world religions. Main types of religions

Faith in God surrounds a person from infancy. In childhood, this still unconscious choice is associated with family traditions that exist in every home. But later a person can consciously change his confession. How are they similar and how do they differ from one another?

The concept of religion and the prerequisites for its appearance

The word "religion" comes from the Latin religio (piety, shrine). This is a worldview, behavior, actions based on faith in something that surpasses human understanding and supernatural, that is, sacred. The beginning and meaning of any religion is faith in God, regardless of whether he is personified or impersonal.

There are several prerequisites for the emergence of religion. First, from time immemorial, man has been trying to go beyond the boundaries of this world. He seeks to find salvation and consolation outside of it, sincerely needs faith.

Secondly, a person wants to give an objective assessment of the world. And then, when he cannot explain the origin of earthly life only by natural laws, he makes the assumption that a supernatural force is applied to all this.

Thirdly, a person believes that various events and occurrences of a religious nature confirm the existence of God. The list of religions for believers is already a real proof of the existence of God. They explain it very simply. If there were no God, there would be no religion.

The oldest types, forms of religion

The birth of religion took place 40 thousand years ago. It was then that the emergence of the simplest forms of religious beliefs was noted. It was possible to learn about them thanks to the discovered burials, as well as rock and cave art.

In accordance with this, the following types of ancient religions are distinguished:

Totemism. A totem is a plant, animal or object that was considered sacred by a particular group of people, tribe, clan. At the heart of this ancient religion was belief in the supernatural power of the amulet (totem).

Magic. This form of religion is based on the belief in the magical abilities of man. The magician with the help of symbolic actions is able to influence the behavior of other people, natural phenomena and objects from a positive and negative side.
Fetishism. From among any objects (the skull of an animal or a person, a stone or a piece of wood, for example), one was chosen to which supernatural properties were attributed. He was supposed to bring good luck and protect from danger.
Animism. All natural phenomena, objects and people have a soul. She is immortal and continues to live outside the body even after his death. All modern types of religions are based on the belief in the existence of the soul and spirits.
Shamanism. It was believed that the head of the tribe or the clergyman had supernatural powers. He entered into conversation with the spirits, listened to their advice and fulfilled the requirements. Belief in the power of the shaman is at the heart of this form of religion.

List of religions

There are more than a hundred different religious trends in the world, including the most ancient forms and modern trends. They have their own time of occurrence and differ in the number of followers. But at the heart of this long list are the three most numerous world religions: Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. Each of them has different directions.

World religions in the form of a list can be represented as follows:

1. Christianity (almost 1.5 billion people):

Orthodoxy (Russia, Greece, Georgia, Bulgaria, Serbia);
Catholicism (the states of Western Europe, Poland, the Czech Republic, Lithuania and others);
Protestantism (USA, Great Britain, Canada, South Africa, Australia).

2. Islam (about 1.3 billion people):

Sunnism (Africa, Central and South Asia);
Shiism (Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan).

3. Buddhism (300 million people):

Hinayana (Myanmar, Laos, Thailand);
Mahayana (Tibet, Mongolia, Korea, Vietnam).

National religions

In addition, in every corner of the world there are national and traditional religions, also with their own directions. They originated or gained special distribution in certain countries. On this basis, the following types of religions are distinguished:

Hinduism (India);
Confucianism (China);
Taoism (China);
Judaism (Israel);
Sikhism (Punjab state in India);
Shinto (Japan);
paganism (Indian tribes, peoples of the North and Oceania).

Christianity

This religion originated in Palestine in the Eastern part of the Roman Empire in the 1st century AD. Its appearance is associated with faith in the birth of Jesus Christ. At the age of 33, he was martyred on the cross to atone for the sins of the people, after which he resurrected and ascended to heaven. Thus, the son of God, who embodied supernatural and human nature, became the founder of Christianity.

The documentary basis of the doctrine is the Bible (or Holy Scripture), which consists of two independent collections of the Old and New Testaments. The writing of the first of them is closely connected with Judaism, from which Christianity originates. The New Testament was written after the birth of religion.

The symbols of Christianity are the Orthodox and Catholic crosses. The main provisions of faith are defined in dogmas, which are based on faith in God, who created the world and man himself. The objects of worship are God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit.

Islam

Islam, or Moslemism, originated among the Arab tribes of Western Arabia at the beginning of the 7th century in Mecca. The founder of the religion was the prophet Muhammad. This man from childhood was prone to loneliness and often indulged in pious reflections. According to the teachings of Islam, at the age of 40, on Mount Hira, the heavenly messenger Jabrail (Archangel Gabriel) appeared to him, who left an inscription in his heart. Like many other world religions, Islam is based on the belief in one God, but in Islam it is called Allah.

Holy Scripture - Koran. The symbols of Islam are the star and the crescent. The main provisions of the Muslim faith are contained in dogmas. They must be recognized and unquestioningly fulfilled by all believers.

The main types of religion are Sunnism and Shiism. Their appearance is connected with political disagreements between believers. Thus, the Shiites to this day believe that only the direct descendants of the Prophet Muhammad carry the truth, while the Sunnis think that this should be an elected member of the Muslim community.

Buddhism

Buddhism originated in the 6th century BC. Homeland - India, after which the teaching spread to the countries of Southeast, South, Central Asia and the Far East. Considering how many other most numerous types of religions exist, we can safely say that Buddhism is the most ancient of them.

The founder of the spiritual tradition is Buddha Gautama. He was an ordinary man, whose parents were granted a vision that their son would grow up to be a Great Teacher. The Buddha was also lonely and contemplative, and turned to religion very quickly.

