New York City, Melbourne, Vienna, Toronto, Los

Angeles, Singapore, Geneva, Seattle, Sao Paulo,

Buenos Aires, Vancouver, Paris, London, Sydney,
Johannesburg, Helsinki, Zurich, Oslo, Chicago,
Copenhagen, Tokyo are among the world's most
developed and visited cities.
Incheon, west of Seoul, is South Korea's third
largest city, with a population of 3 million. It was
the site of a daring amphibious landing that turned
the tide in the 1950-53 Korean War.
Formerly a bleak industrial hub, the city now boasts
the Incheon International Airport, one of the
world's busiest, and the ultra-modern Songdo
business district, an aspiring trade hub built on
reclaimed land.
Pittsburgh is the seat of Allegheny County and with
a population of 305,841 is the second-largest city in
the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
Facts:
In 2013, a California man found unconscious in a
Palm Springs motel room woke up in the hospital
speaking only Swedish, baffling doctors.
In 2010, a 13-year-old Croatian girl woke up from a
coma speaking fluent German, despite only starting
to learn the language before her brain injury.
And in 2006, Derek Amato suffered a brain injury
and became a musical prodigy.
Australian man . When 22-year-old Ben McMahon
woke up from a week-long coma following a
horrific car crash, he could speak fluent Mandarin.
NEW DELHI (AP) Merely wearing shoes is painful
for Swapna Barman (18 yrs old). She was born with
six toes on each foot, and can't afford specialized
footwear.
The family, from the town of Nezahualcoyotl,
Fernando Caleb Alvarado Rios, now aged seven,
had his eyes gouged out in May 2012 by his mother,
aunt, two uncles and grandparents after he refused
to participate in a ritual in which the family called
on Satan to protect them from an apocalypse.
Sports:
Liam Ridgewell - The tabloids were all over
Ridgewell's snaps of him wiping his backside with
money - 'the vilest footballer in Britain'.
Matthew Ghent - The former Aston Villa man filled
up his tub with notes and kicked back with some
red wine and a ciggie.
Floyd Mayweather - "Money is on fire!" "Yeah,
Floyd's having a great fight, isn't he?" "No, I mean,
there's actual money on fire!"
Phil Bardsley - This casino photo of the world's
most expensive chalk outline had then-Sunderland
boss Paolo Di Canio fuming.
Adrien Broner - Former world boxing champion
Broner was 'feeling flush' when he decided to post
a video of him tearing up 20 dollar bills and sending
a small chunk of his income, literally, down the
toilet.
Dee Liner - Liner is an American football prospect at
the University of Alabama, but he and his friends
caught plenty of heat for posing with these huge
wads of cash.
Gilbert Arenas - And finally, NBA's Gilbert Arenas
goes more the way of Broner than his fellow baller
Stephenson with his bathroom snap.
Seeded 14th at US Open, ilid defeated Marcos
Baghdatis, Illya Marchenko and Kevin Anderson
with little trouble before reaching the fourth round,
where he held off Gilles Simon for the first time in
their five meets, winning the match in five sets. In
the quarterfinals, ilid dismissed world No. 7 Tomas
Berdych in straight sets, and in the semifinals he
upset world No. 3 Roger Federer, also in straight
sets. This was his first win over Federer in their six
matches. With this win, ilid reached a Grand Slam
final for the first time, in which he beat 10th seed
Kei Nishikori in straight sets. By winning US Open,
ilid brought Croatia a second Grand Slam men's
singles title after his coach Goran Ivanievid
triumphed in 2001 at Wimbledon.
News:
Soon, Mandarin Oriental, a hotel that stood at the
heart of Makatis central business district since
1975, may not only be out of business but also
completely out of sight, replaced by more modern
structures.

The hotel building, designed by national artist for
architecture Leandro Locsin, is among those that
may be demolished to make way for a planned
redevelopment by property giant Ayala Land Inc.
(ALI).

ALI said the site of Mandarin Oriental, as well as
the Intercontinental Hotel, another building
designed by Locsin, will be part of the new complex
to be built around Makatis Ayala Triangle Gardens.
PRETORIA (Reuters) - Olympic and Paralympic track
star Oscar Pistorius was convicted of culpable
homicide on Friday, escaping the more serious
charge of murder for the killing of his girlfriend, and
will now battle to avoid going to prison.
Jamaican-born Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, who
grew up in Canada, was the second Islamic convert
preacher to be detained by the Philippines since
July, when it also arrested and later deported
Robert Edward Cerantonio to Australia.

Geography:
Deepest Spot in the Ocean
The deepest spot in the ocean is called the Mariana
Trench and is approximately 35, 797 ft (10,911 m)
deep in the Pacific Ocean. That's deeper than the
height of the world's highest mountain, Mount
Everest, which is 29,035 ft (8,850 m) high.

Highest Navigable Lake
Lake Titicaca in Peru is the highest navigable lake in
the world. It is about 12,500 ft (3,810 m) above sea
level. This lake is also South America's second
largest freshwater lake.

Lowest Lake
The lowest lake is the Dead Sea (it's considered a
lake but called a sea), which is in the Jordan Valley
of Israel. The surface of the water is 1,340 ft (408
m) below sea level. The Dead Sea is also the saltiest
lake in the world. Almost nothing can survive in it
besides simple organisms like green algae.

Largest Freshwater Lake
Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes and
it's also the freshwater lake that covers the greatest
surface area in the world. Lake Superior covers over
82,000 km of land and there's enough water in
the lake to fill all the other Great Lakes plus three
Lake Eries.

Deepest Lake
Lake Baikal is the world's deepest lake and is
located in Siberia, Russia, north of the Mongolian
border. It is 5,369 ft (1,637 m) deep - more than one
mile straight down.

Largest Ocean
The Pacific Ocean takes the award for being the
largest ocean in the world. It covers almost a third
of the Earth's surface and goes from the Bering Sea
in the Arctic north to the icy waters of Antarctica's
Ross Sea in the south.

Smallest Ocean
The smallest ocean is the Arctic Ocean, which is
about 10 times smaller than the Pacific Ocean.

Longest River
The Nile River in Egypt is the longest river. It's 4,145
miles (6,671 km) long and flows into the
Mediterranean Sea.

Shortest River
The world's shortest river, according to the
Guinness Book of World Records, is the Roe River.
It is only 200 feet (61 meters) long and flows
between Giant Springs and the Missouri River near
Great Falls, Montana. There has been debate,
though, about which river is really the shortest. The
D River in Oregon has been measured as being only
120 ft (37 m) long. It connects Devil's Lake directly
to the Pacific Ocean near Lincoln City. Because the
D River flows into the ocean though, it's length
changes according to the tide so has been
measured at several different lengths.

Largest River
The Amazon Basin in South America is the largest
river with the greatest water flow. This is because it
flows through the Amazon rain forest - the largest
and wettest rainforest on Earth.

Highest Waterfall
Angel Falls (Salto Angel) in Canaima National Park,
Venezuela is the highest waterfall in the world at
3212 ft (979 m).

