Religion World

People around the world believe many different things. Here are some of the world's religions, denominations, and belief traditions — explained simply and respectfully, so you can learn a little about what people believe.

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The cross, the main symbol of Christianity, a religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus (Wikimedia Commons)Christianity
St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the spiritual center of the Catholic Church (Wikimedia Commons)Catholicism
Hagia Sophia, a great domed church built in the 6th century, historically central to Eastern Orthodox Christianity (Wikimedia Commons)Eastern Orthodoxy
A rock-hewn church in Lalibela, Ethiopia, part of Oriental Orthodox Christianity (Wikimedia Commons)Oriental Orthodoxy
A Coptic church in Egypt, home to one of Christianity's oldest communities (Wikimedia Commons)Coptic Orthodox Church
Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Armenia, the mother church of the Armenian Apostolic Church (Wikimedia Commons)Armenian Apostolic Church
Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, a famous Russian Orthodox church (Wikimedia Commons)Russian Orthodox Church
A cathedral of the Assyrian Church of the East, one of Christianity's ancient branches (Wikimedia Commons)Assyrian Church of the East
A page from the Gutenberg Bible; Protestant Christianity emphasizes reading scripture directly (Wikimedia Commons)Protestantism
The Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, linked to the start of the Lutheran movement (Wikimedia Commons)Lutheranism
Canterbury Cathedral in England, the mother church of the Anglican Communion (Wikimedia Commons)Anglicanism
A Baptist church building; Baptists are a Protestant Christian tradition (Wikimedia Commons)Baptist
A Methodist church, part of a tradition begun by John Wesley (Wikimedia Commons)Methodism
A Presbyterian church, part of a Protestant tradition led by elected elders (Wikimedia Commons)Presbyterianism
A Pentecostal church; Pentecostal Christians emphasize lively worship and spiritual gifts (Wikimedia Commons)Pentecostalism
Evangelical Christians gathered in worship, emphasizing personal faith and sharing the gospel (Wikimedia Commons)Evangelicalism
A Seventh-day Adventist church; Adventists worship on Saturday, the biblical Sabbath (Wikimedia Commons)Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Salt Lake Temple in Utah, a major site for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Wikimedia Commons)Latter-day Saints
A Kingdom Hall, where Jehovah's Witnesses meet for worship and study (Wikimedia Commons)Jehovah's Witnesses
Inside a Quaker meeting house, where Quakers often worship in quiet reflection (Wikimedia Commons)Quakers
A traditional horse-drawn buggy used by the Amish, a Christian community known for simple living (Wikimedia Commons)Amish
The Ichthys, or 'Jesus fish,' an early symbol used by Christians (Wikimedia Commons)Ichthys Symbol
The Coptic cross, a symbol used by Coptic Christians in Egypt (Wikimedia Commons)Coptic Cross
The Kaaba in Mecca, Islam's holiest site, toward which Muslims pray (Wikimedia Commons)Islam
The Blue Mosque in Istanbul; Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam (Wikimedia Commons)Sunni Islam
The Imam Reza shrine in Iran, an important pilgrimage site in Shia Islam (Wikimedia Commons)Shia Islam
Whirling dervishes performing a turning dance, part of the Sufi mystical tradition in Islam (Wikimedia Commons)Sufism
A mosque in Oman, home to many followers of Ibadi Islam, a distinct branch of the faith (Wikimedia Commons)Ibadi Islam
An Ahmadiyya mosque; the Ahmadiyya movement is a smaller branch within Islam (Wikimedia Commons)Ahmadiyya
A handwritten manuscript of the Quran, the central religious text of Islam (Wikimedia Commons)The Quran
