RSS
Library of World Religions and Spirituality
Our Library is easy to use and understand. Written by the world's leading authorities on religion and spirituality and reviewed by academic peers, it is the most accurate and balanced information available on the web. Click on the name of the religious tradition to learn more about it. Or click on the column headings to sort by number of adherents, founding date, or origin—you might be surprised what you learn. You can use our Lenses to compare and contrast up to three traditions.
To see more religions and faiths please visit the More Religions and Faiths page.
East Asian Origins | ||||
| 400,000,000 | 4000 BCE | China | ||
| 5,000,000 | c. 500 B.C.E. | China | ||
| 1,000,000 | 400 BCE | Japan | ||
| 3,000,000 | 500 BCE | Japan | ||
| 20,000,000 | c. 550 B.C.E. | China | ||
| 10,000,000 | 650 CE | China / Japan | ||
Indian Origins | ||||
| 350,000,000 | c. 5th century B.C.E. | India | ||
| Buddhism | 185,000,000 | 100 CE | India | |
| Buddhism | 124,000,000 | 100 BCE | India / Sri Lanka | |
| Buddhism | 6,000,000 | 500 CE | India | |
| 1,000,000,000 | c. 2000 B.C.E. | India | ||
| Hinduism | 200,000,000 | 150 BCE | India | |
| Hinduism | 25,000,000 | 300 CE | India | |
| Hinduism | 350,000,000 | 300 CE | India | |
| 6,000,000 | 550 BCE | India | ||
| 23,000,000 | 1450 CE | India | ||
Near Eastern Origins | ||||
| 2,100,000,000 | 33 CE | Palestine | ||
| Christianity | 200,000,000 | c. 3rd - 5th centuries C.E. | Roman-Byzantine Empire | |
| Christianity | 13,500,000 | 1830 CE | United States | |
| Christianity | 27,000,000 | 451 CE | Middle East | |
| Christianity | 500,000,000 | early 16th century | Germany | |
| Christianity / Protestantism | 15,500,000 | 1850 CE | United States | |
| Christianity / Protestantism | 110,000,000 | 1870 CE | Africa | |
| Christianity / Protestantism | 4,500,000 | 1525 CE | Switzerland | |
| Christianity / Protestantism | 70,000,000 | 1534 CE | England | |
| Christianity / Protestantism | 100,000,000 | 1609 CE | Holland, England, and United States | |
| Christianity / Protestantism | 700,000 | 1832 CE | United States | |
| Christianity / Protestantism | 105,000,000 | 1900 CE | United States | |
| Christianity / Protestantism | 64,000,000 | 1517 CE | Germany | |
| Christianity / Protestantism | 70,000,000 | 1744 CE | England | |
| Christianity / Protestantism | 75,000,000 | 1529 CE | Switzerland | |
| Christianity / Protestantism | 300,000 | 1654 CE | England | |
| Christianity / Protestantism | 1,200,000 | 1957 CE | United States / England | |
| Christianity | 1,000,000,000 | 3rd - 5th centuries C.E. | Roman-Latin Empire | |
| 1,500,000,000 | 622 CE | Arabian peninsula | ||
| Islam | 150,000,000 | 632 CE | Middle East | |
| Islam | 9,000,000 | 675 CE | Middle East | |
| Islam | 940,000,000 | 632 CE | Middle East | |
| 14,000,000 | c. 2000 B.C.E. | Canaan | ||
| Judaism | 4,500,000 | 1886 CE | Europe | |
| Judaism | 2,000,000 | 1851 CE | Europe | |
| Judaism | 4,000,000 | 1810 CE | Europe | |
New Religions | ||||
| 5,000,000 | 1863 CE | Iran (Persia) | ||
| 400,000 | 1879 CE | United States | ||
| 250,000 | 1966 CE | United States | ||
| 7,000,000 | 1931 CE | United States | ||
| 3,500,000 | 1960 CE | United States | ||
| 1,000,000 | Early 20th Century | Multiple sources | ||
| 500,000 | 1954 CE | United States | ||
| 250,000 | 1825 CE | United States |