Geographical Facts
1. The second Longest geographical name that is
accepted in the world is
Taumatawhakatangihangak
oauauotamateaturipukaka
pikimaungahoronukupokaiwhe nua kitanatahu (85
letters) which is a hill in New Zealand it is a maori
phrase which translates to place where Tamatea,
the man with the big knees, who slid, climbed and
swallowed mountains, known as land-eater, played
his flute to his loved one. It was the longest until
recently (though the Guinness Book of Records still
regards it as the longest); it has most likely now
been supplanted by Krung thep maha nakorn
amorn ratana kosinmahintar ayutthay amaha dilok
phop noppa ratrajathani burirom udom rajaniwes-
mahasat harn amorn phimarn avatarn sathit
sakkattiya visanukamprasit in Thailand (163
letters).
2. Lesotho, Vatican City, and San Marino are the
only countries completely surrounded by one other
country. Lesotho is completely surrounded by
South Africa, and Vatican City, and San Marino are
both completely surrounded by Italy.
3. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll
llantysiliogogogoch is the longest village name in
the world (and third longest geographical name). it
is located in Wales, and yes there are four ls in a
row!
4. The Shortest place name is it is located in
both Sweden and Norway. In Scandinavian
languages, means river. The image above is
one of the newly replaces road signs for the area
they are frequently stolen for their novelty value.
5. The Vatican city is the smallest country in the
world at only .2 square miles. That is smaller than
the average city! The largest country is (surprise
surprise) Russia.
6. The largest city in the world based on surface
area, is Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia which is 263,953
km squared.
7. The hottest temperature recorded on earth is El
Azizia Libya at 136 F, the coldest was -134 degrees
fahrenheit in Vostok Antarctica. The hottest
average temp is in western Australia, it is 96
degrees year round on average.
8. San Marino claims to be the worlds oldest
constitutional republic it was founded in 301 by a
Christian stonemason fleeing persecution under
Emperor Diocletian. Its constitution of 1600 is the
oldest written constitution in the world. San
Marino is pictured above.
9. Though Mt. Everest is the highest altitude in
terms of sea level on the planet, Mount
Chimborazo is the closest to the moon. The
Marianas Trench is the lowest place on earth.
10. Alaska is the most Northern, Eastern, AND
Western state in all of America. It is the only state
that enters the Eastern Hemisphere making it
also the most eastern lying and western lying state.
11. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is the Longest mountain
chain on earth (at 40 thousand kilometers). It is
located along the middle of the Atlantic. Iceland is
the only part of this chain that is above water. The
Andes form the longest exposed mountain range at
7,000 kilometers.
12. Mount Circeo on Cape Circaeum on the western
coast of Italy was once called Aeaea (5 vowels in a
row with no consonants). It was believed in
mythology to be the home of the witch Circe. Two
other vowel-only geographic locations are the town
of Aiea in Hawaii, and Eiao one of the Marquise
Islands.
13. Glaciers store between 70% and 80% of all the
freshwater on the planet. 99% of those glaciers are
in the Arctic and Antarctic.
14. In 1811 and 1812, three earthquakes measuring
around 8 on the richter scale, caused the
Mississippi River to flow backwards. These
earthquakes also created Reelfoot Lake in
Tennessee.
15. The deepest hole ever drilled by man is the Kola
Superdeep Borehole, in Russia. It reached a depth
of 12,261 meters (about 40,226 feet or 7.62 miles).
It was drilled for scientific research and gave up
some unexpected discoveries, one of which was a
huge deposit of hydrogen so massive that the
mud coming from the hole was boiling with it.
The borehole is pictured above.

60 most interesting geographical facts
1. Kingdom of Tonga the only monarchy in the
Pacific.
2. Trans-Siberian railway crosses exactly 3901
bridges.
3. The composition of the Philippines archipelago
includes 7,107 islands.
4. The words Allahu Akbar repeated 22 times On
the flag of Iran.
5. Seven largest countries in the world (Russia,
Canada, USA, China, Australia, Brazil and Argentina)
took half of our planets territory.
6. There are only the five states In Europe, that
border only one other state Portugal, Italy, San
Marino, Vatican City and Monaco.
7. Mexican volcano Parikutin eruption lasted 9
years (from 1943 to 1952). During this time the
cone of the volcano climbed to 2774 meters.
8. In the central square of the Canadian town of
Glendon rises its official symbol the dumpling
which is 9 meters height and a weight of 2700 kg.
9. Londons equivalent of the New York Wall Street
is known as Lombard Street.
10. In the Togo, the man who made compliment a
woman must marry her.
11. The five boroughs of New York City: The Bronx,
Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Manhattan.
12. The largest desert in Europe Ryn Sands. It is
located between the Volga and the Urals (in
Kazakhstan and Russia).
13. The structure of Japan has more than 3,900
islands.
14. The Ganges Delta has the largest of all the
rivers.
15. There are 3 of Peru and 9 of Paris In the U.S.
16. Less than 1 percent of the Caribbean islands are
inhabited.
17. Of the 25 highest peaks of the world, 19 are in
the Himalayas.
18. Almost to the end of the 1980s, Bhutan was not
a single phone.
19. The coldest capital of the world is Ulan Bator
(Mongolia).
20. 336 rivers empties into Lake Baikal, but it has
only one flows (Angara).
21. The last eruption of the volcano Mount Fuji
Japanese occurred in 1707.
22. The largest ports in the world: Rotterdam,
Singapore, Kobe, New York, New Orleans.
23. Nauru the only state in the world that has no
official capital.
24. Cuba the only Caribbean island, which has a
railway.
25. The first capital of the Russian state was
Ladoga.
26.There are the 17 active volcanoes In Japan
27. February 18, 1979 in the Sahara Desert was
snowing.
28. 23 out of 50 countries have an access to the
ocean.
29. Despite the fact that New Delhi and Novosibirsk
are almost on the same longitude, their time is
different for a half hour. This is due to the fact that
India is a special standard time.
30. In Thailand, is still considered impolite to use a
fork while eating. The plug is used only to shift the
food from the plate to the substrate.
31. The center of Europe is located on the territory
of Ukraine in the Transcarpathian region between
the cities and Tyachev Rakhiv, near the village of
Business, and the Center of Asia in Kyzyl Tuva
Republic.
32. In the world, only one river, which rises at the
equator and flows into the temperate zone: Neil.
For obscure reasons other rivers flowing in the
opposite direction.
33. Several buildings in Manhattan have their own
zip code.
34. The highest of the extinct volcanoes on Earth
Aconcagua, located in Argentina. Its altitude 6960
meters.
35. Seven most populous nations of the world: the
Chinese (Han), Hindustanis, Americans U.S.,
Bengali, Russian, Brazilian and Japanese.
36. Montpelier (Vermont) the smallest state
capital in the U.S.. It has a population of about nine
thousand.
37. The state capital of Montpelier Vermont the
only state capital in the U.S., where there is no
McDonalds.
38. One of the largest Icelandic geysers, located on
the slopes of the volcano Hekla, called Geyser.
39. Malaysia believed that redeems child in beer,
can protect him from all troubles and diseases.
40. The national anthem of Greece has 158
versions. No inhabitant of Greece does not know all
the 158 versions of their national anthem.
41. The river Ob has 150 000 (!) Inflows.
42. There are no rivers In Saudi Arabia.
43. Indonesia is located on the 17,508 islands.
44. Red Sea the warmest sea in the world.
45. Local people of the Lesbos island named
lesbosiyts lesbosianks instead but not a lesbian.
46. In Moscow there is Elk River, and the largest of
the streams that flow into it, is called Losenok.
47. The Chinese and Korean family name always
comes first (IE, family name of Mao Zedong Mao).
48. The widest street in the world is located in
Brasilia (street Monumental Axis, width 250 m).
49. In the town of Calama, located in the Chilean
Atacama Desert, is never rain.
50. In the nation of Papua New Guinea consists of
the island of New Britain and New Ireland.
51. In Amsterdam and Antwerp to 26 islands in St.
Petersburg 101, and in Venice as many as 118.
52. In South America, the only two countries that
do not have access to the ocean: Bolivia and
Paraguay.
53. City of Hong Kong ranks first in the world by the
number of Rolls-Royce.
54. Lebanon the only state in the Middle East, in
which there is no desert.
55. Unlike most African nations, Ethiopia has been
never a European colony.
56. In May 1948, two New Zealand Ruapehu and
Ngauruhoe volcanoes erupted simultaneously.
57. In France, Italy and Chile formally recognized
the existence of UFOs.
58. The most distant of all the oceans on Earth lies
in China.
59. The cleanest sea in the world is the Weddell
Sea, Antarctica.
60. There are 7 cities In the tourist route Golden
Ring of Russia.











