Religious denomination

Major denominations and religions of the world
Religious Denomination in 2020
Catholicism
15.88%
Protestant
11.41%
Orthodoxy
3.7%
Other Christians
0.4%
Sunni Islam
22.39%
Shia Islam
2.48%
Unaffiliated
15.58%
Vaishnavism
10.24%
Shaivism
4.03%
Shaktism
0.48%
Other Hinduism
0.39%
Buddhism
6.62%
Folk religion
5.61%
Other religions
0.79%

A religious denomination is a subgroup within a religion that operates under a common name and tradition, among other activities. The term refers to the various Christian denominations (for example, Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, and the many varieties of Protestantism). It is also used to describe the five major branches of Judaism (Karaite Judaism, Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist). Within Islam, it can refer to the branches or sects (such as Sunni and Shia),[1][2] as well as their various subdivisions, such as sub-sects,[3] schools of jurisprudence,[4] schools of theology[5] and religious movements.[6][7]

The world's largest religious denomination is Sunni Islam.[8][9][10][11]

  1. ^ Aaron W. Hughes (2013). Muslim Identities: An Introduction to Islam. Columbia University Press. p. 62. ISBN 9780231531924.
  2. ^ Theodore Gabriel, Rabiha Hannan (2011). Islam and the Veil: Theoretical and Regional Contexts. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 58. ISBN 9781441161376.
  3. ^ Aaron W. Hughes (2013). Muslim Identities: An Introduction to Islam. Columbia University Press. p. 129. ISBN 9780231531924.
  4. ^ Muzaffar Husain Syed, Syed Saud Akhtar, B D Usmani (2011). Concise History of Islam. Vij Books India. p. 73. ISBN 9789382573470.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Ali Paya (2013). The Misty Land of Ideas and The Light of Dialogue: An Anthology of Comparative Philosophy: Western & Islamic. ICAS Press. p. 23. ISBN 9781904063575.
  6. ^ Joseph Kostiner (2009). Conflict and Cooperation in the Gulf Region. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 212. ISBN 9783531913377.
  7. ^ Muhammad Moj (2015). The Deoband Madrassah Movement: Countercultural Trends and Tendencies. Anthem Press. p. 13. ISBN 9781783084463.
  8. ^ "Number of Muslims ahead of Catholics, says Vatican | Religion | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
  9. ^ Bialik, Carl (2008-04-09). "Muslims May Have Overtaken Catholics a While Ago". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
  10. ^ CARL BIALIK (9 April 2008). "Muslims May Have Overtaken Catholics a While Ago". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  11. ^ Connie R. Green, Sandra Brenneman Oldendorf, Religious Diversity and Children's Literature: Strategies and Resources, Information Age Publishing, 2011, p. 156.