The Iglesia ni Cristo (“Church of Christ” in Tagalog) is a New Religious Movement which originated in the Philippines in 1914 under the leadership of Felix Y. Manalo. Its members are primarily Filipino, but it has spread with the Filipino diaspora to a claimed 85 nations and territories. At the turn of the twentieth century…
Introducing the Church of Scientology
Scientology is a religious and therapeutic system of ideas and ritual practices developed, starting in the early 1950s, by American writer, adventurer, and philosopher L. Ron Hubbard (1911–1986). The first church was founded in Los Angeles, California in 1954. At the beginning of the new century Scientology is represented on all continents, in 145 countries….
Introducing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Joseph Smith Jr. (1805–1844) founded the religion that became known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) on April 6, 1830, in the area of western New York referred to as the Burned-Over District, from the fires of revivalist enthusiasm that had swept through the region in the previous decades. Following a…
Introducing Jehovah’s Witnesses
The Jehovah’s Witnesses began with Charles Taze Russell born in 1852 in Pennsylvania, USA. As a teenager he had a terrible fear of Hell. In 1870 he was exposed to the teaching of William Miller (one of the originators of the Seventh Day Adventists) which stated there is no Hell and Christ’s return would be in…
Introducing Ba’ha’i
Bahá’í declares that there is one God and that all religions are true and agree in essentials. In 2005, Bahá’í claimed 7.6 million world-wide members, 830,000 of whom live in the United States. The Bahá’í World Center is on Mount Carmel, referred to as the Mountain of the Lord by the prophet Isaiah. Bahá’í believes…
Introducing Islam
Watch the Video Other Muslim Traditions Sunni Shia
Introducing Hinduism
Watch the Video Other Hindu Traditions Yoga ISKON Transcendental Meditation
Introducing Chinese Religions
Watch the Video Other Chinese Traditions Daoism Confucianism
Introducing Paganism
The terms “Pagan” and “Neo-Pagan” were once thought of pejoratively; however, they are increasingly looked upon as terms of endearment.[i] Michael York has noted, “As a general designation in today’s more cosmopolitan world, it is time to rescue paganism from its historically negative connotations to be a useful and more affirmative endorsement of a neglected…
Introducing Buddhism
Buddhism, like Islam and Christianity, is an example of what Mark Juergensmeyer calls transnational religions, or religions of expansion. These religions have as a central element of their self-understanding “the notion that their religion is greater than any local group and cannot be confined to the cultural boundaries of any particular region. These are religious…
The World's Religions 