SuAnn Klocke, age 10, of Sioux City, Mich., for her question:
HOW MANY RELIGIONS ARE THERE?
Every religion has a code of conduct called ethics. It outlines a way in which people should live. But religion is more than ethics. While religion asks how we should behave toward one another, it also asks how we should relate ourselves to the greatest power in the universe. Religion, throughout the centuries, has been one of the most powerful forces affecting man.
Religion is man's attempt to achieve the highest possible good by adjusting his life to the strongest and best power in the universe. This power is usually called God.
Although every person tries to follow his own religious beliefs in his personal life, religion in general is a group undertaking.
There are many thousands of different religious denominations in the world today. Most of them, however, fall into 11 major religions. The 11 are Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shinto, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism.
Christianity is the most widespread religion in the world. There are about a million followers with most of them living in North and South America and Europe.The religion is founded on the teachings of Jesus Christ as set forth in the New Testament.
One of the first religions to emphasize the belief in one God who is just and good was Judaism. Today there about 15 million Jews with about 6 million living in the United States.
There are about 513 million Muslims in the world today with most of them living in Africa, the Middle East and Indonesia. A Muslim is a follower of Islam. Islam is built upon Judaism and Christianity.
Hinduism is the tradional religion of India. There are about 516 million followers who believe that a man's soul must be reborn again and again until it becomes pure.
Buddhism developed from Hinduism. There are today about 165 million Buddhists with most living in China.
Jainism also grew out of Hinduism. Followers stress the ethical purity, love and kindness in man. Most of the 2.3 million followers live in India.
Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism are the three great religions of China, with most following Confucianism somewhat. Taoism, with 31.5 million followers, stresses that life is happily and quietly in harmony with nature.
Shinto in the native religion of Japan. Shinto teaches a reverent loyalty to beloved places and traditional Japanese ways of life.
Sikhism, with about 8 million followers mostly living in India, is a blend of Hinduism and Islam while Zoroastrianism, with only about 161,000 followers, stresses that people can attain eternal reward in heaven by supporting powers against evil. Most live in Bombay.