There is no object of worship in this religion. The goal of all believers is to reach nirvana, the blissful state of insight, to be freed from their own fetters. Buddha for them is a kind of ideal, which should be equal.

Buddhism is based on the doctrine of the four Noble Truths: on suffering, on the origin and causes of suffering, on the true cessation of suffering and the elimination of its sources, on the true path to the cessation of suffering. This path consists of several stages and is divided into three stages: wisdom, morality and concentration.

New religious currents

In addition to those religions that originated a very long time ago, new creeds still continue to appear in the modern world. They are still based on faith in God.

The following types of modern religions can be noted:

scientology;
neo-shamanism;
neopaganism;
Burkhanism;
neo-Hinduism;
raelites;
oomoto;
and other currents.

This list is constantly being modified and supplemented. Some types of religions are especially popular among show business stars. For example, Tom Cruise, Will Smith, John Travolta are seriously passionate about Scientology.

This religion originated in 1950 thanks to science fiction writer L. R. Hubbard. Scientologists believe that any person is inherently good, his success and peace of mind depend on himself. According to the fundamental principles of this religion, humans are immortal beings. Their experience is longer than one human life, and their abilities are unlimited.

But everything is not so clear in this religion. In many countries, it is believed that Scientology is a sect, a pseudo-religion with a lot of capital. Despite this trend is very popular, especially in Hollywood.

Hello, dear readers of the blog site. Have you ever wondered why religion has existed for many centuries? Why does it not lose its significance in our time?

Well, with the ancient man it is clear. Unusual phenomena of nature, cataclysms had to be somehow explained, “justified” for oneself. The first step, and only then on its soil, paganism arose - faith in many gods. People worshiped the wind, the sky because of the banal fear of the unknown.

The age of technological progress revealed the secrets of nature, sorted out the answers to riddles, explained the essence of phenomena. But it continues to be a part of modern life. Why?

Maybe the answer lies in the concept itself? Let's try to figure out together what religion is, what mysterious threads it uses to control people.

Religion - what is it

The word "religion" is borrowed from the Latin language. The Latin religare means "to bind them, to connect", and religio - "shrine, piety."

Thus, religion is a set of people's views (it's not me saying this, but a definition, bear with it - you can't do without it), based on a common belief in the supernatural. It is built on a whole set of rules, restrictions, norms of behavior, includes a system of cult actions, rituals.

There are other definitions of religion, but the essence boils down to one thing:

this is a collective worship of divine forces, a special relationship of man to the world, to himself, a certain vision of the meaning of life.

Every religion has three parts:

religious consciousness;
cult (who, how to worship);
organization, that is, a clear division into ordinary believers and leaders.

Religious consciousness is closely connected with faith, these words are often used as synonyms.

Faith is unconditional, without the search for evidence and unnecessary reasoning.

Yes, that's right - you either have faith or you don't. There is simply no intermediate state.

Signs of religion This:

Irrationality (belief in absolute truth)
(no proof required)
Rituality (prayers and other sacraments)
Belief in the supernatural
groundlessness

Functions of Religion

Everyone (well, almost) subconsciously wants to be protected. So that someone kind, wise, fair comes to the rescue in difficult times, saves from troubles and misfortunes.

After all, it often happens that people come to faith after something terrible, irreparable has happened in life - the loss of a loved one or an incurable disease, for example.

From this follow the main functions of religion, that is, how it affects society:

worldview function - the formation of a certain picture of the world among their followers.
value-semantic- answering questions about the meaning of life and developing basic value orientations.
Psychological(compensatory function) - consolation in difficult times (relieves suffering) through prayer, meditation or turning to God.
Communicative function - unites people, makes it possible to communicate and not feel lonely.
cultural broadcasting the transmission of cultural heritage from generation to generation.
Educational function - instills rules, behavior skills.
Regulatory- streamlines the aspirations and activities of a person.
Integrating- uniting a group of believers and opposing it to other religions.

Science says that the beginnings of religious beliefs arose as much as 40,000 years ago. The fact is confirmed by the found burials of primitive people, drawings in caves. Imagine, a person’s strength has not decreased at all with time, we are also sometimes defenseless in the face of insurmountable circumstances.

Types of World Religions

Do not think that in the ancient world everyone believed the same way. Even then, there were different types of religions that differed from each other in objects or subjects of worship (that is, they were inanimate objects or living people).

See what beliefs were prevalent. The terms, of course, were invented much later, so our ancient ancestors themselves did not know that their faith was called that:

totemism- some objects, animals or plants were considered sacred, a totem (amulet) was endowed with magical protective power.
- supernatural abilities were attributed to an inanimate object, for example, a stone or an animal skull. He was asked for help and protection.
shamanism- the whole tribe worshiped a shaman who knew how to talk with spirits, consult with them, and then convey their demands to people.
Animism- believed that not only a person has a soul, but also all surrounding objects and natural phenomena, and after death it continues to exist.

In the modern world, oddly enough, the number of religions has not decreased, but, on the contrary, has grown. They did not arise at the same time, they have a different number of followers. Some ancient forms in a slightly modified form still continue to exist. In total there are at least one hundred religious denominations(directions).

Of course, world religions have the most followers (that's why they are "worldwide", right?). This means that they are professed by the peoples of various countries.

To world religions relate:

Christianity
Islam

The first two of them are monotheistic, based on the worship of one god.

Christianity is the world's largest religion

It has approximately 1.5 billion believers. The emergence is associated with the birth of Jesus Christ - the son of God and the simple girl Mary. It happened in Palestine, in the east of the Roman Empire. From the birth of Jesus, the whole of mankind now counts the chronology, so we can safely say that Christianity arose in the 1st century AD.

