Asia: The Birthplace of the World’s Major Religions
Asia being the biggest continent in the world is the birthplace to a huge number of religions. Since there has been so many different cultural and ethnic diversity, it is obvious that with every culture there is a different religion attached to it. Islam is the biggest religion practiced in the Asian region with Hinduism following it. The other religions that are practiced in Asia are Buddhism, Taoism, Jainism, Christianity, Confucianism and Sikhism. Asia is said to be the birthplace of most of these religions. Here is a detailed description of all the religions that initially started in Asia:
Hinduism
Hinduism is the second largest religion in Asia and the third largest in the world with over 1 billion followers. The Hinduism has its roots in the Indus Valley Civilization where it was first developed. There is no founder to this religion, there is not one person that can be said to have founded Hinduism. It has a huge religion and is practiced differently in the different parts of the world. Every region has its own cultures. The main concept behind the religion is that the Hindus pray to the Hindu gods and goddesses for a better and prosperous lives. Each country or community has its own way of praying and offering homage. Hinduism is the mother of some other religions also like Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism.
Buddhism
Buddhism was founded by Gautama Buddha also known as the Siddhartha Gautama. He was an Indian prince who believed that anything could be sorted out with peace and love. Most of the Buddhism culture is supported by the teachings of Gautama Buddha. The religion spread from India to the most of the parts of Asia and was one of the biggest religions in the continent until the Islam took over. The teachings of Buddha are largely based on the fact that inner peace is the cure for everything. Worldly pleasures only make that inner peace go away and a person is not able to function properly. Buddhist Monasteries and temples are built to worship lord Buddha.
Sikhism
Sikhism is another religion that was born from Hinduism. It is the fifth largest religion in the world and is based on the teaching of the Sikh gurus. The religion was found by Guru Nanak Dev in the 1500s. The religion was started in the areas of Sindh and Punjab situated in the territories of India and Pakistan. The holy book of the Sikhs is the Guru Granth Sahib which has all the teaching from the gurus. They pray to the gurus in Gurdwaras and the system of the religious expression is called the Gurmat.
Jainism
Jainism is a small religion is India. They follow the tradition of the Vardhaman Mahavira and other gurus. They have some of the biggest libraries in the world. The Jains consider non-violence to be the principal of their religion. They have a huge contribution in the political, ethical and economic development of India. The religion though confined to India is now spreading all over the world.
Islam
Islam is the second biggest religion in the world and the largest religion in Asia. The religion is monotheistic and all the teachings are in their holy book Quran. Their place of worship is called the mosque. The religion was started in the 7th century by Muhammad.
Islam is widespread all over the world in different forms.
It originated in the middle eastern part of the continent and spread all over.
Confucianism
Confucianism is an ancient Chinese religion found by Confucius. The religion strongly believes in family, hierarchy and integrity and says that the practices towards the family are much more important than the practices towards an institution. In today’s time China, Korea, Vietnam and Japan follow this religion.
Taoism
The religion Taoism was founded by Laozi and it puts a lot of emphasis on harmony with the nature and the way or path of life. The Taoist community is not that big and is only spread in some parts of China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam.
Shinto
This is a Japanese religion and is only practiced in Japan. The religion was first established in the 7th and the 8th century and its early writings are in the records of Kojiki and Nihon Shoki.