religion

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

Charles Sprague Pearce: Religion

Geographical distribution of the religions of the world in the early 1980s.

Indonesia. Communal conflicts and secessionist pressures have been on the rise in Indonesia, which has one of the world's most religiously diverse populations. Thematic map. Includes locator.

Know about Richard Dawkins's views on atheism and his idea of religion as a virus

Know why Karl Marx called religion “the opium of the people” and his dream of a communist revolution

Christianity and superstition in the Middle Ages

Read Next

Ahura Mazda - relief of the Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda at the ancient ruins of Persepolis in Iran. Also known as Ormazd Zoroastrianism,

Which Religion Is the Oldest?

African American man praying in church with stained glass in background

Why Do People Say “Amen” at the End of a Prayer?

Candles Burning On Table In Church

What Is the Most Widely Practiced Religion in the World?

Confucius statue at a Confucian Temple in Shanghai, China. Confucianism religion

What is the Difference Between Daoism and Confucianism?

Indian hijras participate in a religious procession in Gandhinagar, India, some 30 kilometers from Ahmedabad, on March 22, 2017. Hijra is a term used in South Asia which refers to transgender individuals who are born male. (gender identity, gender expression)

6 Cultures That Recognize More than Two Genders

Discover

illustration of the walking titanosaurus, Patagotitan mayorum

Titanosaurs: 8 of the World's Biggest Dinosaurs

Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”

Lusitania sinking, illustration from The War of the Nations (New York), December 31, 1919. World War I, WWI. This image is one of three on the page. (See source file for the other two.)

7 of the World’s Deadliest Shipwrecks

New Zealand. Political/Physical map. Includes locator.

Where Is “Old Zealand”?

Two chicks near an egg with a white background (poultry, chick, chickens, birds).

What Do Eggs Have to Do with Easter?

Rural Irish landscape, Sligo, Ireland.

Why Is Ireland Two Countries?

July, 2006, Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery STS-121. See attached for full caption information.

Will Light-Speed Space Travel Ever Be Possible?

religion: Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Photos and Videos

Charles Sprague Pearce: Religion

Geographical distribution of the religions of the world in the early 1980s.

Indonesia. Communal conflicts and secessionist pressures have been on the rise in Indonesia, which has one of the world's most religiously diverse populations. Thematic map. Includes locator.

Know about Richard Dawkins's views on atheism and his idea of religion as a virus

Know why Karl Marx called religion “the opium of the people” and his dream of a communist revolution

Christianity and superstition in the Middle Ages

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

Christianity Judaism Hinduism Buddhism Islam myth study of religion Taoism Confucianism religious symbolism and iconography historiography political system chronology social science government archaeology philosophy history culture

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Poet John Milton

John Milton

English poet

Vigny, lithograph by Antoine Maurin, 1832

Alfred-Victor, count de Vigny

French author

Ahura Mazdā

Zarathushtra

Iranian prophet

Sholem Asch

Sholem Asch

American writer

Constant, detail of an oil painting by Hercule des Roches, c. 1830; in the Musée Carnavalet, Paris

Benjamin Constant

French author

Martin E. Marty

American historian of religion

Rashīd Riḍā

Islamic scholar

Cosmo Gordon Lang, 1929.

Cosmo Gordon Lang, Baron Lang

archbishop of Canterbury

Xenophanes

Greek poet and philosopher

Jacob van Maerlant

Dutch poet

John Owen, oil painting by an unknown artist; in the National Portrait Gallery, London

John Owen

English minister

John Bastwick

English religious zealot

Matthäus Schiner

Swiss diplomat

Seraphim of Sarov, Saint

Saint Seraphim of Sarov

Russian monk

Johann von Staupitz

German clergyman

Duperron, detail from an engraving

Jacques Davy Duperron

French cardinal

Theoleptus Of Philadelphia

Greek Orthodox bishop

Simon Kimbangu

African religious leader

Konrad von Marburg

German inquisitor

Charles Du Bos

French critic

Quiz

Old Bible. Antique Bible, the bible, Christianity education literature manuscript religion text language words biblical, arts and entertainment, history and society, text philosophy, text wisdom, homepage 2010

Religion: High and Mighty Quiz

Drum. Buddhist monk in Luang Prabang, Laos, hitting temple drum. (Buddhism, religion, percussion)

Religion Across the Globe

Omar Ali Saifuddin mosque, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei.

World Religions & Traditions

Demystified

Candles Burning On Table In Church

What Is the Most Widely Practiced Religion in the World?