Jesus Christ had 12 disciples - apostles, one of whom turned out to be a traitor. At the age of 33, Jesus was crucified on the cross, after which he resurrected on the third day and ascended into heaven.

The basis of the Christian religion is the belief in the unity of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, as well as the salvation of the soul through fasting and prayer. The main book is the Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, the symbol is the cross.

In Christianity three directions:

orthodoxy
Catholicism
Protestantism

The division occurred in 1054 due to disagreements between

Pope of Rome and Patriarch of Constantinople. Orthodoxy is practiced by Russia and Eastern Europe, Catholicism is practiced by Western Europe, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, and Poland. Protestantism is widespread in the USA, Canada, Australia, Great Britain.

Islam is the youngest world religion

Approximately 1.3 billion believers. The founder is the prophet Mohammed. People who practice Islam are called Muslims and they worship Allah. This is the youngest of the world religions, which arose in the 7th century in Mecca.

The dogmas of the Qur'an (these are the rules that dictate the norms of behavior) are strictly followed by Muslims: they perform daily prayers - namaz, observe fasting, do not drink alcohol.

This is called "living according to Sharia law." Just like Christianity, Islam teaches about the immortality of the soul and the possibility of saving it after death.

The main, largest branches of Islam - Sunnism and Shiism, but there are others. Sunnism is widespread in Central and South Asia, Africa, Shiism - in Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq.

Buddhism (approximately 300 million followers)

It originated in the VI century BC. The founder was the son of the Raja (ruler) of India, Gautama. From childhood, the boy was surrounded by luxury, he did not know that there was suffering in the world. It was predicted to the Raja that his son would become a king or teacher.

Gautam in every possible way and injustice. Only at the age of 30 did he for the first time accidentally meet a leper and a funeral procession, saw suffering people. They made a great impression on Gautama, he began to think and meditate a lot.

As a result (of bliss, complete peace), he became the first enlightened person - the Buddha.

It is believed that Buddhism cannot be fully attributed to religions, since its adherents do not worship anyone. Their main goal is to overcome suffering, get rid of earthly desires, and achieve nirvana.

National religions

Not all religions of the world are widespread (please do not confuse with world religions). There are also those that have developed within the framework of one state, people or settlement.

These are national religions, here is a list of them:

Judaism (Israel);
Hinduism, Jainism (India);
Taoism, Confucianism (China);
Shinto (Japan).

Some tribes of Africa, Asia, Oceania still retained the beliefs of their ancient ancestors - fetishism, totemism, anemism.

Religion is a form of culture

We found out that religion sets the norms of behavior, regulates people's relations, even fills life with meaning (lucky those who did not have it). In the process of development, religious customs were closely intertwined with the cultural traditions of different peoples. So close that they can no longer be separated.

For example, the Christian custom of baking pancakes and burning a straw doll for Shrovetide is rooted in paganism, the worship of the sun god Yarilo. There are an infinite number of such examples. Therefore, scientists consider religion as a form of culture, the result of human activity.

Let's sum up. It turns out that religion today has not lost its value at all. It is also needed by people, as many centuries ago. The percentage of believers is approximately the same in highly developed and developing countries.

To believe or not is a personal matter for each person, we just stated the facts.

Good luck to you! See you soon on the blog pages site

Chapter 1. History of the emergence of religion.

By the time of the emergence of religious beliefs, one should mean a period of very long time span, which took tens or, possibly, hundreds of thousands of years. It was a process that took place over hundreds of generations. It can be argued that the original religious ideas - very vague and indefinite - began to appear during the Middle Paleolithic period, and later more or less formalized beliefs and related magical rituals already existed.

The very emergence of religious beliefs and cults, as noted by I.A. Kryvelev, had objective and subjective reasons. At some stage in the development of primitive society, in the behavior and consciousness of a social person, along with activities based on more and more conscious patterns of the objective world, there appear actions based on fantastic ideas about supernatural beings and phenomena. Religious practice coexists and intertwines with real practice.

The emergence of religious signs in the mind of a primitive man should have been influenced, first of all, by negative emotions: fear, inner depression, a feeling of powerlessness, and sometimes despair. Under these conditions, a person feels the need for consolation. His consciousness suggests to him such possible scenarios of the development of events that can give this consolation. A person's need, his desires shelter and protect an illusory representation that promises a salvific way out of a seemingly hopeless situation or some kind of relief from this situation.

Some positive emotions were also a stimulus for the emergence of religious ideas. The joy and delight that filled a person with some kind of success, a feeling of gratitude for what contributed to this success, a sense of one's own physical health and moral comfort - all this required its expression.

So, religion arose when it became inevitable and possible. The inevitability was rooted in the difficult conditions of human life, and as a result of these conditions, constant neuro-emotional stress, in the desire for self-confidence and self-consolation.

The possibility of the appearance of religious ideas and related cults appeared when the human consciousness reached such a level of development at which the imagination was already able to create religious-fantastic constructions.

Religion gave mankind the illusion of relative security provided by the help of friendly supernatural forces. Conversely, religion gave him a fear of hostile supernatural forces.

In primitive society there are:

Totemism (the idea of a family relationship of all members of a genus with some kind of animal or plant - a totem)

Magic (a set of symbolic ritual actions aimed at achieving a specific result)

Fetishism (worship of an object to which supernatural properties were attributed that were not inherent in it)

Mythology

Animism (belief in spiritual beings).

Along with the appearance of ideas about supernatural beings, people who are able to make contact with them also appear. These are magicians, sorcerers, shamans who have not yet been rigidly separated from the mass of believers.