Religion Facts

Get the facts about the various religions around the
world.
The new research found that 45 percent of
all American adults meet the criteria that
The Barna Group uses to classify people as
"born again." That number is up from 31
percent in 1983.
Nearly half of all Americans who accept
Jesus Christ as their Savior do so before
reaching the age of 13 (43 percent) and
two out of three born again Christians (64
percent) made that commitment to Christ
before their 18th birthday.
Women are 16 percent more likely than
men to be born again.
African-Americans are the ethnic group
most likely to be born again (59 percent),
while Hispanics were barely half as likely
(32 percent).
Religion around the world is broken down like this:
Christianity - 33 percent
Islam - 21 percent
Non-religious - 16 percent
Hindu - 14 percent
Primal-indigenous - 6 percent
Chinese traditional - 6 percent
Buddhism - 6 percent
Sikhism - 0.36 percent
Judaism - 0.22 percent
11 Facts About World Religions
Religious discrimination might seem like a problem
we've solved, but in countries across the world,
including the US people are still persecuted and
abused because of their relgious beliefs. One way
to fight relgious discrimination is by fighting
ignorance by learning about relgious tradtions
outside your own. Here are 11 facts about relgions
practiced across the globe.

1. Wicca might seem like an ancient religion, but it
actually wasn't formed until the 1900s.

2. Converting to Islam is not ceremonial but private,
the individual has to fully believe, recite a
declaration of belief, and take a cleansing shower.

3. Buddhists don't believe they reach Nirvana
through death but through enlightenment; that can
sometimes take multiple reincarnations.

4. In Catholicism there are patron saints for nearly
everything including danger from water, protection
against Whooping Cough, and protection against
Witchcraft.

5. While it's common in the US for Hanukkah to
mean eight nights of presents (at least for the kids)
gift giving for the holiday is only common in North
America and Israel.

6. The three main gods worshiped by Hindus
are Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva but there are many
more lesser gods that are also acknowledged.

7. Mormons aren't allowed to drink tea, coffee,
or alcohol though they are allowed to drink soda.

8. Some faiths require believers to refuse medical
treatment; Jehovah Witnesses aren't allowed
to receive blood transfusions and Christian
Scientists often refuse all traditional medical
treatment.

9. Other religious denominations refuse modern
technology, Amish individuals do
without electricity or telephones.
10. Although the US has a separation of church and
state, some countries are controlled by one
religion, though a true modern theocracy is rare
(Vatican City is an example).
11. Christianity is currently the world's largest
religion with Islam the second and Hinduism the
third.

