World Religions
By Madisyn Gagnon
Buddhism
Buddhism was founded in northeastern India by Siddhartha later known as Shakyamuni. It was in the sixth century B.C. that this was founded. People followed him because he preached a path of salvation and enlightenment. We can not count exactly how many Buddhists there are in the world but it is a very large amount. Buddhism is mainly practiced throughout all parts of Asia. The practices of Buddhists can help people with sufferings and pains.
Hinduism
There is not a single founder of Hinduism. It grew out of culture changes of India. Merchants were the ones who spread hinduism by moving to other countries for business. Hinduism is the 3rd largest religion in the world. There is about 950 million that participate in this religion. It is all over the world but mainly in India and Nepal. In these countries 8 out of every 10 people are Hindus. It is the world's oldest religion and is practiced by more than 80% of India.
Legalism
It is a classic Chinese religion. It was created during the 4th century BCE. Ch'in was the founder of this religion. They believe that severe structure in a country is the only way of doing things. It created a way for people to believe in the ability of mankind through a very strict government. The growth numbers may decrease because it is not practiced much today. It is mostly practiced in China. It makes people agree with a community based government.
Confucianism
Kongzi was the founder of Confucianism. It was formed in 500 B.C.E in China. He traveled from region to region with a group of his followers to spread the word. There is basically no numbers today because it faded away with the expansion Westward in the 19th and 20th centuries. It is mostly spread throughout China. It is not practiced today so it doesn't really affect today's world.
Taoism
Lao-Tzu is the credited founder of Taoism. It was created in 142 C.E in China during the 3rd and 4th centuries. It flourished in Taiwan and then again in China after the Cultural Revolution. There are about 2.7 million Taoists in the world today. This was mainly throughout China. This affects many things in our daily life.