The decomposition of tribal relations and the deepening of social differentiation within the tribes led to significant changes in the nature of religious beliefs. Social stratification within the tribes, the formation of a tribal aristocracy, the formation of an early class society were also reflected in the content of religious ideas. The task of ensuring the regulation of the thoughts and behavior of people in the interests of the ruling classes comes to the fore.

Relatively independent systems of cult activities are beginning to take shape - worship, and with it the organization of clergymen - priestly corporations - not just a professional organization of people engaged in the same type of work, but a social class. The priesthood becomes a hereditary profession, permanent sanctuaries and temples appear, sacrifices, income from temple lands, material support from secular authorities strengthen the influence of the priesthood.

Thus, in the period under review, religion turns into a relatively independent sphere of public life, a new page is opened in the history of religion about the development and functioning of the religious systems of state-organized peoples.

However, at this stage, one should hardly talk about the formation of a religious organization as an independent social institution.

As social relations and ideas become more complex, the entire social system, including the religious superstructure, is transformed and becomes more complex. Gradually there is a self-determination of the religious system. The emergence of religious organizations is objectively conditioned by the development of the process of institutionalization. The decisive role in this process was played by the formation of a stable social stratum - clergy, who become the heads of religious institutions and concentrate in their hands the activity of regulating the religious consciousness and behavior of the mass of believers.

In a developed form, religious organizations are a complex centralized and hierarchical system - the church.

Relying on the mass of believers as its social base, it is an autonomous system in the political superstructure of society. In the political and ideological sphere, there are special relationships between church and state. The state provides the church with all possible support to strengthen its position in society. The church, in the interests of the state, imposes certain standards of behavior and thinking on the people, seeking to slow down the growing dissatisfaction on the part of the masses with the existing social system supported by the state.

The emergence and spread of Christianity fell on a period of deep crisis of ancient civilization, the decline of its basic values. There was a clash of two different ideas: ancient and Christian. Christian doctrine attracted many who were disillusioned with the Roman social order. It offered its adherents the path of inner salvation: withdrawal from the corrupted, sinful world into oneself, inside one's own personality, strict asceticism is opposed to coarse carnal pleasures, and conscious humility and humility, which will be rewarded after the onset of the Kingdom of God, is opposed to the arrogance and vanity of the "powerful of this world". on the ground. Christianity helped the world avoid the great battle for the liberation of man. After all, it was able, without a change in state power, through a change of personality, to eliminate one social system (slave-owning) and create a completely different system in its essence. Christianity elevated man. Proceeding from the Christian teaching, man in the world became free and he depended only on God. People, accepting Christianity, were freed from slavery, but immediately took on another burden - a religious one.

Already the first Christian communities taught their members to think not only about themselves, but also about the fate of the whole world, to pray not only for their own, but also for the common salvation.

Even then, the universalism characteristic of Christianity was revealed: the communities scattered over the vast expanse of the Roman Empire, nevertheless, felt their unity.

Members of communities became people of different nationalities. The New Testament thesis “there is neither Greek nor Jew” proclaimed the equality before God of all believers and predetermined the further development of Christianity as a world religion that knows no national and linguistic boundaries.

The need for unity, on the one hand, and the rather wide spread of Christianity around the world, on the other hand, gave rise to the conviction among believers that if an individual Christian may be weak and unsteady in faith, then the unification of Christians as a whole possesses the Holy Spirit and God's grace.

The history of the formation of Christianity covers the period from the middle of the 1st century. until the 5th century inclusive. During this period, Christianity went through a number of stages of its development, which can be summarized in the following three:

Stage of actual eschatology (second half of the 1st century);

Adaptation stage (II c);

The stage of the struggle for dominance in the empire (III-V centuries).

During each of these stages, creed, cult, and religious organization experienced major evolutionary changes. The social composition of believers changed, various new formations arose and disintegrated within Christianity as a whole, internal clashes constantly boiled, behind the religious and cult form of which the struggle of social and national groups over public interests was hidden. So at the first stage, Christianity was a Jewish sect of people united in anticipation of the near end of the world and the emergence of new world orders that corresponded to the norms of the kingdom of heaven on earth, the coming of the messiah - Christ, who will carry out the coming revolution. They resolutely do not accept the existing order of things, they are filled with hatred for it and are waiting for its inevitable death in the near future. It is clear that the social base of such a movement could be people enslaved and oppressed by the domination of the Roman Empire.

At the second stage, during the transition from actual eschatology to adaptation, the social composition of the communities changed. Now representatives of the wealthy sections of society began to occupy an influential position in the communities.

They assumed the function of ideological and literary formulation of Christian teaching. During the period under consideration of the adaptation of Christianity to the surrounding world, the church arose as a system of institutions and a set of professionals - ministers of this church.

In the III - beginning of the IV century. Christianity waged a struggle for dominance in the Roman Empire, which ended in victory.

Christianity, according to I.N. Yablokov, had qualities that were extremely important in all respects. Its cosmopolitan orientation, developed in the previous century - “there is no Greek, no Roman, no Jew, neither rich nor poor, everyone is equal before God”, his democratic attitude towards the social lower classes, which does not really threaten the ruling strata of society, created conditions for the best distribution in the multinational mass of the population. His loyal position in relation to the authorities, associated with the preaching of non-resistance and complete submission, was the best suited for the state, one of the main concerns of which was to achieve uncomplaining submission from all sectors of society.

In the second half of the III century. there was a process of further centralization of the church, and by the beginning of the 4th century. of the existing dioceses, several metropolises emerged, each of which united a group of dioceses. Metropolises were created in the order of a kind of natural selection - the most numerous, influential and wealthy dioceses had especially strong positions in this struggle.