Buddhism - Funny & Not-so-Funny Facts-:
Buddhism word is derived from Hindi word
Budhi , which means WISDOM. In that
sense Buddha means wise man.
Buddhism founder was Mahatma Budh
(Mahatma is a Hindi word & means "Great
Soul").
Mahatma Budh original name was
Siddharth. He was a prince , but he left his
home to find following answers - Why
there is much sorrow & pain in the world?
Why people get old & die? How a man can
get rid of his sorrows & pains?.
When Mahatma Budh was a child
(Siddharth) , they say that few sages had
told his father that this little boy would
either become a great king or a great
sage.Mahatma Budh's father wanted his
son to become a king like himself, so he
tried to keep him away from all the
negative things in the world ,which could
affect young child's brain e.g. no sick,old or
poor person was allowed to come in sight
of Siddharth .It was later on when young
Budh started visiting the surroundings ,he
came across these things
In initial days, a Buddist monk was not
supposed to cook food, he could only ask
for food in alms.Purpose was to spend all
the time in spreading awareness about
Buddhism.
This religion is unlike any other religion.
They do not believe in gods. They believe
in kindness and life after death. If you live
a good life, you will have a better life in
the next life and it will build up good
Karma. If you live a bad life, you will have
bad Karma the next life.
Buddhists go to temple, not at a special
time or day, but when they can.
Nuns - women can hold a position as a
nun.
Nuns are not allowed to criticize monks
but monks are allowed to criticize nuns.
Although Buddhism originated in India, but
now there are almost no followers .It is
more widely spread in
Thailand,Japan,China .
More than 50% of Buddhism Teachings are
part of Hinduism, the most popular
religion in India.
If you visit a monastery, you would find big
Prayer Wheels inside it or lot of people
carrying Prayer Wheels in their hands.
There are certain religious messages
written all over these wheels & devotees
keep rotating these wheels . These depict a
cycle of life for a soul (life-death-life)in
Buddhist culture & one can get rid of cycle
of .life by chanting these religious
messages & by leading a pious life
The "Smiling Buddha" in Chinese
restaurants is not a statue of the Buddha,
rather it is Hotei a Budai from Chinese
folklore.
Flowers used in Buddhist worship signal
that life of a human is not permanent but
short lived like the life of a flower, so a
human should spread happiness like
flowers.
Buddha was not a fat man - his lifestyle of
moderation in eating and walking about
teaching would have made him fit not fat
A Buddhist should eat whatever food is
given to him, but should never ask for an
animal to be slaughtered for his meal.
At the core of Buddhism, there are Four
Noble Truths: (1) All living beings suffer; (2)
The origin of these sufferings are desire i.e.
wanting more (3) Desires can be overcome
and (4) There is a path which can lead to
release from desires. This path is known as
the Noble Eightfold Path: Right Views,
Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action,
Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right
Concentration and Right Ecstasy.
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Hinduism:Funny & Not-so -Funny Fact
Hinduism is considered to be the oldest
religion of the world. It is more of a way of
a life rather than being a religion. Many of
other great religions have come out
Hinduism way of thinking & beliefs as it
gievs enough space & freedom to
individuals to think differently
There are 8.4 million different gods &
goddesses in Hindu religion, so one can
pick & choose the god or goddess of
his/her own liking .
In a family, every member can follow his or
her own god or goddess, there is no
restriction to choose one god only .
In most of Hindu marriages, the bride &
bridegroom have to take 7 circles around
holy fire ,by taking 7 different oaths to
help & commit to each other
There is no restriction on eating meat ,
>40% of Hindus eat meat.In earlier days,
animals were slaughtered to please deities
& gods
Hindus believe in re-birth. The belief is that
if one person does good deeds in this life,
his next life would be better. And if he
does very good deeds ,then he can merge
in God & does not need to come back on
earth by re-birth
Animals have a special place in Hindu
religion. You would find most the leading
god & goddesses either in shape of animals
or having animals around them. For
example, one of the most famous lord is
Shiva, who carries a snake around his neck,
similarly a goddess named Vaishno is
always shown sitting on a lion. One of the
lords, Hanuman has been shown as
monkey whereas another famous god in
Hindu religion ,Ganesha, has a face of a
baby elephant .
Ganges ,a river in India,is considered to be
very holy by many of the Hindus & they
believe that a holy dip in Ganges would
purify their bodies & all of their sins would
be forgiven .This is similar to confession
tradition in Christians
Hindus believe that human body is made
of 5 natural elements:
Water,Air,Earth(soil),Sky (void) & Fire .On
death, these five elements should return
to nature.That is why Hindus burn dead
bodies.
Christianity : Funny & Not -so- Funny Facts
There are Seven things ,which are
considered as deadly Sins in Christianity.
These are: 1. Pride 2. Greed 3. Lust 4. Envy
5. Gluttony 6. Anger 7. Sloth
Number of Bibles distributed in the U.S.
every day: 170,00. About 50 Bibles are sold
every minute
Because the Bible is the world's number
one bestseller, it is also the most
shoplifted book in the world
The most mentioned crop in the Bible is
corn
In Christianity, if you confess all your bad
deeds to Father (priest of the Church) ,
then youre considered to be forgiven by
God .(Father, the priest, is not supposed to
see your face )
Christians' two most observed holidays are
Easter (celebrating the resurrection of
Christ) and Christmas (celebrating the birth
of Christ).
In the Bible , there are around one
hundred different names used for God.
Cat is the only domestic animal,which is
not mentioned in the Bible.
The Bible has been translated into 1,200
different languages, including Klingon, for
the Star Trek enthusiasts.
Most of the Christians undergo a ritual
called being Baptized , a TRADITION that
involves application of water to the head,
or full body submersion. This symbolically
represents the washing away of sins, and a
rite of acceptance into the Christian faith.
Youth Group Games
Christians believe in one God, but that God
exists in three forms, God the Father, God
the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Islam : Funny & Not -so- Funny Facts
The Majority of Muslims do not live in the
middle East. The most populous Muslim
country is Indonesia, the 4th largest
country in the world with 184 million
Muslims.
There are more Muslims in India than the
combined population of Syria, Iraq, Jordan,
Palestine and the whole of the Arabian
Peninsula.
"Allah" is an Arabic word that means
"God". Muslims also believe that "Allah" is
the personal name of God.
Muslims neither worship Muhammad ;the
prophet & founder of Islam; nor pray
through him. Muslims solely worship the
unseen and Omniscient Creator, Allah.
Muslims pray five times daily, usually
while kneeling on a mat, facing toward
Ka'ba shrine, located in Mecca.
The word "Jihad", though it means holy
war, has two meanings, the first is the
struggle against non-believers, the second
is an internal struggle to remain pious in
their faith and submit to the will of Allah
(God)
During Ramadan,(a special period in the
year for Muslims), Muslims fast from
sunrise to sunset for an entire month.
Muslim women wear the head-covering
(hijab) in fulfillment of God's decree to
dress modestly.This type of modest dress
has been worn by righteous women
throughout history. Prominent examples
are traditional Catholic Nuns, Mother
Teresa and the Virgin Mary, mother of
Jesus.
World Biggest Religions - Interesting
Knowledge
Buddhism is a religion which has variety of
traditions, beliefs and practices, largely
based on teachings of Siddhartha
Gautama, commonly known as the
Buddha. Two major branches of Buddhism
are: Theravada ("The School of the Elders")
and Mahayana ("The Great Vehicle). The
foundations of Buddhist religion are the 3
Jewels: the Buddha, the Dharma (the
teachings), and the Sangha (the
community)
Christianity: It is based on the life and
teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Followers
of the Christian religion are known as
Christians. Moderns Christianity teaches
Jesus as the Son of God and the savior of
humanity. The three largest groups in the
world of Christianity are the Roman
Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox
churches & the various churches of
Protestantism. Christianity has around 2.2
billion followers. Christianity is world's
largest religion.
Confucianism is a life- system that is
normally considered as one of the world
religions. It is based on teachings of
Confucius ,a Chinese thinker.It originated
in China.
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes
a path of non-violence towards all living
beings.This is based on 23 teachers of old
times. Out of them , Mahavira became one
of the most influential Jainism teachers.
Jain sangha is divided into two major sects,
Digambar and Svetambar.
Judaism is the religion and way of life of
the Jewish people. Jewish population was
estimated at 13.4 million, or roughly 0.2%
of the total world population. About 42%
of all Jews reside in Israel and about 42%
reside in the United States and Canada.
Hinduism is the major religion of South
Asia. Other name for it is Santana
Dharma. Demographically, Hinduism is the
world's 3rd largest religion, after
Christianity and Islam. Major books are the
Upanishads, Puras , Mahbhrata and
Ramayana. The word Hindu is derived
from word Sindhu, the local name of a
river called Indus which has disappeared
now. Hinduism is generally regarded as the
world's oldest organized religion.
Islam : The word Islam means 'submission
to God. A follower of Islam is called a
Muslim. Major book is Quran, which is
considered to be the word of God. Most
Muslims belong to one of the two groups;
with 80-90% being Sunni and 10-20% being
Shia. Islam is the second-largest religion
and one of the fastest-growing religions in
the world.
Shinto is an ancient Japanese religion. Its
name was derived from the Chinese words
"shin tao" ("The Way of the Kami").The
Kami are the Shinto deities. The word
"Kami" is generally translated as "god"
Unlike most other religions, Shinto has no
real founder, no written scriptures, no
body of religious law. About 84% of the
population of Japan follow two religions:
an amalgam of both Shinto and Buddhism
Sikhism is religion founded in the fifteenth
century in North part of India on the
teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji ,the first
teacher of Sikhs ,and ten successive Sikh
Gurus . The principal beliefs of Sikhism are
faith and justice. The holy scripture for
Sikhism is the Gur Granth Shib Ji
Taoism (pronounced "Dow") can be
roughly translated into English as path, or
the way. It is on how to spend life. The
founder of Taoism is believed by a few
religious historians to be Lao-Tse. Several
Chinese martial arts, Chinese traditional
medicine, feng shui, and many styles of
qigong originated from Taoism.

