Question

The number of major religions in the world is _____________.
A. Six
B. Seven
C. Eight
D. Nine

Answer 1

Hint: Religion established certain values and beliefs that define how people worship the divine forces or divine being. Every religion has different customs and values.

Complete answer: A religion consists of powers or supernatural powers that are regarded as the creators and maintainer of the universe. It is a form of spreading of new cultural ideas and converts are the people who believe these new ideas or values by giving up their former beliefs.

The Seven major religion of the world are -
1. Judaism - Discovered in 3000 B.C. by Abraham and Moses in Israel. The holy books of worship are Torah, Talmud and the house of worship is Synagogues. It is monotheistic in nature and Jerusalem is their holy land. The basic belief is that Jews are the chosen people of God thus one must follow his laws.
2. Christianity - Discovered in 30 A.D. by Abraham and Jesus in Israel. The holy books of worship are the Old Testament (Judaism) and the New Testament which consists of the stories of Jesus and the house of worship is the church. The three major divisions of this religion is Catholic, Protestants and Orthodox. It is monotheistic in nature and believes that Jesus Christ is the son of God. It also believes in death and resurrection.
3. Islam - Discovered in 620 A.D. by Abraham and Mohammad in the Arabian Peninsula. The holy books of worship are the Quran, Hadith and the house of worship is the mosque. The two major divisions of this religion is Sunni and Shia. It is monotheistic in nature and believes that there is no God but only Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.
4. Hinduism - Discovered between 5000 and 3000 B.C. in India by the ancient Priests. The sacred textbooks are the Vedas and the place of worship is temples. The division of Hinduism is vast as it consists of numerous schools and traditions. It is polytheistic in nature and beliefs in reincarnation and karma.
5. Buddhism - Discovered in 500 B.C. by Gautama Buddha in northern India. The holy book of Buddhism is Tripitaka and the place of worship is Monastery. The two major divisions are the Mahayana and Theravada. It is a Polytheistic faith which believes in reincarnation, karma, dharma and follows the 8 fold path Nirvana.
6. Sikhism - Discovered in 1500 A.D. by Guru Nanak in India and Pakistan. The holy book of worship is Adi Granth and the place of worship is a temple. It is a monotheistic faith which believes in reincarnation.
7. Animism - It is mostly found in Sub-Saharan Africa and belongs to the tribal ethnic religion of the people all around the world. It believes that certain inanimate objects possess life or souls such as rocks, mountain peaks, rivers or heavenly water bodies.

Thus, the correct answer is option (B).

Note: The seven major religion of the world are classified into three types- Monotheistic belief where there is only one God or a divine being; Polytheistic belief consists of many gods; Animistic belief refers to the one that believes in divine forces in nature, anima-soul.