The star and crescent, a symbol widely associated with Islam (Wikimedia Commons)Star and Crescent
The Star of David, a well-known symbol of Judaism (Wikimedia Commons)Judaism
The Western Wall in Jerusalem, a sacred site for Jewish prayer, especially for Orthodox Jews (Wikimedia Commons)Orthodox Judaism
The Jewish Theological Seminary, a center of learning for Conservative Judaism (Wikimedia Commons)Conservative Judaism
Temple Emanu-El in New York, one of the world's largest Reform Jewish synagogues (Wikimedia Commons)Reform Judaism
A historical photo of Orthodox Jews; Hasidic Judaism is known for its close-knit communities (Wikimedia Commons)Hasidic Judaism
A Torah scroll, containing the central text of Judaism, handwritten in Hebrew (Wikimedia Commons)Torah
The Om symbol, a sacred sound and sign in Hinduism (Wikimedia Commons)Hinduism
A statue of Vishnu; Vaishnavism is a Hindu tradition devoted to Vishnu (Wikimedia Commons)Vaishnavism
A large statue of Shiva; Shaivism is a Hindu tradition devoted to Shiva (Wikimedia Commons)Shaivism
A statue of the goddess Durga; Shaktism is a Hindu tradition centered on the divine feminine (Wikimedia Commons)Shaktism
A manuscript of the Bhagavad Gita, one of Hinduism's most important sacred texts (Wikimedia Commons)Bhagavad Gita
The Meenakshi Amman Temple in India, an example of colorful South Indian Hindu temple architecture (Wikimedia Commons)Hindu Temple Architecture
An evening prayer ceremony on the Ganges River in Varanasi, sacred to Hindus (Wikimedia Commons)Ganges Pilgrimage
A bronze statue of Shiva as Nataraja, the cosmic dancer, a famous image in Hindu art (Wikimedia Commons)Nataraja
A statue of Ganesha, the elephant-headed god honored across Hindu traditions (Wikimedia Commons)Ganesha
A giant statue of the Buddha; Buddhism follows the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (Wikimedia Commons)Buddhism
Wat Arun in Thailand, a temple of Theravada Buddhism, a major branch practiced in Southeast Asia (Wikimedia Commons)Theravada Buddhism
A Buddha statue at Borobudur, a great temple of Mahayana Buddhism in Indonesia (Wikimedia Commons)Mahayana Buddhism
The rock garden at Ryoan-ji in Japan, used for quiet meditation in Zen Buddhism (Wikimedia Commons)Zen Buddhism
The Potala Palace in Tibet, historic center of Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana) (Wikimedia Commons)Tibetan Buddhism
A painting of Amitabha Buddha; Pure Land Buddhism focuses on devotion to Amitabha (Wikimedia Commons)Pure Land Buddhism
A monastery of Bön, an ancient Tibetan spiritual tradition that predates Buddhism there (Wikimedia Commons)Bön
A Tibetan prayer wheel, spun by Buddhists as a form of prayer and meditation (Wikimedia Commons)Buddhist Prayer Wheels
The Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya, India, said to mark where the Buddha reached enlightenment (Wikimedia Commons)Bodhi Tree
The Khanda, the central symbol of Sikhism (Wikimedia Commons)Sikhism
The Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib) in Amritsar, India, the holiest site in Sikhism (Wikimedia Commons)Golden Temple
A page from the Guru Granth Sahib, the central holy scripture of Sikhism (Wikimedia Commons)Guru Granth Sahib
The official emblem of Jainism, a religion that teaches strict nonviolence toward all living things (Wikimedia Commons)Jainism
The intricately carved marble Dilwara Jain temples in Mount Abu, India (Wikimedia Commons)Dilwara Jain Temples
The torii gates of Fushimi Inari Shrine in Japan, part of Shinto, Japan's native religion (Wikimedia Commons)Shinto
A Shinto priest performing a blessing ceremony in Japan (Wikimedia Commons)Shinto Priest
The yin-yang symbol, representing balance in Taoist philosophy (Wikimedia Commons)Taoism
A Taoist temple, a place of worship for followers of Taoism (Wikimedia Commons)Taoist Temple
The Temple of Confucius in Qufu, China, honoring the philosopher whose ideas shaped Confucianism (Wikimedia Commons)Confucianism
