible i open is word to word false, full of errors, written by the reknowned priests and famous popes who changed the text with their own will for more than 2000 yrs. i am afraid to read and ‘believe’ even a single words from these bibles.
And WONDER OF WONDERS ever two bibles written by different priests contradicts in their contents and especially ‘historic dates’ and numerical values.
France has her own nationally recognized bible and England has her own one.
so my dear fello will you kindly give me the address of a ‘real’ and ‘true’ bible and above all strong guarantee and prove(which of course you can’t give) that it is in it’s original version as was it 2000yrs before.
I will be very greatful to your sympathy and i will seriously intend to seek the ‘righteous path’.
you can find them anywhere..look for the NIV version, thats my favorite! i honestly think its the easiest version to understand and really start out!!!
I have found in discussions with muslims that the termi nology used by them circumvented any question that I posed.
The thing is that muslims are taught to submit to the will of allah and even the entrance to thier paradise is a pennace. (Walking over on a scimitar bridge and any misstep puts the follower into hell and eternal suffering) on the off change that the bridge is crossed there will be a room with a view with 7 virgins waiting. The very reward for a male muslim is *****…I still have not seen what awaits the women except more submission.
Christian core values show that all a person needs is to believe that Jesus was born of a virgin for the purpose of becoming the ultimate sacrifice for sin and that his resurrection proves that he is who he said. The offer is simply believe and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and you are saved.
The fundamental difference is that you are free from the penalty of sin (no scimitar bridge needed) and a personal relationship with the creator of the universe is there to be had.
Be carefull to not try and trick the God with a false profession of faith though (not every one who say’s lord lord will see the kingdom of God)
first a muslim can go to paradise very easily by following basic Quranic instructions that include believe in one god(ALLAH), truthfullness, honesty, to keep one’s promise, to serve your parents and neighbours and good attitude towards other human beings that’s all.
i wonder what kind of ignorant muslims misguided you.
to know about a religion you should read it’s scripts not just discuss with it’s believers, this is absurd.
NOTE: ACCORDING TO ISLAM EVEN A NON MUSLIM WHO DO NOT COMMIT ‘SHIRK’ AND BELIEVES IN ONE GOD CAN GO TO PARADISE, THESE INCLUDES BOTH JEWS AND CHRISTIANS
for the part of women, fact is that QURAN is only holybook that mentions direct orders for women from god other holy scriptures of christians and jews didn’t thought women worthy of even mentioning. Both christians and jews blames only EVE (and not ADAM)of eating the heavenly apple but QURAN donot.
every verse of QURAN is for both *****es and dealt both *****es equally. the charms that awaits a muslim men in paradise, same charms awaits a women.
for the last comment i didn’t understand that how can one man bears the sins and mischiefs of other. if i got strike another car while driving, who will give the insurance, if i killed a person who will be punished, surely i’ll be.
for your information we muslims believes in ADAM, EVE, DAVID,NOAH, MOSES,CHRIS (peace be upon all of them) and other semitic race prophets.
this is above commonsense and human logic that Jesus(PBUH) will bear my sins.
if that’s the case than i should go kill someone and have anti social behaviors and i should be a carefree person cause i know that ‘Jesus(PBUH) bears my sins’.
“Love the Lord your (where does it specify which) God with all your heart,mind and soul, the second equal to the first, love your neighbor as your self” One God many religions all bound by love…it’s a concept they all share but all have lost. It’s kinda simple… Loving yourself, loving your neighbor (type not specified), loving your God but seems hard in practice. May God help us.
I follow that Shinto religion. I found this list to be interesting. Glad that you included mine and not the noodly appendage one!
149. AAK Khan – April 30th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
if that’s the case than i should go kill someone and have anti social behaviors and i should be a carefree person cause i know that ‘Jesus(PBUH) bears my sins’.
Jesus bears the sins of man who has a repentant heart.
A mna who is not sorry for his sins and shows no remorse cannot enter the heaven. For to achieve forgiveness one musgt be truly sorry for their sins. Where there is not remorse how can their be forgiveness my friend?
This is why I answer your above question by saying “No…being a ruthless sinner killing or otherwise breaking other commandments believing that you have a free ticket to heaven with no sorrow in your heart is
a false sense that Jesus includes you in his promise of Salvation. This is not what God had intended to achieve by the sacrifice his only Son Jesus CHrist made on the cross. Mankind will still be judged on the last day and no man will be able to hide form his sins having not seeked repentance.
jeremiah 10 STATEs quite clearly the guy on the cross is nothing but the wotk of con men now read mathew 16 refering to jeremiah now read john 7 this man never leard(jesus) or studued now jeremiha 2 this is written in ront of me now another jermeiah quote jeremiah 5 GOD dwells amongst the gentiles. Now read jeremiah 8 those who build up jerusalem hold fast to lies and deciet. I could go on and on on this segment,.
the statement that `prophet muhammad is a paedophile` is incredibly rude and ignorant…
my grandmother married when she was twelve and i`m sure it was acceptable back then…
u cannot compare the morality of the past with the present… learn some history please!!
haha… it`s just funny when stupid people(tomcpp)decided to talk..
