The origins of religion are lost in the mists of ancient history. We have no knowledge of worship and theology prior to about 5,000 years ago, so it is not really possible to say what the oldest religion may have been. For this reason, it may be better to focus on the size of the world’s religions and a brief description of the five largest.
Christianity, the World’s Largest Religious Group
It is clear that the most prevalent religion of the present time is Christianity, with over 2 billion members. Statistics assert that about a third of the world’s population identifies itself as Christian. This is not to say that Christians are unified in their beliefs. Christianity encompasses thousands of different groups of adherents.
Most Christians do agree on a few basic tenets, such as the Trinity, atonement, and salvation by grace. However, there is great division on the meaning of these terms and the interpretation of the Bible. Certainly, all Christian churches center their beliefs on the person of Jesus Christ.
Islam, the Second Most Prevalent Religion
Islam encompasses about 23% of the world’s population with around 1.57 billion adherents. The Qu’ran is their holy book, but they also acknowledge the Bible and refer to Christians and Jews as “people of the Book.” The name Islam is based on the Arabic word “salam” and means submission. A Muslim is one who submits himself or herself to the will of Allah.
The great prophet of Islam is Muhammad (peace be upon him), who was born in the late 6th century. He was orphaned at a young age and was brought up by an uncle. As a child, he worked as a shepherd and later as a camel driver and finally a manager of caravans. He met many religious people, Christians, Jews, and adherents of Pagan religions. His ministry began when he was about 40 years old. He worked to convert his countrymen from pagan beliefs to worshiping the one true God.
No Religion
It may seem odd to refer to people who declare no religion as a religious group, but about half of them are theistic. They simply do not adhere to any formal religion. This is the third largest division, although it is much smaller than Islam, about 16% of the world’s population. The group includes atheists, agnostics, and theists who consider themselves independent.
Hinduism
Hinduism is the only prevalent religion of modern times that still follows pantheism. About 14% of the people of the world adhere to this ancient religion. Unlike the other major religions, Hinduism does not have a single founder, a specific theology, a single deity or holy book, or a central religious authority. Thousands of different groups that follow different deities have evolved since around 1500 BC and are now encompassed under the name Hindu. Hinduism claims about 950 million followers and is the major religion of India and Nepal.
Chinese Traditional Religion and Buddhism
Both Chinese Traditional Religion and Buddhism claim around 6% of the world’s population, with 394 million Chinese Traditionalists and 376 million Buddhists. The core beliefs of Buddhism center around reincarnation and rebirth. In reincarnation, a person may be born repeatedly as a human. In rebirth, the person may come back in a different life form. The process continues until the individual is able to relinquish self and desire and achieve Nirvana.
Chinese Traditional Religion includes elements of Buddhism, Chinese folk religion, Taoism, Confucianism, and ancestor worship. This tradition evolved over thousands of years.