World Religions
Afghanistan
Islam (Sunni 80%, Shiite 19%), other
1%
Albania
Islam 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%,
Roman Catholic 10% (est.)
Algeria
Islam (Sunni) 99% (state religion),
Christian and Jewish 1%
Andorra Roman Catholic (predominant)
Angola
Indigenous 47%, Roman Catholic
38%, Protestant 15% (1998 est.)
Antigua and
Barbuda
Christian (predominantly Anglican
and other Protestant; some Roman
Catholic)
Argentina
Roman Catholic 92%, Protestant 2%,
Jewish 2%, other 4%
Armenia
Armenian Apostolic 95%, other
Christian 4%, Yezidi 1%
Australia
Roman Catholic 26%, Anglican 21%,
other Christian 21%, Buddhist 2%,
Islam 2%, other 1%, none 15% (2001)
Austria
Roman Catholic 74%, Protestant 5%,
Islam 4%, none 12% (2001)
Azerbaijan
Islam 93%, Russian Orthodox 3%,
Armenian Orthodox 2%, other 2%
(1995 est.)
Bahamas
Baptist 35%, Anglican 15%, Roman
Catholic 14%, Pentecostal 8%,
Church of God 5%, Methodist 4%,
other Christian 15% (2000)
Bahrain
Islam (Shiite and Sunni) 81%,
Christian 9%
Bangladesh
Islam 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1%
(1998)
Barbados
Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%,
Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other
12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%,
other 12%
Belarus
Eastern Orthodox 80%, other
(including Roman Catholic,
Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20%
(1997 est.)
Belgium
Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or
other 25%
Belize
Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 27%
(Pentecostal 7%, Anglican 5%,
Seventh-Day Adventist 5%,
Mennonite 4%, Methodist 4%,
Jehovah's Witnesses 2%), none 9%,
other 14% (2000)
Benin
indigenous 50%, Christian 30%, Islam
20%
Bhutan
Lamaistic Buddhist 75%, Indian- and
Nepalese-influenced Hinduism 25%
Bolivia
Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant
(Evangelical Methodist) 5%
Bosnia and
Herzegovina
Islam 40%, Orthodox 31%, Roman
Catholic 15%, other 14%
Botswana
Christian 72%, Badimo 6%, none 21%
(2001)
Brazil
Roman Catholic 74%, Protestant
15%, Spiritualist 1%, none 7% (2000)
Brunei
Islam (official religion) 67%,
Buddhist 13%, Christian 10%,
indigenous beliefs and other 10%
Bulgaria
Bulgarian Orthodox 83%, Islam 12%,
other Christian 1% (2001)
Burkina Faso
Islam 50%, indigenous beliefs 40%,
Christian (mainly Roman Catholic)
10%
Burundi
Roman Catholic 62%, indigenous
23%, Islam 10%, Protestant 5%
Cambodia Theravada Buddhist 95%, others 5%
Cameroon
indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian
40%, Islam 20%
Canada
Roman Catholic 43%, Protestant 23%
(including United Church 10%,
Anglican 7%, Baptist 2%, Lutheran
2%), other Christian 4%, Muslim 2%,
none 16% (2001)
Cape Verde
Roman Catholic (infused with
indigenous beliefs), Protestant
(mostly Church of the Nazarene)
Central
African
Republic
indigenous beliefs 35%, Protestant
and Roman Catholic (both with
animist influence) 25% each, Islam
15%
Chad
Islam 51%, Christian 35%, animist
7%, other 7%
Chile
Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant
11%, small Jewish population
China
Officially atheist; Daoist (Taoist),
Buddhist, Christian 3%4%, Muslim
1%2% (2002 est.)
Colombia Roman Catholic 90%
Comoros
Sunni Muslim 98%, Roman Catholic
2%
Congo,
Democratic
Republic of
the
Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant
20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Islam 10%;
other syncretic and indigenous 10%
Congo,
Republic of
Christian 50%, animist 48%, Islam 2%
Costa Rica
Roman Catholic 76%, Evangelical
14%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1%, other
Protestant 1%, other 5%, none 3%
Cte d'Ivoire
indigenous 25%40%, Islam 35%
40%, Christian 20%30% (2001)
Croatia
Roman Catholic 88%, Orthodox 4%,
Muslim 1%, other Christian less than
1%, none 5% (2001)
Cuba
predominantly Roman Catholic and
Santera (Afro-Cuban syncretic
religion)
Cyprus
Greek Orthodox 78%, Islam 18%,
Maronite, Armenian Apostolic, and
other 4%
Czech
Republic
Roman Catholic 27%, Protestant 2%,
unaffiliated 59% (2001)
Denmark
Evangelical Lutheran 95%, other
Protestant and Roman Catholic 3%,
Muslim 2%
Djibouti Islam 94%, Christian 6%
Dominica
Roman Catholic 77%, Protestant 15%
(Methodist 5%, Pentecostal 3%,
Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Baptist
2%, other 2%), none 2%
Dominican
Republic
Roman Catholic 95%
East Timor
Roman Catholic 90%, Islam 4%,
Protestant 3%, Hindu 0.5%,
Buddhist, animist (1992 est.)
Ecuador Roman Catholic 95%
Egypt
Islam (mostly Sunni) 90%, Coptic 9%,
Christian 1%, other 6%
El Salvador
Catholics 83%; growing population
of evangelical Protestants (1992)
Equatorial
Guinea
nominally Christian and
predominantly Roman Catholic,
pagan practices
Eritrea
Islam, Eritrean Orthodox
Christianity, Roman Catholic,
Protestant
Estonia
Evangelical Lutheran 14%, Russian
Orthodox 13%, other Christian
(including Methodist, Seventh-Day
Adventist, Roman Catholic,
Pentecostal) 1%, unaffiliated 34%,
none 6% (2001)
Ethiopia
Islam 45%50%, Ethiopian Orthodox
35%40%, animist 12%, other 3%
8%
Fiji
Christian 52% (Methodist 37%,
Roman Catholic 9%), Hindu 38%,
Islam 8%, other 2%
Finland
Evangelical Lutheran 84%, Greek
Orthodox 1%, other Christian 1%,
none 14%
France
Roman Catholic 83%88%,
Protestant 2%, Islam 5%10%,
Jewish 1%, unaffiliated 4%
Gabon
Christian 55%75%, animist, Islam
less than 1%
Gambia
Islam 90%, Christian 9%, indigenous
1%
Georgia
Orthodox 84%, Islam 10%,
Armenian-Gregorian 4%, Catholic 1%
(2002)
Germany
Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic
34%, Islam 4%, Unaffiliated or other
28%
Ghana
Christian 63%, indigenous beliefs
21%, Islam 16%
Greece
Greek Orthodox 98%, Islam 1%,
other 1%
Grenada
Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 14%,
other Protestant 33%
Guatemala
Roman Catholic, Protestant,
indigenous Mayan beliefs
Guinea
Islam 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous
7%
Guinea-Bissau
indigenous beliefs 50%, Islam 45%,
Christian 5%
Guyana
Christian 50%, Hindu 35%, Islam
10%, other 5%
Haiti
Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16%
(Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%,
Adventist 1%, other 1%), other 3%,
none 1%. Note: roughly half the
population practices Vaudou
Honduras Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant 3%
Hungary
Roman Catholic 52%, Calvinist 16%,
Lutheran 3%, Greek Catholic 3%,
other Christian 1%, unaffiliated 15%
(2001)
Iceland
Lutheran Church of Iceland 85.5%,
Reykjavik Free Church 2.1%, Roman
Catholic Church 2%, Hafnarfjorour