A statue of Confucius, the Chinese philosopher whose teachings shaped Confucian thought (Wikimedia Commons)Confucius
The Cao Dai Holy See in Vietnam, center of Cao Dai, a religion blending many traditions (Wikimedia Commons)Cao Dai
A Zoroastrian fire temple in Yazd, Iran; Zoroastrianism is one of the world's oldest religions (Wikimedia Commons)Zoroastrianism
The Faravahar, a winged symbol associated with Zoroastrianism (Wikimedia Commons)Faravahar Symbol
The Lotus Temple in India, a Baha'i House of Worship open to people of all faiths (Wikimedia Commons)Bahá'í Faith
The five-colored star, a symbol of the Druze faith (Wikimedia Commons)Druze
Lalish in Iraq, the holiest site for followers of Yazidism (Wikimedia Commons)Yazidism
Mount Gerizim, the holiest site for the Samaritans, a small ancient religious community (Wikimedia Commons)Samaritanism
An Ifá shrine; Yoruba traditional religion from West Africa includes beliefs in many spirits (Wikimedia Commons)African Traditional Religion
An Igbo ancestral shrine in Nigeria, part of traditional Igbo spiritual practice (Wikimedia Commons)Igbo Traditional Religion
A dreamcatcher, an object connected to Native American traditions and spirituality (Wikimedia Commons)Native American Spirituality
Aboriginal rock art at Uluru, Australia, connected to Dreamtime beliefs (Wikimedia Commons)Australian Aboriginal Beliefs
A traditional shaman's costume; shamanism involves connecting with the spirit world (Wikimedia Commons)Shamanism
A Haitian Vodou ceremony; Vodou blends West African, Catholic, and Caribbean traditions (Wikimedia Commons)Haitian Vodou
A Santería altar; Santería blends West African Yoruba beliefs with Catholic influences (Wikimedia Commons)Santería
A Candomblé ceremony in Brazil, a religion with roots in West African traditions (Wikimedia Commons)Candomblé
Traditional Maori carving in New Zealand, connected to Maori spiritual beliefs (Wikimedia Commons)Māori Spirituality
A traditional Yupik mask used in Inuit and Arctic spiritual traditions (Wikimedia Commons)Inuit Spirituality
The Lion of Judah, a symbol important to Rastafari, a faith that began in Jamaica (Wikimedia Commons)Rastafari
The pentacle, a symbol used in Wicca and modern Pagan traditions (Wikimedia Commons)Wicca / Modern Paganism
Stonehenge in England, a site connected to modern Druidry, a nature-based spiritual path (Wikimedia Commons)Modern Druidry
The flaming chalice, the symbol of Unitarian Universalism, a faith welcoming many beliefs (Wikimedia Commons)Unitarian Universalism
The Happy Human, a symbol used by Secular Humanists, who base ethics on reason rather than religion (Wikimedia Commons)Secular Humanism
A Rodnovery ritual in Russia; Rodnovery revives old Slavic pagan traditions (Wikimedia Commons)Rodnovery
The Karnak Temple in Egypt, built for the gods of ancient Egyptian religion (Wikimedia Commons)Ancient Egyptian Religion
The Parthenon in Athens, a temple built to honor the goddess Athena in ancient Greek religion (Wikimedia Commons)Ancient Greek Religion
The Pantheon in Rome, a temple originally built to honor the gods of ancient Roman religion (Wikimedia Commons)Ancient Roman Religion
Mjölnir, the hammer of the Norse god Thor, a symbol from Norse mythology (Wikimedia Commons)Norse Mythology / Heathenry
The Ziggurat of Ur, a temple built by the ancient Mesopotamians for their gods (Wikimedia Commons)Mesopotamian Religion
A Nag Hammadi manuscript, containing ancient Gnostic religious texts (Wikimedia Commons)Gnosticism
A 13th-century Manichaean painting; Manichaeism was an ancient religion blending many faiths (Wikimedia Commons)Manichaeism
The headquarters of Tenrikyo, a religious movement founded in 19th-century Japan (Wikimedia Commons)Tenrikyo
Angkor Wat in Cambodia, a temple built for Hindu worship and later used by Buddhists too (Wikimedia Commons)Khmer Temple Architecture