Ranked by Size
1 – 2.1 Billion – Christianity (Roman Catholic 48%, Protestants 20%, Others 14%, Orthodox 12%, Anglicans 6%) – monotheism
2 – 1.5 Billion – Islam (Sunni 83%, Shi’ite 16%, Sufi 1%) – monotheism
3 – 1.1 Billion – Non – Religious (Agnostic, Atheist, Secular etc…)
4 – 900 Million – Hinduism (Vedanta, Shaivism, Vaisnava, Tantric, Sakta, Smartism)
5 – 400 Million – Primal Indigenous/African Traditional (Pantheism, Animism, Shamanism)
6 – 398 Million – Chinese Religions (Taoism, Confucianism, Shinto)
7 – 360 Million – Buddhism (Mahayana, Vajrayana, Theravada, Tibetan, Zen, others)
8 – 23 Million – Sikhism (blend of Islam (Sufism) and Hinduism) – mystical monotheism
9 – 19 Million – Juche (North Korean state run belief system) – communism/dictatorship
10 – 15 Million – Spiritism (Communicating directly with the spirit world)
11 – 14 Million – Judaism – (Orthodox 7%, Reformed 42%, Conservative 38%) – monotheism
12 – 7 Million – Baha’i (offshoot of Islam that teaches oneness) – monotheism
13 – 4 Million – Jainism (Jain Dharma)
14 – 2 Million – Unitarianism, New Thought, New Age
Organized by creation date
200,000 BC – Non-Religious – homo-sapiens throughout the world
100,000 BC – Primal Indigenous – tribes throughout the world
1850 BC – Monotheism – Abraham receives divine revelations which create the groundwork for the Abrahamic Faiths – a belief in one true God (Judaism, Christianity, Islam)
1750 BC - Chinese/Japanese Indigenous Beliefs – (Taoism, Confucianism, Shinto)
1400 BC – Judaism – Moses receives the Torah, Ark of the Covenant on Mount Sinai and begins to Exodus of the Jewish people to Israel.
1400 BC – Hinduism Vedic Texts define Gods, Karma, Caste, Samsara, Moksha
588 BC – Buddhism – Guatama Buddha a Hindu attained enlightenment and began teaching
527 BC – Jainism – Shraman Dharma of self-reliance – Parshvanath, Mahavir teaches Nirvana, rejects Hindu caste system.
31 AD – Christianity – Jesus is crucified by the Romans and his followers begin teach in his name.
626 AD – Islam – Mohammed experiences divine revelations about Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and begins teaching.
1500 AD – Sikhism – Guru Nanak experiences divine revelation in response to Islam, Hinduism, begins a path in between.
1779 AD – Unitarianism – Universalist Church of America is inclusive of all faiths
1857 AD – Spiritism – people start connecting to spirits and talk openly about it
1867 AD – Baha’I – Baha’u’llah receives divine revelation from God in response to Islam and teaches oneness
1955 AD – Juche – Kim Il Sung – North Korean state run belief system
Dieties and Books for each belief
Christianity – God/Jesus Christ/Holy Ghost – Bible – Old and New Testaments
Islam – Allah – Qur’an/Koran as recited by Archangel Gabriel to Muhammad
Non-Religious – Your own mind – Science, philosophy, biology, mathematics, etc…
Hinduism – Brahma/Vishnu/Shiva + aspects of Brahman – Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas
Primal Indigenous/African Traditional – Spirit is in everything – Verbal
Taoism – Inner balance of nature yin (feminine) & yang (masculine) – I-Ching, Tao Te Ching
Buddhism – You are your own creator, no god – no fear – Pali Canon – Sutras
Sikhism – Guru Nanak – truth – Hindu Holy men, Sufi’s, Guru’s – Guru Granth
Juche – Kim Il-Sung/Kim Jong Il – Pictures of Kim hang on walls
Spiritism – Communicate directly with spirits, differing opinions on the concept of God
Judaism – God/YHWH/Yahweh – Torah, first five books of the Bible and the Talmud
Baha’I Faith – God/Oneness/Baha’u’llah – The writings of Baha’u’llah and Ba’ab
Jainism – The bliss in your soul liberates you to achieve Nirvana – Sutras
Unitarianism, New Thought, New Age – Open to all beliefs, Gods, concepts and books