It is believed that from that time on, the church as a governing body acquires relative independence and becomes the owner of special interests in relation to believers. One of the most important goals of the church organization is the maintenance and reproduction of the integrity and stability of the very institution of the church. In the course of this process, the activity of governing bodies is activated to introduce regulations requiring unconditional obedience to the apparatus of the church, a special method of ideological activity is strengthened - legal regulation associated with the development of certain ideological justifications and the creation of structures of organizational activity aimed at promoting these ideas, their implementation.

Thus, we can conclude that the religious worldview has a rather long history. Religion arises practically with the advent of man, it has undergone many changes before becoming what we are used to seeing it now.

Today, dear friends, the subject of our article will be the ancient religions. We will plunge into the mysterious world of the Sumerians and Egyptians, get acquainted with fire worshipers and learn the meaning of the word "Buddhism". You will also learn where religion came from and when the first thoughts of man appeared about

Read carefully, because today we will talk about the path that humanity has passed from primitive beliefs to modern temples.

What is "religion"

A very long time ago, people began to think about questions that cannot be explained only by earthly experience. For example, where are we from? Who created the trees, the mountains, the seas? These and many other questions remained unanswered.

The way out was found in the animation and worship of phenomena, landscape objects, animals and plants. It is this approach that distinguishes all ancient religions. We will talk about them in more detail later.

The term "religion" itself comes from the Latin language. This concept means world awareness, which includes higher powers, moral and ethical laws, a system of cult activities and specific organizations.

Some modern beliefs do not correspond to all points. They cannot be defined as "religion". Buddhism, for example, is more inclined to be attributed to philosophical currents.

Before the emergence of philosophy, it was religion that dealt with issues of good and evil, morality and morality, the meaning of life, and many others. Also, since ancient times, a special social stratum has stood out - the priests. These are modern priests, preachers, missionaries. They not only deal with the problem of "saving the soul", but represent a fairly influential state institution.

So, where did it all begin. Now we will talk about the emergence of the first thoughts about the higher nature and supernatural things in the environment.

primitive beliefs

We know about beliefs from cave paintings and burials. In addition, some tribes still live at the level of the Stone Age. Therefore, ethnographers can study and describe their worldview and cosmology. It is from these three sources that we know about the ancient religions.

Our ancestors began to separate the real world from the other world more than forty thousand years ago. It was at this time that such a type of person as the Cro-Magnon, or homo sapiens, appears. In fact, he is no longer different from modern people.

There were Neanderthals before him. They existed for about sixty thousand years before the advent of the Cro-Magnons. It is in the burials of Neanderthals that ocher and grave goods are first found. These are symbols of purification and materials for the afterlife in the other world.

Gradually, a belief is formed that all objects, plants, animals have a spirit in them. If you manage to appease the spirits of the stream, there will be a good catch. The spirits of the forest will give a successful hunt. And the pleasing spirit of a fruit tree or field will help with a bountiful harvest.

The consequences of these beliefs have been preserved for centuries. Isn't that why we are still talking with devices, devices and other things, hoping that they will hear us, and the problem will disappear by itself.

As the development of animism, totemism, fetishism and shamanism appear. The first involves the belief that each tribe has its own "totem", protector and progenitor. Such a belief is inherent in the tribes at the next stage of development.

Among them are the Indians and some other tribes from different continents. An example is the ethnonyms - the tribe of the Great Buffalo or the Wise Muskrat.

This also includes cults of sacred animals, taboos, etc.

Fetishism is the belief in a superpower that certain things can bestow upon us. This includes amulets, talismans and other items. They are designed to protect a person from evil influence or, conversely, to promote a successful course of events.
Any unusual thing that stood out from among similar things could become a fetish.

For example, a stone from a sacred mountain or an unusual bird feather. Later, this belief is mixed with the cult of ancestors, amulets begin to appear. Subsequently, they turn into anthropomorphic gods.

Therefore, the dispute about which religion is ancient cannot be resolved unambiguously. Gradually, fragments of primitive beliefs and everyday experience were assembled among different peoples. From such interweaving, more complex forms of spiritual concepts arise.

Magic

While mentioning ancient religions, we talked about shamanism, but did not discuss it. This is a more developed form of beliefs. It includes not only fragments from other worships, but also implies the ability of a person to influence the invisible world.

Shamans, according to the belief of the rest of the tribe, can communicate with spirits and help people. These include healing rituals, calls for good luck, requests for victory in battle, and spells for a good harvest.

This practice is still preserved in Siberia, Africa and some other less developed regions. As a transitional part from simple shamanism to more complex magic and religion, voodoo culture can be mentioned.

There are already gods in it, who are responsible for various spheres of human life. In Latin America, African images are superimposed on the properties of Catholic saints. Such an unusual tradition distinguishes the voodoo cult from the environment of similar magical movements.

Mentioning the emergence of ancient religions, it is impossible to ignore magic. This is the highest form of primitive beliefs. Gradually becoming more complex, shamanic rituals absorb experience from different fields of knowledge. Rituals are created that are designed to make some people stronger than others. It was believed that, having undergone initiation and received secret (esoteric) knowledge, magicians become practically demigods.

What is a magical rite. This is the symbolic execution of the desired action with the best outcome. For example, warriors dance a battle dance, attack an imaginary enemy, a shaman suddenly appears in the form of a tribal totem and helps his children destroy the enemy. This is the most primitive form of the rite.

More complex rituals are described in special books of spells that have been known since ancient times. This includes books of the dead, witch books of spirits, "Keys of Solomon" and other grimoires.

Thus, over several tens of thousands of years, beliefs have gone from the worship of animals and trees to the veneration of personified phenomena or human properties. These are the ones we call gods.