We must realize this as a reality for the battle of good angels against evil angels is continuously happening though we cannot see it. This is Gods will to save us from the temptations of sin that can lead mankind to the eternal torments of hellfire. The Holy Angels battle against the snare of demons to work at saving our souls for heaven with all their strength. The deciding factor on the victory of good against evil is how we choose to react to tempmtation. My friends please do not be misled that these angels are not for real but they are there and are very strong and indeed working our in our desires and we must pay heed to them through our hearts and conscience to save our souls to the committment of God almighty.
154. Cybogen : You can’t claim that God is all powerful and then turn around and say that his “good” angels are locked in a battle against “evil” angels, it’s fallacious in itself.
154. Cybogen : You can’t claim that God is all powerful and then turn around and say that his “good” angels are locked in a battle against “evil” angels, it’s fallacious in itself.
Hi Mark- Let me try to explain the best I can: It is true in the fact that there is not as much the physical fight against themselves the (angels and demons ) that makes you wonder about Gods almight power to decide the battle to be won before it even starts. It is true that he is all powerful and nothing can overcome him. However because he gives us free will which allows us the choice to do right or wrong we have 2 groups of Angels: holy angels and demons that are trying to sway us to do Right or wrong in other words to help us make the right choice in our thoughts and deeds. Its ultimately our choice but we will either be tempted and lose or given grace to overcome temptation and win . It is outr decision to make that choice
@sufian (9): hiya sufian. i read ur comments nd i am curious as to what u wrote? i am interested n learin about the truth.
hey first of all this site rockssssssssss………….about this list……..will it’s a pretty fair and unbiased list…….i m a hindu, i respect all the religions except islam…..i somehow agree with tom’s comments abt islam’s traditions and quran……….but he should not use vulgur words against a religion……..nice list by the way
you are so gay why do you do this
you guys have no live at alll
I Ching is a Daoist, not Confucian, text.
Loved the list, very nice! Very inclusive and I love how unbiased it was.
I’m no religious expert, I won’t lie; but I do know a good chunk about many religions. I think this list portrayed them in a positive light and included many aspects of each instead of all the bias one can find on topics like these.
So, love the list! And love the site! Keeps me busy for hours! Ha!
“…and a testimony of a non-Muslim is inadmissible against a Muslim. A non-Muslim who insults Islam must be put to death, according to most schools of Islamic jurisprudence, or flogged and imprisoned, according to other”
As a practicing Muslim, I’m advising you, Author Person, to check your sources and get your facts straight.
And, by the way, thanks a ton for making us “superiors” out as snobs…
We strongly believe that it’s our actions that God judges us by, and ANY HUMAN BEING is capable of choosing to act wrongly INCLUDING A MUSLIM. So, if a non-Muslim were to witness a Muslim acting illegally, then their testimony would most certainly be admissible against a Muslim’s. And, oh dear God, let me straighten this out: if a non-Muslim insults Islam, we are most certainly NOT supposed to put them to death, flog them, or imprison them. THAT is terrorism, not Islamic. In fact, it’s unlawful for us to do such a thing. The only time we can inflict physical harm upon someone else is in self-defense. And even then, we are not supposed to transgress our boundaries, as in, only do as much so you’re defending yourself and not harming the other person excessively.
Honestly, as if Muslims and Islam needs any more stereotypes and misconceptions.
I am a Buddhist and I must say that the comments are far more entertaining than the lists! Haha just kidding,I think. I find that those who vigorously and (judging by the harsh language) maliciously attack other faiths in defense of their own, lack the ideal of “faith” in their own beliefs. If one firmly and truly believes that what they believe is right, then one must assume they can take criticism with a smile without the need to constantly republish their obviously strong belief in their own faith. Instead of pointing out what is wrong and what you dislike with separate faiths try to find what you can understand and share between them. Extremists are abound in all religions (even Buddhists) and much of the turmoil in the middle east is more based on oppression, land rights, and a history of violence (from all). These people have been taught hatred from a young age as indoctrination for causes far different than my God is better than your Jesus. No different than many children are raised as anti-semetics in the US being force fed God’s will and the bible as a tool for their cause. In the majority of the world people of faith, of any faith, can sit down and be willful to each other. When you let extremist of any religion base you view of said faith then you are viewing them through a cloudy haze when you can go sit with your neighbor and actually see them in the sunshine. There are exponentially more muslims and christians or anything else in limitless numbers across all nations that are not running into your homes and declaring jihad or religious warfare, so to say that ALL are this or ALL are that is ALL wrong. Focus on what we all possess inside instead of what one decides to read or the actions of a small few. I respect you all and hopefully this receives no ill will, and if it does then I accept that. Gnight Everybody!
there will be 10 people who will say, Muslims are terrorists, Islam is a death cult, any religion that condones violence is horrible, evil, bad.
then 10 other people will retort, they’re not all violent, the media portrays them as such, don’t believe everything you see on the news, people of other religions are violent too, what about them?
it’s really getting to be quite tired, for both sides of the camp.
and i agree that this list portrays a slightly biased view of Islam. there are many things he could have mentioned that would be interesting and informative without igniting any sparks, background information about the religion that are less likely to cause any controversy. some of the things like “A non-Muslim who insults Islam must be put to death, according to most schools of Islamic jurisprudence, or flogged and imprisoned, according to others” hardly constitutes a core belief in Islam OR shows the author’s impartiality.