Free Church 1.5%, other Christian
2.7%, other or unspecified 3.8%,
unaffiliated 2.4% (2004)
India
Hindu 81%, Islam 13%, Christian 2%,
Sikh 2% (2001)
Indonesia
Islam 88%, Protestant 5%, Roman
Catholic 3%, Hindu 2%, Buddhist 1%
(1998)
Iran
Islam 98% (Shi'a 89%, Sunni 9%);
Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and
Baha'i 2%
Iraq
Islam 97% (Shiite 60%65%, Sunni
32%37%), Christian or other 3%
Ireland
Roman Catholic 88%, Church of
Ireland 3%, other Christian 2%, none
4%
Israel
Judaism 77%, Islam 16%, Christian
2%, Druze 2% (2003)
Italy
Roman Catholic approx. 90%,
Protestant, Jewish, Islamic
Jamaica
Protestant 61.3%, (Church of God
21.2%, Baptist 8.8%, Anglican 5.5%,
Seventh-Day Adventist 9%,
Pentecostal 7.6%, Methodist 2.7%,
United Church 2.7%, Brethren 1.1%,
Jehovah's Witness 1.6%, Moravian
1.1%), Roman Catholic 4%, other
including some spiritual cults 34.7%
Japan
Shintoist and Buddhist 84%, other
16% (including Christian 0.7%)
Jordan
Islam (Sunni) 92%, Christian 6%
(mostly Greek Orthodox), other 2%
Kazakhstan
Islam 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%,
Protestant 2%, other 7%
Kenya
Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic
33%, indigenous beliefs 10%, Islam
10%, others 2% (note: estimates
vary widely)
Kiribati
Roman Catholic 52%, Protestant
(Congregational) 40%, some
Seventh-Day Adventist, Muslim,
Baha'i, Latter-day Saints, and Church
of God (1999)
Korea, North
Buddhism and Confucianism;
religious activities almost
nonexistent
Korea, South
no affiliation 46%, Christian 26%,
Buddhist 26%, Confucianist 1%,
other 1%
Kuwait
Islam 85% (Sunni 70%, Shiite 30%);
Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other
15%
Kyrgyzstan
Islam 75%; Russian Orthodox 20%;
other 5%
Laos
Buddhist 60%, animist and other
40% (including Christian 2%)
Latvia
Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian
Orthodox
Lebanon
Islam 60% (Shi'a, Sunni, Druze,
Isma'ilite, Alawite/Nusayri),
Christian 39% (Maronite, Melkite,
Syrian, Armenian, and Roman
Catholic; Greek, Armenian, and
Syrian Orthodox; Chaldean;
Assyrian; Copt; Protestant), other 1%
Lesotho
Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs
20%
Liberia
traditional 40%, Christian 40%, Islam
20%
Libya Islam (Sunni) 97%
Liechtenstein
Roman Catholic, 77%, Protestant,
7%; unknown, 11% (2002)
Lithuania
Roman Catholic 79%, Russian
Orthodox 4%, Protestant (including
Lutheran, evangelical Christian
Baptist) 2%, none 10% (2001)
Luxembourg
Roman Catholic 87%; Protestant,
Jewish, Islamic 13% (2000)
Macedonia
Macedonian Orthodox 32%, Islam
17% (2002)
Madagascar
indigenous beliefs 52%, Christian
41%, Islam 7%
Malawi
Christian 80%, Islam 13%, none 4%
(1998)
Malaysia
Muslim, Buddhist, Daoist, Hindu,
Christian, Sikh; Shamanism (East
Malaysia)
Maldives Islam (Sunni)
Mali
Islam 90%, indigenous beliefs 9%,
Christian 1%
Malta Roman Catholic 98%
Marshall
Islands
Protestant 55%, Assembly of God
26%, Roman Catholic 8%, Bukot nan
Jesus 3%, Mormon 2%, other
Christian 4%, none 2% (1999)
Mauritania Islam 100%
Mauritius
Hindu 48%, Roman Catholic 24%,
other Christian 8%, Islam 17% (2000)
Mexico
nominally Roman Catholic 89%,
Protestant 6%, other 5%
Micronesia Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 47%
Moldova
Eastern Orthodox 98%, Jewish 1.5%,
Baptist and other 0.5% (2000)
Monaco Roman Catholic 90%
Mongolia
Buddhist Lamaist 50%, Islam 4%,
Shamanism and Christian 4%, none
40% (2004)
Montenegro Orthodox, Muslim, Roman Catholic
Morocco Islam 99%, Christian 1%
Mozambique
Mozambique 24%, Islam 18%, Zionist
Christian 18%, none 23% (1997)
Myanmar
Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist
3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Islam 4%,
Animist 1%, other 2%
Namibia
Christian 80%90% (Lutheran at
least 50%), indigenous beliefs 10%
20%
Nauru
Christian (two-thirds Protestant,
one-third Roman Catholic)
Nepal
Hindu 81%, Buddhist 11%, Islam 4%,
Kirant 4% (2001)
Netherlands
Roman Catholic 31%, Dutch
Reformed 13%, Calvinist 7%, Islam
6%, none 41% (2002)
New Zealand
Anglican 15%, Roman Catholic 12%,
Presbyterian 11%, Methodist 3%,
Pentecostal 2%, Baptist 1%, other
Christian 9%, none 26% (2001)
Nicaragua
Roman Catholic 73%, Evangelical
15%, Moravian 2%, none 9% (1995)
Niger
Islam 80%, indigenous beliefs and
Christian 20%
Nigeria
Islam 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous
beliefs 10%
Norway
Evangelical Lutheran 86% (state
church), Pentecostal 1%, Roman
Catholic 1%, other Christian 2%
(2004)
Oman
Islam: Ibadhi 75%, Sunni, Shi'a;
Hindu
Pakistan
Islam 97% (Sunni 77%, Shiite 20%);
Christian, Hindu, and other 3%
Palau
Roman Catholic 42%, Protestant
23%, Modekngei 9% (indigenous),
Seventh-Day Adventist 5%,
Jehovah's Witness 1%, Latter-Day
Saints 1%, other religion 3%,
unspecified or none 16% (2000)
Palestinian
State
(proposed)
West Bank: Islam 75%
(predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%,
Christian and other 8%; Gaza Strip:
Islam 98.7% (predominantly Sunni),
Christian 0.7%, Jewish 0.6%.
Panama Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 15%
Papua New
Guinea
Roman Catholic 22%, Lutheran 16%,
Presbyterian/Methodist/London
Missionary Society 8%, Anglican 5%,
Evangelical Alliance 4%, Seventh-Day
Adventist 1%, other Protestant 10%,
indigenous beliefs 34%
Paraguay
Roman Catholic 90%, Mennonite,
other Protestant 10%
Peru
Roman Catholic 81%, Seventh-Day
Adventist 1%, other Christian 1%,
unspecified or none 16% (2003 est.)
Philippines
Roman Catholic 81%, Evangelical 3%,
Iglesia ni Kristo 2%, Aglipayan 2%,
other Christian 5%, Islam 5% (2000)
Poland
Roman Catholic 90% (about 75%
practicing), Eastern Orthodox 1%,
Protestant and other (2002)
Portugal
Roman Catholic 94%, Protestant
(1995)
Qatar Islam 95%
Romania
Romanian Orthodox 87%, Protestant
8%, Roman Catholic 5%, Islam and
other (2002)
Russia
Russian Orthodox 15%20%, other
Christian 2%, Islam 10%15% (2006
est.; includes practicing worshippers
only)
Rwanda
Roman Catholic 56.5%, Protestant
26%, Adventist 11.1%, Islam 4.6%,
indigenous beliefs 0.1%, none 1.7%
(2001)
St. Kitts and
Nevis
Anglican, other Protestant, Roman
Catholic
St. Lucia
Roman Catholic 68%, Seventh-Day
Adventist 9%, Pentecostal 6%,
Evangelical 2%, Anglican 2%, other
Christian 5%, Rastafarian 2%, none
5% (2001)
St. Vincent
and the
Grenadines
Anglican 47%, Methodist 28%,
Roman Catholic 13%, Hindu,
Seventh-Day Adventist, other
Protestant
Samoa
Congregationalist 34.8%, Roman
Catholic 19.6%, Methodist 15%,
Latter-Day Saints 12.7%, Assembly of
God 6.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist
