Major religious groups

In the name of world religion is a term that put it under a coarse grid over diverse religions, which are characterized for example by the high number of followers, the nationwide distribution and / or its universal claim.

A clear definition is difficult to afford. Therefore listings of the world's religions are always subject to a certain arbitrariness.

In religious studies the application of the term is avoided in order to avoid definitional problems.

World Religions

The following five existing religions are generally referred as world religions ( trailer according to Encyclopædia Britannica, 2005):

• Christianity ( approximately 2.26 billion followers )
• Islam ( approximately 1.57 billion followers )
• Hinduism ( about 900 million followers )
• Buddhism ( about 377 million followers )
• Judaism ( 15 million followers )

Despite its universal self-understanding Judaism falls considerably declined from the others mentioned world religions. While Christianity and Islam have active proselytizing, this will not take place in Judaism from different religious and cultural and historical reasons. At the same time the Jewish faith has a great cultural formative importance as well as Christianity and Islam on the Abrahamic monotheism build. However, a conversion to the Jewish religion ( Gijur ) is possible in principle. In Buddhism and Hinduism there is no active proselytizing. In Hinduism, the religion tied to a narrow social structure ( caste). Therefore, Hinduism is regionally strongly bound, despite the high number of believers. The religious institutionalization is relatively less pronounced in Hinduism.

Because of the universal validity claim any interested party can join a world religion. Since no connection with kinship structures exists, not belonging to a certain tribe, clan or nation is required. The key features of religion are canonized and are in the Scriptures before. Theological reflection and metaphysical speculation belong to the essence of a world religion. In most world religions in the course of time religious institutions have emerged. On the question of how many followers must have a religion to be considered as a world religion, there is no consensus. On various occasions also the age of a religion is called as a criterion. Therefore be at 20-21. Century created called "new religious movements " religions.

A very close view of the concept of world religion would only Buddhism, Christianity and Islam include: the universal validity claim was already in founding the religion present, a worldwide distribution is available, the number of followers is very high and the religion is very old.

Extended Schema:

• Daoism ( number of followers in five states difficult to detect because usually mixed with other religions, about 8 million followers in Taiwan, according to estimates up to 60 million followers in the PRC, and the Encyclopædia Britannica gives just under 3 million to )
• Bahaitum ( about 7 million followers worldwide distribution )
• Confucianism ( about 6 million followers )

Many scholars have also Daoism due to its great importance in China and Korea. The classification of Confucianism is controversial insofar as the religious Confucianism does not have very many followers. It is also noted that the Western understanding of religion when Confucianism (which is primarily a moral teaching ) in any case does not apply. Chance of Baha'is are listed, but only by authors who do not always classify all religions which arose after the Sikhism, as a "new religious movements ". Without doubt it is in the Bahai religion with a universal claim, religious institutions, scripture, etc. Only the small fan base speaks against adding back to the world religions. In Sikhism, the universal claim is in doubt.

This shows that the term " world religion " is not very clear-cut and is applied differently. In religion, science, the term world religion for this reason, more and more replaced by the world's religions. This depends primarily on the number of followers and does not exclude unwritten religions.

History of Research

The sociologist Max Weber defined in 1915 five world religions: the Confucian, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, and Islamic Ethics. As a sixth religion come added with Judaism, because it was important for the understanding of the last two religions. In Daoism he goes, but he described him as heterodoxy (Anders faith, heresy ) to Confucianism.

A significant contribution was provided by the religious scholar Gustav Mensching (1901-1978), who emphasized in 1938 that in the early history of man, the people of religions that are limited to family, clan, tribe or people, were predominant. Only when they are " absolutely certain people and not the fellow ," the appeal, they become universal or world religion. Universal religions assume that the individual is in a " general and existential disaster situation," from which he would be freed and redeemed. In contrast to the collectively oriented early religions, the religions of the world are more focused on the individual. For Mensching five religions have achieved this status: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism.

The Indologist Helmuth von Glasenapp goes in 1963 of eight " ethical high religions " ( Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Chinese universism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam ), of which he five as a world religion describes ( Hinduism, Buddhism, Chinese universism, Christianity and Islam) because they are " together account for nine-tenths of religious humanity ". The Sikhism he regarded as Hindu reform sect. The term " Chinese universism " he sums Confucianism and Daoism (as well as other relevant aspects of Chinese religion ) together.

The theologian Gerhard Wehr is 2002 by seven world religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism ). He sees the world religions as a counterpoint to nature and tribal religions that have no separation between God and the world and no heresy ( heresy ). A detailed explanation for the selection of religions brings not fight back.

Religious scholar Manfred Hutter in 2005 also describes seven world religions (Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Taoism, Islam, Baha'i and Hinduism ). Confucianism he concludes, since the number of adherents of religious Confucianism is too low. The Sikhism he does not, since he misses the universal validity claim. Hutter points out that the concept of world religion is not religious studies, but a ( largely comprehensible ) notion of the everyday vocabulary.