Classical World Religions List

By Michael J. Vlach, Ph.D.

Adjunct Professor of Comparative Religions

Southeast Community College (Lincoln, NE)

The exact number of religions in the world is unknown. Best estimates place the number around 4200. Of this number, a dozen have been classified as “major world religions.” The following list mentions the twelve major world religions in alphabetical order:

n     Baha’I (7 million adherents)

n     Buddhism (360 million)

n     Christianity (2 billion)

n     Confucianism (6 million)

n     Hinduism (900 million)

n     Islam (1.3 billion)

n     Jainism (4 million)

n     Judaism (14 million)

n     Shinto (4 million)

n     Sikhism (23 million)

n     Daoism (2.7 million)

n     Zoroastrianism (150,000)

(The figures for Daoism and Confucianism are from www.adherents.com; figures are from September 2002)

The classification of major religions is fairly recent. In the early Enlightenment Period some western scholars attempted to categorize the “world religions.” At first, three religious groups were recognized: (1) Christians (2) Jews and (3) Pagans (i.e. everybody else).

During the 1800s, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism joined Judaism and Christianity on the list. Even today, many consider these to be the “Big 5” and are the most commonly recognized and discussed religions.

Eventually, five smaller religions were officially recognized: (1) Confucianism (2) Daoism (3) Jainism (4) Shinto and (5) Zoroastrianism. Around 1900, Sikhism, too, became recognized as a world religion. For most of its history Sikhism was viewed as a sect within Hinduism. Baha’I is the most recent entrant to the Classical Religion List. This religion is 150 years old and has about seven million adherents.

Several factors are looked at for determining a world religion:

1.     Large numbers – The single most important issue for determining a major religion is large numbers. Most major religions have adherents in the millions.

2.     Widespread – Another factor is whether there are significant numbers of religious adherents in several countries.

3.     Independent – In order for a religion to be a major religion it must be distinct from a broader religion. For centuries Jainism and Sikhism were considered a part of Hinduism. But there was enough evidence, however, to indicate they should be separate. Both groups rejected the Vedas (Hindu Scripture) and had holy books of their own. Usually denominations are not considered religions. Roman Catholicism and Lutheranism, for example, fit under the broader umbrella of Christianity and are not considered religions by themselves.

4.     Body of Doctrine – Most major religions possess a holy book(s) and an identifiable body of beliefs.

5.     Practiced Today – To be considered a major religion, a religion must be practiced today. The ancient Egyptian religion, for example, is not considered a major religion since it died out around A.D. 300.

Sign up for our FREE TheologicalStudies.org Newsletter