3.5%, other Christian 4.5%, Worship
Centre 1.3%, other 1.7%, unspecified
0.1% (2001)
San Marino Roman Catholic
So Tom and
Prncipe
Catholic 70%, Evangelical 3%, New
Apostolic 2%, Adventist 2%, other
3%, none 19% (2001)
Saudi Arabia Islam 100%
Senegal
Islam 94%, Christian 5% (mostly
Roman Catholic), indigenous 1%
Serbia
Serbian Orthodox, Muslim, Roman
Catholic, Protestant
Seychelles
Roman Catholic 83%, Anglican 6%,
Seventh-Day Adventist 1%, other
Christian 3%, Hindu 2%, Muslim 1%,
none 1%
Sierra Leone
Islam 60%, indigenous 30%, Christian
10%
Singapore
Buddhist 43%, Islam 15%, Taoist 9%,
Hindu 4%, Catholic 5%, other
Christian 10%, none 15% (2000)
Slovakia
Roman Catholic 69%, Protestant
11%, Greek Catholic 4%, none 13%
(2001)
Slovenia
Catholic 58% Orthodox 2%, other
Christian 1%, Islam 2%, none 10%
Solomon
Islands
Church of Melanesia 33%, Roman
Catholic 19%, Seventh-Day Adventist
11%, United Church 10%, Christian
Fellowship Church 2%, other
Christian 4% (1999)
Somalia Islam (Sunni)
South Africa
Zion Christian 11%,
Pentecostal/Charismatic 8%,
Catholic 7%, Methodist 7%, Dutch
Reformed 7%, Anglican 4%, other
Christian 36%, Islam 2%, none 15%
(2001)
Spain Roman Catholic 94%, other 6%
Sri Lanka
Buddhist 70%, Islam 8%, Hindu 7%,
Christian 6% (2001)
Sudan
Islam (Sunni) 70% (in north),
indigenous 25%, Christian 5%
(mostly in south and Khartoum)
Suriname
Hindu 27.4%, Protestant 25.2%
(predominantly Moravian), Roman
Catholic 22.8%, Islam 19.6%,
indigenous 5%
Swaziland
Zionist (a blend of Christianity and
indigenous ancestral worship) 40%;
Roman Catholic 20%; Muslim 10%;
Anglican, Bahai, Methodist,
Mormon, Jewish, and other 30%
Sweden
Lutheran 87%, Roman Catholic,
Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish,
Buddhist
Switzerland
Roman Catholic 42%, Protestant
35%, Orthodox 2%, Muslim 4%, none
11% (2000)
Syria
Islam (Sunni) 74%; Alawite, Druze,
and other Islamic sects 16%;
Christian (various sects) 10%; Jewish
(tiny communities in Damascus, Al
Qamishli, and Aleppo)
Taiwan
mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and
Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other
2.5%
Tajikistan
Islam: Sunni 85%, Shiite 5%; other
10% (2003 est.)
Tanzania
mainland: Christian 30%, Islam 35%,
indigenous 35%; Zanzibar: more
than 99% Islam
Thailand
Buddhist 95%, Islam 5%, Christian
1% (2000)
Togo
Indigenous beliefs 51%, Christian
29%, Islam 20%
Tonga
Christian (Free Wesleyan Church
claims over 30,000 adherents)
Trinidad and
Tobago
Roman Catholic 26%, Anglican 8%,
Baptist 7%, Pentecostal 7%, Seventh-
Day Adventist 4%, other Christian
6%, Hindu 22%, Islam 6%, none 2%
Tunisia
Islam (Sunni) 98%, Christian 1%,
Jewish and other 1%
Turkey
Islam (mostly Sunni) 99.8%, other
0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews)
Turkmenistan
Islam 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%,
unknown 2%
Tuvalu
Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist)
97%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1%,
Baha'i 1%
Uganda
Roman Catholic 33%, Protestant
33%, Islam 16%, indigenous beliefs
18%
Ukraine
Ukrainian Orthodox (Kiev
Patriarchate 19%, Moscow
Patriarchate 9%, no particular
division 16%), Ukrainian Greek
Catholic 6%, Ukrainian
Autocephalous Orthodox 2%,
Protestant, Jewish, none 38% (2004)
United Arab
Emirates
Islam 96% (Sunni 80%, Shiite 16%),
Christian, Hindu, and other 4%
United
Kingdom
Christian (Anglican, Roman Catholic,
Presbyterian, Methodist) 71.6%,
Muslim 2.7%, Hindu 1%, other 1.6%,
unspecified or none 23.1% (2001)
United States
Protestant 52%, Roman Catholic
24%, Mormon 2%, Jewish 1%,
Muslim 1%, none 10% (2002)
Uruguay
Roman Catholic 66%, Protestant 2%,
Jewish 1%
Uzbekistan
Islam (mostly Sunnis) 88%, Eastern
Orthodox 9%
Vanuatu
Presbyterian 31%, Anglican 13%,
Roman Catholic 13%, Seventh-Day
Adventist 11%, other Christian 14%,
indigenous beliefs 6% (including Jon
Frum Cargo cult), none 1%
Vatican City
(Holy See)
Roman Catholic.
Venezuela Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%
Vietnam
Buddhist 9%, Catholic 7%, Hoa Hao
2%, Cao Dai 1%, Protestant, Islam,
none 81%
Western
Sahara
(proposed
state)
Islam
Yemen
Islam (including Sunni and Shiite),
small numbers of Jewish, Christian,
and Hindu
Zambia
Christian 50%75%, Islam and Hindu
24%49%, indigenous beliefs 1%
Zimbabwe
syncretic (part Christian, part
indigenous beliefs) 50%, Christian
25%, indigenous beliefs 24%, Muslim
and other 1%
18 Little Known Facts To Challenge Your Views
About Religion
This list was organized in no particular order:
1. Many Early Christians Believed in Reincarnation
Reincarnation was a widely accepted belief among
the early Gnostic Christians. The idea that someone
went to heaven or hell based on something they
did in one lifetime was a doctrine developed by the
Roman Catholic Church, most likely to establish
more control over adherents to the religion. After
all, if people got more than one chance to get to
heaven, the laws of the church would then be
rendered meaningless because sinners would get
infinite chances to try again.
Further Reference: Adishakti.org
2. The Buddha Was Probably Not a Vegetarian
Many Buddhists are vegetarian because of the first
Buddhist Precept: I undertake the training rule to
abstain from taking life. This precept also includes
the taking of any animal life. Interestingly, this
doesnt necessarily mean that all Buddhists need to
become vegetarians. In the Pali Canon, a major
Buddhist text, it was said that the Buddha would
not eat meat from an animal killed specifically for
him, but apparently didnt have a problem eating
meat bought from the marketplace and already
dead.
Further Reference: Dhamma Musings
3. Jesus Christ is Mentioned 5 Times in the Quran
more than Muhammad
Jesus is considered one of the great prophets of the
Islamic religion, and is highly revered, though not as
the son of God as Christians believe.
Further Reference: Islam 101
4. Hindus Can Also Be Atheists
Hinduism is generally viewed as a Polytheistic
religion with a rich mythology. It is, however, quite
possible to be both Hindu and Atheist. Although
Hindu Atheists may not have the
same eschatological beliefs as other Hindus, they
do follow the same moral and ethical code.
Further Reference: Wikipedia
5. Judaism Evolved from a Polytheistic Religion
According to Mark Smith in The Early History of
God, the Jewish God Yaweh was one out of four
main Gods worshiped by the early Jewish people.
The other three gods were El, Asherah and Baal. It
was only later that Yahweh became the one and
only God for the Jewish religion.