Sumero-Akkadian civilization

Next, we will consider some of the ancient religions of the East. Why do we start with them? Because the first civilizations arose in this territory.
So, according to archaeologists, the oldest settlements are found within the "fertile crescent." These are lands belonging to the Middle East and Mesopotamia. It is here that the states of Sumer and Akkad arise. We will talk about their beliefs later.

The religion of ancient Mesopotamia is known to us from archaeological finds on the territory of modern Iraq. And also preserved some literary monuments of that period. For example, the story of Gilgamesh.

A similar epic was written on clay tablets. They were found in ancient temples and palaces, and later deciphered. So what do we know from them?
The most ancient myth tells about the old gods who personify water, the sun, the moon and the earth. They gave birth to young heroes who began to "make noise". For this, the original decided to get rid of them. But the sky god Ea unraveled the insidious plan and was able to lull his father Abuza, who became the ocean.

The second myth tells of the rise of Marduk. It was written, apparently, during the subjugation of the rest of the city-states by Babylon. After all, it was Marduk who was the supreme deity and guardian of this city.

The legend says that Tiamat (primal chaos) decided to attack the "heavenly" gods and destroy them. In several battles, she won and the originals "desponded". In the end, they decided to send Marduk to fight Tiamat, who successfully completed the task. He cut the body of the fallen. From its different parts, he made the sky, the earth, Mount Ararat, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

Thus, the Sumerian-Akkadian beliefs become the first step towards the formation of the institution of religion, when the latter becomes an important part of the state.

Ancient Egypt

Egypt became the successor of the religion of Sumer. His priests were able to continue the work of the Babylonian priests. They developed such sciences as arithmetic, geometry, astronomy. Stunning examples of spells, hymns, sacred architecture were also created. The tradition of posthumous mummification of noble people and pharaohs has become unique.

The rulers of this period of history begin to proclaim themselves the sons of the gods and, in fact, the celestials themselves. On the basis of such a worldview, the next stage of the religion of the ancient world is built. A tablet from the Babylonian palace speaks of the consecration of the ruler received from Marduk. The texts of the pyramids illustrate not only the chosenness of the pharaohs by God, but also show a direct family connection.

However, such veneration of the pharaohs was not from the very beginning. It appeared only after the conquest of the surrounding lands and the creation of a strong state with a powerful army. Before that, there was a pantheon of gods, which later changed a little, but retained its main features.

So, as stated in the work of Herodotus "History", the religion of the ancient Egyptians included rituals dedicated to different seasons, the worship of deities and the conduct of special rituals designed to strengthen the position of the country in the world.

The myths of the Egyptians tell of the goddess of heaven and the god of the earth, who gave birth to everything that surrounds us. These people believed that the sky is Nut, standing above Geb, the god of the earth. She touches him only with the tips of her fingers and toes. Every evening she eats the sun, and every morning she gives birth to it again.

The main deity in the early period of Ancient Egypt was Ra, the god of the sun. Later he lost the primacy to Osiris.

The legend of Isis, Osiris and Horus later formed the basis of many myths about the murdered and resurrected savior.

Zoroastrianism

As we mentioned at the beginning, the religion of ancient people attributed powerful properties to various elements and objects. This belief was preserved among the ancient Persians. Neighboring peoples called them "fire worshipers", as they especially revered this phenomenon.

This is one of the first world religions, which had its own Holy Scripture. Neither in Sumer, nor in Egypt, this was not the case. There existed only scattered books of spells and hymns, myths and recommendations for mummification. In Egypt, it is true, there was a book of the dead, but it cannot be called Scripture.

In Zoroastrianism there is a prophet - Zarathushtra. He received the scripture (Avesta) from the supreme god Ahura Mazda.

This religion is based on freedom of moral choice. Man every second oscillates between evil (it is personified by Angro Mainyu or Ahriman) and good (Ahura Mazda or Hormuz). Zoroastrians called their religion "Good faith", and themselves "pious".

The ancient Persians believed that reason and conscience were given to a person in order to correctly determine his side in the spiritual world. The main postulates were helping others and supporting those in need. The main prohibitions are violence, robbery and theft.
The goal of any Zoroastrian was to achieve good thoughts, words and deeds at the same time.

Like many other ancient religions of the East, the "Good Faith" proclaimed in the end the victory of good over evil. But Zoroastrianism is the first creed in which such concepts as heaven and hell meet.

They were called fire worshipers for the special reverence that they rendered to fire. But this element was considered the crudest manifestation of Ahura Mazda. The main symbol of the supreme god in our world, the faithful considered sunlight.

Buddhism

The religion of Buddhism has long been popular in East Asia. Translated into Russian from Sanskrit, this word means "the doctrine of spiritual awakening." Its founder is considered to be Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who lived in India in the sixth century BC. The term "Buddhism" appeared only in the nineteenth century, while the Hindus themselves called it "dharma" or "boddhidharma".

Today it is one of the three world religions, which is considered the most ancient of them. Buddhism permeates the cultures of the peoples of East Asia, so understanding the Chinese, Hindus, Tibetans and many others is possible only after getting to know the basics of this religion.

The main ideas of Buddhism are:
- life is suffering;
- suffering (dissatisfaction) has a reason;
- there is an opportunity to get rid of suffering;
- there is a way to deliverance.

These postulates are called the four noble truths. And the path that leads to getting rid of dissatisfaction and frustration is called the Eightfold.
It is believed that the Buddha came to these conclusions after seeing the troubles of the world and sitting for many years under a tree meditating on the question of why people suffer.

