What the world’s religions share, and where they part.
Clear guides to major religions, beliefs and practices, with sources for further reading. Each tradition keeps its own colour and pattern throughout the site, so you always know whose voice you are reading.
Religion guides
Each guide in a sentence
Every guide covers belief, scripture, worship and the major traditions within a religion, with its sources listed on the page.
- IslamIslam is a monotheistic religion centered on worship of one God, the Quran, and the example of the Prophet Muhammad.
- ChristianityChristianity is a family of religious traditions centered on Jesus Christ, the Bible and worship of God.
- JudaismJudaism brings together religion, peoplehood, sacred texts, law, memory, ethics and community.
- HinduismHinduism is a large family of traditions shaped over many centuries in South Asia and around the world.
- BuddhismBuddhism began with the teaching community associated with Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, in ancient South Asia.
- SikhismSikhism began in the Punjab with Guru Nanak and the Gurus who followed him.
Compare traditions
Side-by-side pages that say what two traditions share, where they differ and why the difference matters.
- The Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and IslamJudaism, Christianity and IslamThe Abrahamic religions are Judaism, Christianity and Islam, three monotheistic traditions that each look back to the figure of Abraham as a founding example of faith in one God.
- Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christianity: key differencesChristianityCatholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christians differ mainly on church authority and the Pope, the weight of tradition, the sacraments, Mary and the saints, and how salvation is received.
- Christianity and Judaism: similarities and differencesChristianity and JudaismChristianity began as a movement within first-century Judaism, and the two religions share the Hebrew scriptures, belief in the God of Abraham, the Ten Commandments and hope for a messianic future.
- Islam and Christianity: similarities and differencesIslam and ChristianityIslam and Christianity are the two largest religions in the world and both trace their faith to the God of Abraham.
- Islam and Judaism: similarities and differencesIslam and JudaismIslam and Judaism are both strictly monotheistic religions that trace their story to Abraham, and they resemble each other more closely in practice than either resembles Christianity.
- Jesus in Islam and ChristianityChristianity and IslamJesus is honoured in both Christianity and Islam, and both religions call him the Messiah, affirm his virgin birth and describe his miracles.
- Quran vs Bible: key differences and what they shareIslam and ChristianityThe Quran and the Bible differ in origin, language, structure and authority: one Arabic book revealed to Muhammad, against a library written by many authors.
- Sunni and Shi’a Islam: what is the difference?IslamSunni and Shi’a Muslims share the core of Islam: belief in one God, the Quran, the prophethood of Muhammad, the Day of Judgment, and practices such as daily prayer, the Ramadan fast and pilgrimage to Mecca.
Start with a question
Shorter pages that answer one question first, then give the context and the differences between traditions.
- Why do Muslims fast?IslamMuslims fast for several connected reasons, but the central answer is religious rather than nutritional or cultural.
- Why do Christians pray?ChristianityChristians pray because prayer is understood as a central way of relating to God.
- What is kosher?JudaismKosher is a Jewish term for what is fit or permitted according to kashrut, the body of Jewish dietary law and practice.
- What are the Five Pillars of Islam?IslamThe Five Pillars of Islam are the testimony of faith (shahada), ritual prayer (salah), obligatory almsgiving (zakat), fasting in the month of Ramadan (sawm) and pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj) for those who are able.
- What do Buddhists believe?BuddhismBuddhists follow the teaching of the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, who taught that life is marked by suffering or dissatisfaction, that this suffering arises from craving, that it can end, and that the way to end it is the Noble Eightfold Path.
- What do Christians believe?ChristianityChristians believe in one God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who became human, died on the cross and rose from the dead to reconcile people with God.
- What do Hindus believe?HinduismHindus share no single creed, but many Hindu traditions hold common ideas: an ultimate reality called Brahman, an eternal self called atman, karma and rebirth, dharma as right living, and moksha as liberation from the cycle of rebirth.
- What do Jews believe?JudaismJews believe in one God who created the world, entered into a covenant with the people of Israel and gave them the Torah.
- What do Muslims believe?IslamMuslims believe in one God, who revealed his guidance through a line of prophets ending with Muhammad, and whose final revelation is the Quran.
- What do Sikhs believe?SikhismSikhs believe in one Divine reality, expressed in the opening words of their scripture as Ik Oankar, and follow the teachings of Guru Nanak and the nine Gurus who succeeded him, now embodied in the scripture Guru Granth Sahib.
- What is meditation in Buddhism?BuddhismMeditation in Buddhism is the training of the mind to develop calm, clear awareness and insight into the nature of experience, as part of the path to freedom from suffering.
- What is puja?HinduismPuja is the Hindu practice of worship in which a devotee honours a deity, often through offerings of light, flowers, incense, food and water before a sacred image.
- What is Shabbat?JudaismShabbat is the Jewish day of rest, observed every week from sunset on Friday until nightfall on Saturday.
- What is the Trinity?ChristianityThe Trinity is the Christian teaching that there is one God who exists eternally as three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Sacred texts
Concepts
- Dharma: duty, order and teaching
- Karma: action and its consequences
- Monotheism: belief in one God
- Nirvana: the end of suffering in Buddhism
- Polytheism: belief in many gods
- Prophecy: messengers of God in the world’s religions
- Sacred texts: what makes writing holy
- Salvation: how religions describe deliverance
People
How to read BeliefField
Sources on every page
Scripture, a tradition’s own institutions and academic scholarship are cited separately, for what each can support.
Source policyPerspectives are named
A denomination, school or institution is described as itself, not presented as the voice of a whole religion.
MethodologyCorrections are welcome
If a page gets something wrong or leaves out important context, you can report it with a source.
Corrections