What about zorastrianism?
Atheists exist – gods don’t.
Atheism is no religion, however. If you were to sum up all the personal philosophies of atheists, you would end up with a ragtag list of incredibly varied ideas about life.
Wow. It still holds true that religion is just one of those things you don’t bring up in polite conversation. I like the synopsis of religions. However I find it more interesting the ‘convictions’ of the people posting comments. Regardless of the religion people seem to give the impression that theirs is the only one. All others are wrong or curropt or inferior. Please people, open your minds, you don’t have to agree, just don’t tune out every other idea. It makes you sound like a biggot.
I’m coming in extremely late here, but as a Christian I am horrified by Tom up there. Uh…our Christian ancestors killed more humans in the name of Jesus than any other religion has done in the name of their god(s). To take quotes from the Koran (sp?) and say they are 100% proof that all Muslims want to kill us innocent Christians…I’m sorry, but have you READ our Bible?! Holy *****, man, H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-T-E.
Hey.
i believe in sikhisim and respect other religions and beliefs and believe none of us have the right to tell peopel what they should belive in and try to prove their religion wrong.
It feels good to know Sikhisim in a part of this list!
“ammar: the section you dislike is taken from a book “The Jews of Islam” by Bernard Lewis (Amazon) written in 1974. Lewis (the Cleveland E. Dodge Professor Emeritus of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University) is one of the most widely-read scholars of the Middle East.”
No wonder!!! Bernard Lewis is very anti-Islam. This is a biased source. The entry on Islam should be revised. It’s inaccurate.
Tom. Asma Bin Marwant is a myth. she was never murdered. Also, many of the examples you cigted were from the wahabbians weho are condemned by mainstream islam. Also, Muslims had rules of war saying “spare women children and old people, honor agreements,s pare people….” I’d go on but you wouldn’t listen. Also, you have no clue it was against her will and HE WAITED FOR THREE *****ING YEARS TO CONSUMATE THE MARRIAGE AND PAEDOS HAVE NO RESTRAINT AT ALL!!!!!! Tom, you are a brainless dumb***** with no clue about Islam.
A man in his fifties marries a six year old and forces her to have ***** at nine is not a paedophile? Do people leave you alone with their children?
Get bent pig*****er if you actually read the quran youd find that women are well within their rights to divorce their husbands. Do research, and not make racist judgements to compensate for your small penis.
Tom said:Does religion really have something to do with this ? As evidenced by islam : yes. The Christian North Africa in 500 AD was the richest country on earth. It wasn’t a desert, it was prosperous beyond description, …
700 AD (50 years after arabs attacked) it was the poorest country on earth.
I’d like you to cite evidence. and it ignores the golden age of cooperation that occured in spain. Also, the christians were more hateful to jews then muslims. @Les [172]: yes bernie lewis has issues, but he is able to point out the good in islam. that does count. He would not approve of douches like robert spencer and steve emerson
@Tomcpp [109]: it is curious that your stance is so amazingly blind. you are super selective about your facts and make conclusions based on rogue pieces of evidences and Quranic quotes that are taken out of context.
have you heard the words ‘blind’ and ‘out of context’ when you are arguing with a muslim? is it now a mere ‘rolling of the eyes’ that reacts?
The Quranic quotes you refer to are not understood by yourself. have you looked up the time and situation of the muslsims at those times? i think not. Do you consider these quotes with the past revelations that were revealed? i think not. Do you consider these along with the direction of the mulsims at that time? I think not.
Any scientific and logic oriented person will consider evidence from all angles.
sadly, you will not. Have you read the quotes that say there are those who are blind? You are a prime example. your refute is a prime evidence. You can say what you want. The hereafter is not as receptive to your opinions.
“Allah guides who he wants and allows others to lead themselves astray”.
Good luck Tom. You will need it.
I think everyone should respect each other's beliefs. I personally don't even think there is a right and a wrong- just our own beliefs. I think you should believe what you want, but respect others too.
You don't think that following a man who murders, steals, lies, assassinates, sells and receives slaves, rapes women after killing tier family and has ***** with a nine year old girl is wrong?
Ask yourself "Am I morally superior to the Taliban" and if you do not immediately answer yes then you take a look at yourself
Holy Wars have caused the deaths of billions of people. The day that all of the worlds religions fall, is the day that mankind can finally progress and move forward.
I enjoyed reading your blog. Keep it that way. zwnolysxjdggpdsh
Oh the hatred I see here. May the Wondrous Flying Spaghetti Monster touch all of you with His Noodley Appendage, Drench you all in his Sauce of Love and help you turn from the false gods and prophets. By His Meat Balls I pray for you all.
Guys you shouldnt fight about any religion. My mums a Muslims my dads a christian and they get along perfectly well and respect what eachother belief in. Who cares what religion you are we all have a right what to believe in.