Further Reference: Wikipedia
6. Meditation is not Limited to Eastern Religions
These days meditation, or the practice of increasing
spiritual awareness through the cultivation of high
states of concentration, is often associated with
Eastern religions like Buddhism and Hinduism. It
turns out, however, that every major religion has
meditation techniques associated with them.
Theres Christian Meditation, Islamic
Meditation and Jewish Meditation. Within each of
these religions are various meditation techniques
which bear a striking resemblance to meditation
techniques practiced in Buddhism and Hinduism.
7. New Religious Texts Continue to Be Discovered
If youre the founder of a religion, people will write
a lot of stories about you, many of which arent
true. This is why the Bible has so many outtakes
(See #14). Does this mean, however, that when
new religious texts are discovered we should
dismiss them as historical curiosities or should we
examine them against our current beliefs? One
good example of a text that warrants study is the
Gospel of Judas, a recently discovered Biblical text
that portrays Judas Iscariot, commonly seen as the
Bibles villain, as the one apostle who fully
understood Jesus teachings and turned Jesus over
to be crucified because Jesus asked him to.
Further Reference: BBC News
8. The Buddha was Canonized as a Christian Saint
A Buddhist text from the 4th century was
eventually translated and retranslated until the
story of the Buddhas enlightenment was retold in
the context of a prince named Josaphat who
renounced the world and converted to Christianity.
Apparently this story was so compelling that this
Josaphat became a Christian Saint.
Further Reference: Wikipedia
9. Islam had the First Theory of Evolution in the 9th
Century
While religion and science have been and continue
to be at odds, one notable exception is during the
height of the Islamic empire, when scientific ideas
advanced significantly. Even the idea of evolution,
an idea which still remains a difficult one to
swallow by some fundamentalist Christians, was
first advanced by a devout Muslim and scientist by
the name of al-Jahiz.
Further Reference: salaam.co.uk
10. Non-Jews Can Get Into Jewish Heaven
According to Rabbi Sholom Lipskar One does not
have to be Jewish in order to be able to merit going
to heaven in the afterlife and meriting all blessings
of God. There doesnt seem to be many references
to the afterlife in the Torah, but there seems to be
agreement that the righteous of all nations will
enjoy the blessings of an afterlife.
Further Reference: Wikipedia, Judaism 101
11. Even With a Literal Interpretation of the Bible,
Homosexuality may Not be a Sin
In a recent talk, Biblical scholar Matthew Vines
discusses whether or not the Bible actually
condemns homosexuality, and provides a very
convincing argument for why homosexuality should
not be considered a sin, even with a literal
interpretation of the Bible.
12. The First Buddhist Statues Were Made in the
Greek Hellenistic Style
Greco-Indians living in the region of Gandhara were
actually the first to carve images of the Buddha.
The topknot hairstyle common in most Buddha
statues today was probably borrowed from similar
statues of the Greek God Apollo. The historical
Buddha probably didnt have this hairstyle.
Further Reference: Wikipedia
13. The Worlds Oldest University was Established
by a Muslim Woman
The Islamic religion has long been characterized as
backward and misogynistic. This characterization is
misleading, however, and there are many examples
throughout history which have shown the opposite
to be true. One of them is the University of al-
Karaouine, founded by Fatima al-Fihri, the daughter
of a rich merchant. At the university subjects like
rhetoric and astronomy were taught alongside
religious studies. By some accounts, this was the
first school that handed out academic degrees.
Further Reference: Wikipedia
14. The New Testament has a Lot of Outtakes
There were many books of the Bible that didnt
make it into the new testament. After Jesus
followers were left on their own, the early
Christians wrote many stories regarding the life and
teachings of Jesus Christ. Many of these stories
were quite fanciful. The Gospel of Pseudo
Matthew, for example, has a story of the young
Jesus taming dragons (Chapter 18). Since early
Christian writings often contradicted each other in
terms of narrative and philosophy, it was up to the
early fathers of the Church to decide which books
of early Christian writings were to be deemed
canonical and were reflective of official Church
doctrine.
Further Reference: Wikipedia
15. Many of Our Great Scientists were Deeply
Religious
Today with all the over-dramatized conflict
between science and religion, its easy to forget
that many of the greatest minds in science were
actually devoutly religious. All you have to do is
take a look at this list of Muslims and Christians
who made significant contributions to our body of
scientific knowledge to know that this is true.
16. Wearing a Veil is Not Required in Islam
While the Quran does require women (and men!)
to wear modest clothing, nowhere does it
specifically state that covering the face with a veil is
required. The misconception that Islamic women
are required to wear the veil probably comes from
the fact that some fundamentalist Islamic thinkers
have interpreted the need for modesty in womens
dress as the need for any woman going out in
public to wear the hijab (head scarf).
Further Reference: Islam 101
17. Angels as we Know Them Today are Artist
Inventions
Angels as originally described in the Bible, appear
as 4 headed monsters or wheels that sparkled like
topaz, or fearsome entities with 6 wings. It was
only near the end of the 4th century CE that artists
began to portray angels as the two winged bipeds
as we know them today. This is just another
example of how our interpretations of religious
stories can change over time.
Further Reference: Wikipedia
18. Islamic Fundamentalism is a Pretty Recent
Development
As shown by facts numbers 9 and 13, Islam was far
from a backwards religion, but one that promoted
the sciences. Not only that, but Islam was actually
quite tolerant of other religions as well. Today,
however, because of the rise of religious
fundamentalism in the Islamic world, weve been
led to believe that intolerance has been a part of
the religion since its inception. Actually, it not until
the 1950s that Islamic fundamentalism became a
real force, helped along by radical Muslim thinkers
like Sayyid Qutb.