Today, this belief is considered a philosophical trend, not a religion. The reasons for this are as follows:
- in Buddhism there is no concept of God, soul and redemption;
- there is no organization, unified dogmas and unconditional devotion to the idea;
- its adherents believe that there are an infinite number of worlds;
- in addition, you can belong to any religion and be guided by the principles of Buddhism, this is not prohibited here.

Antiquity

Adherents of Christianity and other monotheistic beliefs, the first worship of people to nature is called paganism. Therefore, we can say that it is the oldest world religion. Now we will move from India to the Mediterranean coast.

Here, during the period of antiquity, Greek and Roman cultures were especially developed. If you look closely at the pantheons of ancient gods, they are practically interchangeable and equivalent. Often the only difference is the name of a particular character.

It is also noteworthy that this religion of the ancient gods identified celestials with people. If we read the ancient Greek and Roman myths, we will see that the immortals are just as petty, jealous and mercenary as humanity. They help those they favor, they can be bribed. The gods, angry for a trifle, can destroy an entire nation.

Nevertheless, it was precisely this approach to worldview that helped shape modern values. Philosophy and many sciences were able to develop on the basis of such frivolous relations with higher forces. If we compare antiquity with the era of the Middle Ages, it becomes clear that freedom of expression is more valuable than the planting of the "true faith".

The ancient gods lived on Mount Olympus, which is located in Greece. Also, people then inhabited forests, reservoirs and mountains with spirits. It was this tradition that later resulted in European gnomes, elves and other fabulous creatures.

Abrahamic religions

Today we divide historical time into the period before the birth of Christ and after. Why did this particular event become so important? In the Middle East, the progenitor is a man named Abraham. It is mentioned in the Torah, the Bible and the Koran. He spoke for the first time about monotheism. About what the religions of the ancient world did not recognize.

The table of religions shows that it is the Abrahamic beliefs that today have the largest number of adherents.

Judaism, Christianity and Islam are considered the main currents. They appeared in the order listed. Judaism is considered the oldest, it appeared somewhere in the ninth century BC. Then, around the first century, Christianity arises, and in the sixth, Islam.

Yet it is these religions alone that have spawned countless wars and conflicts. Intolerance towards non-Christians is a hallmark of adherents of Abrahamic beliefs.

Although if you carefully read the Scriptures, they speak of love and mercy. Only the laws of the early Middle Ages described in these books are confusing. The problems begin when fanatics want to apply outdated dogmas to a modern society that has already changed to a great extent.

Due to the differences between the text of the books and the behavior of believers, different currents arose over the centuries. They interpreted the Scriptures in their own way, which led to "wars of faith."

Today the problem is not completely solved, but the methods have improved slightly. Modern "new churches" are more focused on the inner world of the flock and the purse of the priest than on the subjugation of heretics.

Ancient religion of the Slavs

Today, on the territory of the Russian Federation, one can meet both the most ancient forms of religion and monotheistic currents. However, who did our ancestors originally worship?

The religion of Ancient Rus' today is called the term "paganism". This is a Christian concept, meaning the faiths of other peoples. Over time, it has acquired a slightly derogatory connotation.

Today, attempts are being made to restore ancient beliefs in different countries of the world. Europeans, reconstructing the faith of the Celts, call their actions "tradition". In Russia, the names "relatives", "Slavic-Aryans", "Rodnovers" and others are accepted.

What materials and sources help to restore bit by bit the worldview of the ancient Slavs? Firstly, these are literary monuments, such as the Book of Veles and The Tale of Igor's Campaign. Some rites, names and attributes of various gods are mentioned there.

In addition, there are quite a few archaeological finds that clearly illustrate the cosmogony of our ancestors.

The supreme gods were different for different tribes. Over time, Perun, the god of thunder, and Veles stand out. Also often Rod appears in the role of the progenitor. Places of deity worship were called "temples" and were located in forests or on the banks of rivers. Wooden and stone sculptures were placed on them. People came there to pray and make sacrifices.

Thus, dear readers, today we got acquainted with such a concept as religion. In addition, they got acquainted with various ancient beliefs.

Good luck, friends. Be patient with each other!

Modern and primitive religions are the belief of mankind that some higher forces control not only people, but also various processes in the Universe. This is especially true of ancient cults, since at that time the development of science was weak. Man could not explain this or that phenomenon in any other way, except for divine intervention. Often, such an approach to understanding the world led to tragic consequences (the Inquisition, the burning of scientists at the stake, and so on).

There was also a period of compulsion. If the belief was not accepted by a person, then he was tortured and tortured until he changed his point of view. Today, the choice of religion is free, people have the right to choose their own worldview.

The emergence of primitive religions dates back to a long period, about 40-30 thousand years ago. But which belief came first? Scientists have different points of view on this. Some believe that this happened when people began to perceive the souls of each other, others - with the appearance of witchcraft, others took the worship of animals or objects as a basis. But the very emergence of religion itself is a large complex of beliefs. It is difficult to give priority to any of them, since there is no necessary data. The information that archaeologists, researchers and historians receive is not enough.

It is impossible not to take into account the distribution of the first beliefs throughout the planet, which leads to the conclusion that attempts to search for an ancient religion are unlawful. Each tribe that existed then had its own object of worship.

We can only say unequivocally that the first and subsequent basis of every religion is belief in the supernatural. However, it is expressed differently everywhere. Christians, for example, worship their God, who has no flesh but is omnipresent. It's supernatural. African tribes, in turn, plan their gods out of wood. If they do not like something, then they can cut or pierce their patron with a needle. This is also supernatural. Therefore, every modern religion has its oldest "ancestor".

When did the first religion appear?

Initially, primitive religions and myths are closely intertwined. In modern times, it is impossible to find an interpretation of some events. The fact is that their primitive people tried to tell their descendants with the help of mythology, embellishing and / or expressing themselves too figuratively.

