Comparative religion in the West typically focuses on comparing Eastern and Western religious traditions. This is closely related to the comparison of, and distinction between, Eastern and Western philosophy. Western tradition refers to prominent faiths in Europe and the Anglosphere, generally focusing on Abrahamic faiths. Eastern tradition refers to important faiths in the Sinosphere and Indosphere, usually focused on Dharmic and Taoic faiths. While acknowledging the differences, critics complain the distinction is oversimplified, forces some religions into arbitrary categories and ignores traditions outside of the recognized "great religions" of the world, such as neopaganism and African religion. The comparison is also complicated by the growing presence of Western varieties of Oriental faiths and Eastern versions of Occidental faiths. Comparative religion is a field of religious study that analyzes the interpretive differences of common themes, myths, rituals and concepts among the worlds religions. ... The term Eastern Religion refers to those religions that originated in the Eastern Roman Empire and points to the East such as Egypt, India, China and Japan As such it includes Egyptian religion, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. ... The term Western Religion refers to those religions that originated in the Western Roman Empire, such as as seen in Roman religion, Nordic religion, etc. ... Various Religious symbols, including (first row) Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Bahai, (second row) Islamic, tribal, Taoist, Shinto (third row) Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, Jain, (fourth row) Ayyavazhi, Triple Goddess, Maltese cross, pre-Christian Slavonic Religion is the adherence to codified beliefs and rituals that generally involve a faith in a spiritual... This does not cite its references or sources. ... Western philosophy is a modern claim that there is a line of related philosophical thinking, beginning in ancient Greece (Greek philosophy) and the ancient Near East (the Abrahamic religions), that continues to this day. ... This article is 58 kilobytes or more in size. ... This article is about the continent. ... Definitions of the Anglosphere vary: one definition (depicted, all in blue) includes two node countries – the United Kingdom and the United States – and five outliers: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and South Africa. ... Map showing the prevalence of Abrahamic (purple) and Dharmic (yellow) religions in each country. ... Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, and countries culturally linked to Chinese culture. ... Dark blue: the Indian subcontinent, Light Blue: Other countries culturally linked to India, notably Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia and Malaysia, Purple: Regions not included in Indosphere, but with significant current or historical Indian cultural influence, notably Afghanistan, Tibet, and Yunnan province of China. ... map showing the prevalence of Dharmic (dark yellow), Taoic (light yellow), and Abrahamic (purple) religions in each country. ... map showing the prevalence of Dharmic (dark yellow), Taoic (light yellow), and Abrahamic (purple) religions in each country. ... Neopaganism or Neo-Paganism is any of a heterogeneous group of new religious movements, particularly those influenced by ancient, primarily pre-Christian and sometimes pre-Judaic religions. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Religion in Africa. ... The term the Orient - literally meaning sunrise, east - is traditionally used to refer to Near, Middle, and Far Eastern countries. ... Occident has a number of meanings. ...

Western religion

Western religions are the most important religions within European culture and include Judaism and Christianity. Until the mid-twentieth century, Islam was regarded as an "Eastern" religion. Now it is included in the category of Western Religions. The term Western Religion refers to those religions that originated in the Western Roman Empire, such as as seen in Roman religion, Nordic religion, etc. ... This article is very long. ... Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. ... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ...

Eastern religion

Eastern religions are mostly either Indian or Chinese in origin: The Dharmic religions faiths of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism; and the Taoic religions of Taoism, Confucianism, and Shinto. The term Eastern Religion refers to those religions that originated in the Eastern Roman Empire and points to the East such as Egypt, India, China and Japan As such it includes Egyptian religion, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. ... map showing the prevalence of Dharmic (yellow) and Abrahamic (purple) religions in each country. ... Hinduism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Buddhism is a dharmic, non-theistic religion, which is also a philosophy and a system of psychology. ... Jainism (pronounced in English as IPA ), traditionally known as Jain Dharma (जैन धर्म), is a dharmic religion and philosophy originating in Ancient India. ... Sikhism (IPA: or ; Punjabi: , , IPA: ) is a religion that began in fifteenth century Northern India with the teachings of Nanak and nine successive gurus. ... map showing the prevalence of Dharmic, and Abrahamic religions in each country. ... Taoism is the English name for a cluster of Chinese religious and philosophical traditions. ... Confucian temple in Jiading district, Shanghai. ... Shinto ) is the native religion of Japan and was once its state religion. ...

Disputed and unclear traditions

Zoroastrianism is related to Hinduism due to their shared Indo-Iranian background. Zoroastrianism (Avestan Daênâ Vañuhi the good religion)[1][2] is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings ascribed to the prophet Zoroaster (Zarathustra, Zartosht). ...

Animist/Primitive/Shamanistic religions which are independent or previous to the dominant religions. Animism is a belief system that does not accept the separation of body and soul, of spirit from matter. ...

Sikhism is a relatively modern religion that is related to Hinduism, but has elements that are similar to the Abrahamic religions as well. Sikhism (IPA: or ; Punjabi: , , IPA: ) is a religion that began in fifteenth century Northern India with the teachings of Nanak and nine successive gurus. ...

Greek, Roman, Celtic, Norse and other European polytheistic religions can be considered western or pre-western, although they may share a common ancestor with Hinduism; see Proto-Indo-European religion. Roman mythology, the mythological beliefs of the people of Ancient Rome, can be considered as having two parts. ... Celtic mythology is the mythology of Celtic polytheism, apparently the religion of the Iron Age Celts. ... Norse or Scandinavian mythology comprises the pre-Christian religion, beliefs and legends of the Scandinavian people, including those who settled on Iceland, where the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled. ... Polytheism is belief in or worship of multiple gods or deities. ... Ancient anthropomorphic Ukrainian stone stela (Kernosovka stela), possibly depicting a late Proto-Indo-European god, most likely Dyeus, the thunderer. ...

Neopaganism, which is a revivalist movement, draws on the religions of cultures all over the world, usually focusing on polytheistic traditions, and originally based on that of pre-Christian Europe. Neopaganism or Neo-Paganism is any of a heterogeneous group of new religious movements, particularly those influenced by ancient, primarily pre-Christian and sometimes pre-Judaic religions. ...

References

See also

• Religions of the world

The following is a list of religions. ...

External links

• "Comparing Eastern and Western Religions" by Sandra LaFave
• "Using Western Philosophy to Approach Eastern Religions: An Initial List" by Charles Ess