- Zoroastrian
http://www.religiousworlds.com/zoroastrian.html
[In the last millennium BCE, this tradition probably was at the peak of its influence as a
major religion of the Persian Empire. It was overcome by the rise of Islam, and has been
preserved mainly through immigrants to India known as Parsi (= Persian) and more recently
through their small number of descendants who live not only in India but also in other
countries worldwide.]
- Jewish
http://www.religiousworlds.com/judaic.html
[The first of the three "religions of Abraham." The three sometimes are called Abrahamic,
Semitic, patriarchal, or prophetic religions -- and sometimes "religions of the book." In the
instance of Judaism, "the book" begins with the hand-copied and honored Torah scroll
that contains the writings attributed to Moses. This is also incorporated into the Hebrew
Bible, comprised by the Law, Prophets, and Writings -- and so known by the acronym Tanak.
These authoritative writings are further extended through a highly-developed tradition
of study and commentary that is preserved in the Talmud and elsewhere -- and is a living
tradition. After the so-called emancipation of Jews (who had been dispersed far from the
"holy land" of Canaan where they settled) since the eighteenth-century, several types of modern
religious Judaism have developed.]
- Christian
http://www.religiousworlds.com/christian.html
[From its origins as a small Jewish sect and its success in the Greco-Roman world, this
tradition -- which believes itself to be intended for all humanity and so proselytizes and
converts people worldwide -- has become one of the two most populous religions on the
planet. However, there are many forms of Christianity -- mainly the (Eastern) Orthodox, the
(Roman) Catholic, and the many types of Protestant religion that are always in process of
forming and reforming.]
- Muslim or Islamic
http://www.religiousworlds.com/muslim.html
[The youngest of the Abrahamic traditions, it dates from the seventh century of the CE
calendar, and closely identifies itself with the prophetic strands of Biblical tradition.
However, it has highly developed legal and mystical traditions of its own as well. And it is
a dramatic example of a "religion of the book" in which the Qur'an is widely regarded as the
full, final revelation of the One Creator of the universe to his last and final prophet,
Muhammad. The second (perhaps even first) most populous religious tradition in the world.]
Traditions that are Marginal Today
- Manicheanism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manichaeism
[Mani was a spiritual teacher who lived in the third century CE in Babylonia. He traveled
to share his faith, which centered in the view that reality is a basic conflict between good
and evil, light and darkness. Learning and initiation are required in order to engage in
this cosmic struggle on the side of good. Mani was put to death by the Zoroastrian
priesthood about 276 CE, but his religion -- called Manicheanism -- was highly influential
during the lifetime of Augustine of Hippo who was for a time a Manichean himself.]
- Mithraic
http://www.religiousworlds.com/mithras.html
[A Roman mystery cult. Worship of Mithras began sometime during the early Roman empire,
perhaps during the late first century CE, and flourished from the second through the fourth
centuries CE. Roman soldiers probably encountered worship of Mithras as part of Zoroastrianism
in Asia Minor. Recently scholar David Ulansey has proposed a celestial interpretation of these
cultic practices.]
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