However, the question of when beliefs arise is still relevant today. Archaeologists claim that the first religions appeared after homo sapiens. The excavations, the burials of which date back to 80 thousand years ago, definitely indicate that the ancient man did not think about other worlds at all. People were just buried and that's it. There is no evidence that this process was accompanied by rituals.

Weapons, food and some household items (burials made 30-10 thousand years ago) are found in later graves. This means that people began to think of death as a long sleep. When a person wakes up, and this must happen, it is necessary that the essentials are next to him. People buried or burned took on an invisible ghostly form. They became kind of guardians of the family.

There was also a period without religions, but very little is known about it by modern scholars.

Reasons for the emergence of the first and subsequent religions

Primitive religions and their features are very similar to modern beliefs. Various religious cults for thousands of years acted in their own and state interests, exerting a psychological impact on the flock.

There are 4 main reasons for the emergence of ancient beliefs, and they are no different from modern ones:

Intelligence. A person needs an explanation for any event that occurs in his life. And if he cannot get it thanks to his knowledge, then he will certainly receive a justification for what he observes through supernatural intervention.
Psychology. Earthly life is finite, and there is no way to resist death, at least for the moment. Therefore, a person needs to be freed from the fear of dying. Thanks to religion, this can be done quite successfully.
Morality. There is no society that would exist without rules and prohibitions. It is difficult to punish anyone who violates them. It is much easier to scare and prevent these actions. If a person is afraid to do something bad, due to the fact that supernatural forces will punish him, then the number of violators will significantly decrease.
Policy. To maintain the stability of any state, ideological support is required. And only this or that belief is capable of rendering it.

Thus, the appearance of religions can be taken for granted, since there are more than enough reasons for this.

totemism

Types of religions of primitive man and their description should begin with totemism. Ancient people lived in groups. Most often these were families or their association. Alone, a person could not provide himself with everything necessary. This is how the cult of animal worship appeared. Societies hunted animals for food without which they could not live. And the appearance of totemism is quite logical. So humanity paid tribute to the means of subsistence.

So, totemism is the belief that one family is related by blood to some particular animal or natural phenomenon. In them, people saw patrons who helped, punished if necessary, resolved conflicts, and so on.

There are two features of totemism. First, each member of the tribe had a desire to outwardly resemble their animal. For example, some inhabitants of Africa, in order to look like a zebra or antelope, knocked out their lower teeth. Secondly, the totem animal could not be eaten unless the ritual was observed.

The modern descendant of totemism is Hinduism. Here, some animals, most often the cow, are sacred.

Fetishism

Primitive religions cannot be considered unless fetishism is taken into account. It was the belief that some things have supernatural properties. Various objects were worshiped, passed from parents to children, always kept at hand, and so on.

Fetishism is often compared to magic. However, if it is present, it is in a more complex form. Magic helped to have an additional effect on some phenomenon, but did not affect its occurrence in any way.

Another feature of fetishism is that objects were not worshiped. They were respected and treated with respect.

Magic and religion

Primitive religions were not without the participation of magic. It is a set of ceremonies and rituals, after which, it was believed, it became possible to control some events, to influence them in every possible way. Many hunters performed various ritual dances that made the process of finding and killing the beast more successful.

Despite the seeming impossibility of magic, it was she who formed the basis of most modern religions as a common element. For example, there is a belief that a rite or ritual (the sacrament of baptism, a funeral service, and so on) has supernatural power. But it is also considered in a separate form, different from all beliefs. People tell fortunes on cards, call on spirits, or do everything to see dead ancestors.

Animism

Primitive religions did not do without the participation of the human soul. Ancient people thought about such concepts as death, sleep, experience, and so on. As a result of such reflections, the belief that everyone has a soul arose. Later it was supplemented by the fact that only bodies die. The soul passes into another shell or exists independently in a separate other world. This is how animism appears, which is the belief in spirits, and it does not matter whether they refer to a person, an animal or a plant.

A feature of this religion was that the soul could live indefinitely. After the body died, it broke out and calmly continued its existence, only in a different form.

Animism is also the ancestor of most modern religions. Ideas about immortal souls, gods and demons - all this is its basis. But animism also exists separately, in spiritualisms, belief in ghosts, essences, and so on.

shamanism

It is impossible to consider primitive religions without singling out the clergy. This is most acutely seen in shamanism. As an independent religion, it appears much later than those discussed above, and represents the belief that an intermediary (shaman) can communicate with spirits. Sometimes these spirits were evil, but more often they were kind, giving advice. Shamans often became leaders of tribes or communities, because people understood that they were associated with supernatural forces. Therefore, if something happens, they will be able to protect them better than some kind of king or khan, who can only do natural movements (weapons, troops, and so on).

Elements of shamanism are present in virtually all modern religions. Believers especially treat priests, mullahs or other worshipers, believing that they are under the direct influence of higher powers.

Unpopular primitive religious beliefs

The types of primitive religions need to be supplemented with some beliefs that are not as popular as totemism or, for example, magic. Among them is the agricultural cult. The primitive people who were farmers worshiped the gods of various cultures, as well as the earth itself. There were, for example, patrons of corn, beans, and so on.

The agricultural cult is well represented in today's Christianity. Here the Mother of God is represented as the patroness of bread, George - agriculture, the prophet Elijah - rain and thunder, and so on.

Thus, the primitive forms of religion cannot be considered briefly. Every ancient belief exists to this day, even though it has actually lost its face. Rites and sacraments, rituals and amulets - all these are parts of the faith of primitive man. And it is impossible in modern times to find a religion that would not have a strong direct connection with the most ancient cults.