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Library of World Religions and Faith Traditions
Written by the world's leading authorities on religion and spirituality, the Patheos Library offers the most accurate and balanced information available on the web.
In the column below, 50 major religious traditions are listed. For each, Patheos offers thorough, peer-reviewed, encyclopedic information that helps readers understand its origins, history, beliefs, rituals, ethics, and community structures. Click on the name of a religion to read in-depth articles.
| Religion | Adherents | Formed | Origin |
| East Asian Origins | |||
| Chinese Religion | 400,000,000 | 4000 BCE | China |
| Confucianism | 5,000,000 | c. 500 B.C.E. | China |
| Japanese Religion | 1,000,000 | 400 BCE | Japan |
| Shinto | 3,000,000 | 500 BCE | Japan |
| Taoism | 20,000,000 | c. 550 B.C.E. | China |
| Zen | 10,000,000 | 650 CE | China / Japan |
| Indian Origins | |||
| Buddhism | 350,000,000 | c. 5th century B.C.E. | India |
| Mahayana Buddhism | 185,000,000 | 100 CE | India |
| Theravada Buddhism | 124,000,000 | 100 BCE | India / Sri Lanka |
| Vajrayana Buddhism | 6,000,000 | 500 CE | India |
| Hinduism | 1,000,000,000 | c. 2000 B.C.E. | India |
| Shaivite Hinduism | 200,000,000 | 150 BCE | India |
| Shakta Hinduism | 25,000,000 | 300 CE | India |
| Vaishnavite Hinduism | 350,000,000 | 300 CE | India |
| Jainism | 6,000,000 | 550 BCE | India |
| Sikhism | 23,000,000 | 1450 CE | India |
| Near Eastern Origins | |||
| Christianity | 2,100,000,000 | 33 CE | Palestine |
| Eastern Orthodoxy | 200,000,000 | c. 1st - 5th centuries C.E. | Roman-Byzantine Empire |
| Mormonism | 13,500,000 | 1830 CE | United States |
| Oriental Orthodoxy | 27,000,000 | 451 CE | Middle East |
| Protestantism | 500,000,000 | early 16th century | Germany |
| Adventist | 15,500,000 | 1850 CE | United States |
| African Independent Churches | 110,000,000 | 1870 CE | Africa |
| Anabaptist | 4,500,000 | 1525 CE | Switzerland |
| Anglican/Episcopalian | 70,000,000 | 1534 CE | England |
| Baptist | 100,000,000 | 1609 CE | Holland, England, and United States |
| Disciples of Christ | 700,000 | 1832 CE | United States |
| Holiness and Pentecostal | 105,000,000 | 1900 CE | United States |
| Lutheran | 64,000,000 | 1517 CE | Germany |
| Methodist | 70,000,000 | 1744 CE | England |
| Presbyterian & Reformed | 75,000,000 | 1529 CE | Switzerland |
| Society of Friends (Quaker) | 300,000 | 1654 CE | England |
| United Church of Christ/Congregationalism | 1,200,000 | 1957 CE | United States / England |
| Roman Catholicism | 1,170,000,000 | 1st - 5th centuries C.E. | Roman-Latin Empire |
| Islam | 1,500,000,000 | 622 CE | Arabian peninsula |
| Shi'a Islam | 150,000,000 | 632 CE | Middle East |
| Sufism | 9,000,000 | 675 CE | Middle East |
| Sunni Islam | 940,000,000 | 632 CE | Middle East |
| Judaism | 14,000,000 | c. 2000 B.C.E. | Canaan |
| Conservative Judaism | 4,500,000 | 1886 CE | Europe |
| Orthodox Judaism | 2,000,000 | 1851 CE | Europe |
| Reform Judaism | 4,000,000 | 1810 CE | Europe |
| New Religions | |||
| Baha'i | 5,000,000 | 1863 CE | Iran (Persia) |
| Christian Science | 400,000 | 1879 CE | United States |
| ISKCON (Hare Krishna) | 250,000 | 1966 CE | United States |
| Jehovah's Witnesses | 7,000,000 | 1931 CE | United States |
| New Age | 3,500,000 | 1960 CE | United States |
| Paganism | 1,000,000 | Early 20th Century | Multiple sources |
| Scientology | 500,000 | 1954 CE | United States |
| Unitarian-Universalism | 250,000 | 1825 CE | United States |
Compare Religions
GoUse the Patheos Side-by-Side Lens to create an easy-to-read comparison chart for differing religious traditions. Choose up to three traditions from the scrollable lists to the right and then click Go!
More Traditions
Here are some important Traditions that help fill in the big picture — ancient religions, indigenous religions, non-religious "systems," and some additional traditions related to the Major Traditions in the main Patheos Library.
View More Traditions
Origin Map
Use the Patheos Origin Map to see when and where every religion began. A pinned map shows the location of origin and a timeline shows its comparison to other religions as they form. Play the entire timeline to watch as the world’s religions develop.
VIEW INTERACTIVE MAP OF WORLD RELIGIONS
Faith Family Tree
How do the religions of the world relate to each other? Each Family Tree Lens helps you see how religions developed historically in relation to each other.
VIEW INTERACTIVE TREE LENS
Country Profiles
Our country profiles offer detailed information about the religious demographics of every country in the world — nearly 300 countries in all.
Go
Topics
Patheos regularly features topical surveys and series. Open the list below to review covered topics and related blogs, columns, and articles.
For Students
You have come to the right place for extensive, user-friendly information for your research projects and your studies. Whether you are a student or just someone studying the religions of the world, Patheos provides a solid foundation of religious knowledge.
STUDENT RESOURCES
For Teachers
Patheos offers a free and expansive library of easy-to-read information on the world’s religious traditions. The Library also includes a variety of lenses and summaries to assist you in bringing the traditions to life. Visit our Teachers page to review all of our resources.
TEACHER RESOURCES
The World Is Burning and Yet I Garden 
Worship Team Wanted: Fat People Need Not Apply 
Political Christianity: American Style 
America's Sexual Ethic Creates Men Like Trump 
When the Samhain Bell Tolls for You 
6 Things Atheists Can Learn From Religion 
Proselytizing Is for Weak Gods 
Beyond Police Accountability: Building Cultures of Compassion 
Why the Bible Isn't a Children's Book 
The Project of Zen Is Waking Up 
The Immoral Economy and Trump's Tax Returns 
Pope on a Plane: Gender Ideology 
The Modern Roots of Pagan Halloween? 
Theological Interpretation and the Problem of Whiteness 
Is the Crucifix a Symbol of Hate? 
Big Families and the Fine Print 
Mobilization and Beyond: Building Muslim Political Power 
The Heresy of Conscience 
The Uncomfortable Non-Negotiables of the Gospel 
Thank You, Black Southern Belles 
Atheism and Buddhism: Denying or Redefining Awakening? 
The Eye Inside: Self-Watching for Genuine Growth 
A Legacy of Oracles and Seers 
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