This article is about the paradigm in the academic study of religion. For other uses, see World religions (disambiguation).
Category in the study of religion
Symbols commonly associated with six of the religions labelled "world religions": clockwise from the top, these represent Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, and Christianity.
World religions is a category used in the study of religion to demarcate at least five—and in some cases more—religions that are deemed to have been especially large, internationally widespread, or influential in the development of Western society. Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism are always included in the list. Some scholars also include other religions in the category, such as the Baháʼí Faith, Sikhism, and/or Zoroastrianism. These are often juxtaposed against other categories, such as folk religions, Indigenous religions, and new religious movements (NRMs), which are also used by scholars in this field of research. Less dividing is the concept of major religious groups.
The world religions paradigm was developed in the United Kingdom during the 1960s, where it was pioneered by phenomenological scholars of religion such as Ninian Smart. It was designed to broaden the study of religion away from its heavy focus on Christianity by taking into account other large religious traditions around the world. The paradigm is often used by lecturers instructing undergraduate students in the study of religion and is also the framework used by school teachers in the United Kingdom and other countries. The paradigm's emphasis on viewing these religious movements as distinct and mutually exclusive entities has also had a wider impact on the categorisation of religion—for instance in censuses—in both Western countries and elsewhere.
Since the late 20th century, the paradigm has faced critique by scholars of religion such as Jonathan Z. Smith, some of whom have argued for its abandonment. Critics have argued that the world religions paradigm is inappropriate because it takes the Protestant branch of Nicene Christianity as the model for what constitutes "religion"; that it is tied up with discourses of modernity, including the power relations present in modern society; that it encourages an uncritical understanding of religion; and that it makes a value judgment as to what religions should be considered "major". Others have argued that it remains useful in the classroom, so long as students are made aware that it is a socially-constructed category.
Worldreligions is a category used in the study of religion to demarcate at least five—and in some cases more—religions that are deemed to have been especially...
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divided religions into three broad categories: worldreligions, a term which refers to transcultural, international faiths; Indigenous religions, which...
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example, Islam with Eastern religions. Abrahamic religions make up the largest major division in the study of comparative religion. By total number of adherents...
denominations do not endorse the Catholic formulation. Several other religions have concepts resembling Purgatory: Gehenna in Judaism, al-A'raf or the...
their traditional beliefs with the practice of Abrahamic religions. These two Abrahamic religions are widespread across Africa, though mostly concentrated...
diplomacy, he sits on a high pedestal outside Bangkok's CentralWorld (formerly World Trade Center), where people offer flowers, incense and a reverential...
estimated 10,000 distinct religions worldwide, though nearly all of them have regionally based, relatively small followings. Four religions—Christianity, Islam...
of new religions like Heathenry have sought to present theirs as "indigenous religions" although have faced scepticism from scholars of religion. The academic...
through the ten courts, similar to Yama's representation in several Chinese religions. He has also spread widely and is known in every country where Buddhism...
Christianity and other religions documents Christianity's relationship with other worldreligions, and the differences and similarities. Some Christians...
Laura (2007), Illustrated Timeline of Religion, ISBN 978-1-4027-3606-3 Bowker, John (2006), WorldReligions, ISBN 0-7566-1772-3 Sangave, Dr. Vilas Adinath...
four of the world's major religions, namely, Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism, which are collectively known as native Indian religions or Dharmic...
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religions, sometimes also termed Dharmic religions or Indic religions, are the religions that originated in the Indian subcontinent. These religions,...
Iranian religions. Eastern religions include: the East Asian religions such as Confucianism, Taoism, Chinese folk religion, and Shinto Indian religions (also...
229 Major religious groups Worldreligions Importance of religion by country Religious demographics Religions: Religions by country History of the Baháʼí...
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study of comparative religion, the East Asian religions or Taoic religions,[better source needed] form a subset of the Eastern religions. This group includes...
studies, an ethnic religion is a religion or belief associated with notions of heredity and a particular ethnic group. Ethnic religions are often distinguished...
comparative religion, a common geographical classification of the main worldreligions distinguishes groups such as Middle Eastern religions (including...
that are different from those of the largest worldreligions. Contemporary knowledge of old pagan religions and beliefs comes from several sources, including...
religions also provided cohesion through a unified doctrine and practice shared by the nationwide community. The officially recognized new religions number...
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