- 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/jewish.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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