Discover the 5 Most Popular Religions in the World and How Old Each Is

Discover the 5 most popular religions in the world and how old each is in this article! Scholars find that defining a belief system as a religion can be dubious, however, there are probably more than 4000 religions in existence today. More than 80 percent of people on the planet consider themselves religious, though this number is declining.

This list does not include the irreligious since they do not have a dogmatic belief structure. Also, out of respect for the individual characteristics of folk traditions, the practice of these religions has not been included under an umbrella term. We’ll go over the most popular religions in the world now.

1. Christianity: 2000 Years Old

Christianity is the most popular religion in the world, with around 2.38 billion believers. While Christianity has common tenets across all of its denominations, there are thousands of different versions of the Christian faith. Its holy book is the Bible.

No one can quite agree on exactly when Christianity started. Some think it began with the birth of Jesus, while others think it began when Paul wrote his notes that later became one of the Gospels around 65 CE. As an estimation, Christianity is about 2000 years old.

Christians believe that Jesus Christ was the son of God. Christianity was born out of Judaism, and Jesus himself was a Jew. Jesus was prophesized in the Old Testament as the Messiah, and he came to Earth to provide salvation to sinful humanity through faith and repentance.

2. Islam: 1412 Years Old

Islam is the second most popular religion in the world with about 1.91 billion believers. Adherents to Islam are called Muslims with 95 percent of Muslims being Sunni or Shi’a Muslims. The name of their one God is Allah.

Before the creation of Islam, the Arab world was not united. Conflicts between tribes existed, and the Jews and Christians looked down on their cultures. However, the rise of Islam created a unifying religion under one God that rivaled the framework respected by the Christians and Jews who mingled with Muslims. Islam rose as the religion given to them by God specifically for their people.

Islam began in 610 CE when the Prophet Mohammed received his first revelations that led to the creation of the Quran. Two years later, he began preaching what he had learned in his revelations. As Mohammed faced challenges over 21 years, the Quran was written one verse, or surah, at a time.

3. Hinduism: 4000 Years Old

Hinduism is the third most popular religion in the world, with over 1.16 billion believers. It is also the oldest surviving religion in the world. It originated on the Indian subcontinent, so it’s not surprising that over 1 billion Hindus live in India.

While other religions on this list came into being when a certain founder or messiah became known, Hindu history is not like this. Therefore, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly when it started although scholars believe it began around 4000 years ago.

Hinduism is not united under one deity as there are many gods and demi gods. Different groups honor a few recognized religious books, and holidays differ based on the traditions followed by a particular sect. The main sects of Hinduism are Smarta, Shaivism, Shaktism, and Vaishnava.

4. Buddhism: 2500 Years Old

Buddhism is the fourth most popular religion in the world with over 507 million believers. It was founded in India, though most of its adherents now live in other Asian countries like China, North and South Korea, Nepal, and elsewhere. There are 3 main types of Buddhism: Vajrayana, Mahayana, and Theravada.

Buddhism doesn’t center itself around a higher god, but rather each individual is responsible for their enlightenment. The point of this reality is to endure suffering and to try to overcome this human condition through meditation, work, spiritual awareness, and behaving morally. Nirvana, or enlightenment, is the ultimate goal of Buddhists. Those who do not achieve enlightenment during their life are reborn in this reality to try again.

A man named Siddhartha Gautama became the Buddha around 2500 years ago. He was a prince who was dismayed with poverty and suffering, so he gave up his privilege to live a humble life.

Siddhartha realized that living purposefully destitute wasn’t the answer just as much as being filthy rich wasn’t the answer. He ended up finding peace by living between the two extremes in a manner dubbed The Middle Way.

Siddhartha Gautama is the founder of Buddhism because he was the first person to achieve of state of Nirvana and thus attain enlightenment. He achieved Nirvana through deep meditation under the Bodhi tree.

5. Judaism: 3800 Years Old

Judaism is the fifth most popular religion in the world, with over 14.6 million believers. Historically, Jews were scattered around the world. Today that is somewhat true, but 5 million Jews now live in the State of Israel alone.

It is the oldest of the Abrahamic religions which are a group of monotheistic traditions including Christianity, and Islam. They all share the belief that there is one omnipotent and omniscient God who created everything. What made the Jewish God so revolutionary in history is that he was a solitary being concerned with humanity and not with interactions with other divine beings.

Judaism technically began during the life of Abraham about 3800 years ago. He had a deep relationship with God which was made official a few hundred years later when Moses received the Torah on Mount Sinai.

The Torah is the main religious text in Judaism. Depending on the sect, the Tanakh, Midrash, and Talmud may also be very important religious books. Judaism as a religion was born during the Bronze Age in the Middle East, and many people consider themselves ethnically Jewish even if they don’t ascribe to a serious and devout religious life.

While there are many versions of Judaism with a wide range of beliefs, the main three movements in existence today are Reform Judaism, Conservative Judaism, and Orthodox Judaism. Each branch has its own rules on how to commit to God, but the idea is that having a relationship with God can be achieved every day through the mundane. These activities supplement study, and both are needed to stay in tune with God’s love for humanity.

Oldest Religions Ranked

The photo featured at the top of this post is © ESB Professional/Shutterstock.com