Religion in Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, with millions of different peoples following a wide variety of different religions. Asia was the birthplace of most of the world's mainstream religions including Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Christianity, and Islam, as well as many other beliefs.
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Abrahamic religions
Abrahamic religions all originated in Asia.
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is sometimes considered an Abrahamic religion, but is quite different from Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. It was founded by Bahá'u'lláh in what was then Persia. Today the largest national population of Bahá'ís is in India with between 1.7 million[1] to 2.2 million,[2] where there is also the Lotus Temple. Significant populations are found in many countries including Vietnam and Malaysia where "about 1%", some 260,000, of the population are Bahá'ís.[3] In other places, like Kazakhstan there are 25 Local Spiritual Assemblies.[4] But in modern day Iran the religion is severely persecuted- see Persecution of Bahá'ís - and in neighboring Turkmenistan it is effectively banded[5] and individuals have had their homes raided for Bahá'í literature.[6] For further information see Bahá'í Statistics for Asia.
Christianity
Christianity is a widespread minority religion in Asia. Only two countries are predominantly Christian, the Philippines, which is the 4th largest Roman Catholic nation in the world, and East Timor. There are large Christian communities in Lebanon and South Korea. There are also many Christians in China, Israel, and Russia.
Islam
Islam is the second largest religion in Asia. Most of the countries in Asia follow Islam. South Asia and Southeast Asia contain the most populous Muslim countries, with Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and Pakistan having more than 100 million adherents each. According to U.S. government figures, in 2006 there were 20 million Muslims in China. In the Middle East, the non-Arab countries of Iran and Turkey are the largest Muslim-majority countries.
Qadiani
Qadiani is a sect in Islam who believe that the Messiah has already come. This belief is not accepted by mainstream sects of Islam. Qadiani in itself is not the name of the sect; their followers are known as Ahmadis or Ahmadiyya Muslims. The believe in the Five Pillars of Islam, and also follow the Qur'an.
Judaism
Judaism is the majority religion of Israel.
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East Asian religions
East Asian religions, also called Taoic religions, are Confucianism, Shinto, and Taoism. Far Eastern religions is a similar grouping, but includes Chinese folk religion.
Confucianism
Confucianism was founded in China by the famous philosopher, Kong Fu Zi (more commonly known in English-speaking countries as Confucius). Confucianism is a complex system of moral, social, political, philosophical, and quasi-religious thought that has had tremendous influence on the culture and history of East Asia. Some consider it to be the state religion of East Asian countries because of governmental promotion of Confucian values.
Shinto
Shinto is more commonly practiced in Japan than elsewhere.
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Taoism
Taoism, also called Daoism, is a series of political and religious concepts and practices.
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Indian religions
Indian religions, also called Dharmic religions, are the predominant and oldest religions of Asia. Most of Asia's population follows Indian religions. Asia is the home for Indian religions; all Indian religions originated in South Asia. These religions all have the concepts of dharma, karma, and reincarnation.
Buddhism
Buddhism is the majority religion in Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Laos, Macau, Mongolia, North Korea, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. It also has strong minorities in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Russia, and Singapore.
Buddhism was founded by Siddartha Gautama, the Buddha in Nepal and India.
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Hinduism
Hinduism is the majority religion in India and Nepal, with strong minorities in the Asian nations of Bhutan, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, and Sri Lanka. Before the spread of Buddhism and Islam, Hinduism (and Shaivism in particular) was the most widely practiced religion of Southeast Asia.
Hinduism is the world's oldest religion. It predates recorded history, with historians and scholars dating its earliest beginnings from around 6000 to 8000 BCE. It has no single founder; rather, it is a diverse melange of traditions, practices, and lineages. Buddhism and Jainism both emerged in India from Hinduism. Sikhism, also founded in India, was heavily influenced by Hindu thought.
Jainism
Jainism is the fourth largest of Indian religions. Jains are mostly found in India.
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Sikhism
Sikhism is the fifth largest religion in the world. It is a monotheistic religion.
Founded by Guru Nanak Dev in the 1500s, the religion professes its roots in the area of Punjab, whose territories form part of India and Pakistan. Sikhism, aided by Sufi movement, formed cornerstone of Bhakti movement in the subcontinent during the latter half of the second millennium BCE.
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Iranian religions
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism was once the state religion of the Iranian Empire, but is now a minority mostly found in India and Iran. It worships a monotheistic god, Ahura Mazda, and was founded by Zoroaster. It is the original Iranic religion, and spawned Manichaeism and Mazdakism.
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Manichaeism
Manichaeism was founded by the prophet, Mani. It was once a strong minority in Iran and a majority in Central Asia.
Shamanism and Animism
Shamanism has historically been practised in northern Asia as far west as northern Europe.
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References
- ^ Source: Year 2000 Estimated Baha'i statistics from: David Barrett, World Christian Encyclopedia, 2000; Total population statistics, mid-2000 from Population Reference Bureau
- ^ National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of India
- ^ National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Malaysia
- ^ "Religious Groups in Kazakhstan". 2001 Census. Embassy of Kazakhstan to the USA & Canada. 2001. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ compiled by Wagner, Ralph D. "Turkmenistan". Synopsis of References to the Bahá'í Faith, in the US State Department's Reports on Human Rights 1991-2000. Bahá'í Academics Resource Library. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
- ^ Corley, Felix (2004-04-01), "TURKMENISTAN: Religious communities theoretically permitted, but attacked in practice?", F18News
