Major Branches of Religions Ranked by Number of Adherents

• Babi and Baha'i faiths
• Buddhism
• Confucianism
• Christianity
• Hinduism
• Islam
• Jainism
• Judaism
• Shinto
• Sikhism
• Taoism
• Zoroastrianism

Some of these world religions (Babi and Baha'i faiths; Zoroastrianism) have very few branches and few differences between branches.

As discussed on the Religions by Adherents page, there are many distinct religions or religious movements which have more adherents than some of the classical major world religions, but which are not part of the classical list for various reasons.

Only branches of the classical major world religions will be listed here. This isn't a very significant omission because the major world religions discussed on this page include the majority of the world's population, and because most of the smaller or newer "non-major" world religions have few, if any, divisions or branches. Religions such as Tenrikyo, Scientology, and Cao Dai are both religious bodies (unified, centrally-organized organizations or denominations) as well as distinct religions.

However, some smaller/newer world religions (or religious movements), such as New Age and Neo-Paganism are really not single religions at all, but are classifications of independent religions and religious bodies which share certain similarities but may have no formal or even historical connections.

Babi and Baha'i faiths

• Baha'is Under the Provisions of the Covenant - Claims by the BUPC to a membership of 144,000 have appeared in some places, including the OCRT web site. But this is a figurative, not literal number. Actual membership is probably not more than one hundredth of that figure.
• Orthodox Baha'i
• Faith of God, (a.k.a. the House of Mankind and the Universal Palace of Order), who followed Jamshid Ma'ani and John Carre. They are no longer active (listed as 'defunct' in Encyclopedia of Religions).
• The Orthodox Baha'i Faith Under the Regency, who follow Rex King.
• The Charles Mason Remey Society, who follow Donald Harvey and Francis Spataro.
• A dissident group organized around The Friends Newsletter.

Other sources regarding alternative Baha'i groups indicate that their total current membership is very small compared to that of the Haifa-based organization. A useful and fairly comprehensive treatment of the subject (although published by the majority Baha'i body, so it is clearly not without bias) can be found here.

Buddhism

Christianity

Restoration Movement (Stone-Campbell): Primarily includes the "Christian Churches and Churches of Christ", "Church of Christ" (or "Churches of Christ") and the "Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)"; [Stone-Campbell churches should not be confused with Latter Day Saint denominations, which are part of a separate Restoration (usually referred to by Latter Day Saints simply as "The Restoration" or "Restoration of the Gospel"). From its organization in 1830 until 1838 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was known simply as the "Church of Christ." But despite similarities in names, the Latter Day Saint and Stone/Campbellite movements are not connected.]

NOTE: Division into denominational families offers a more detailed look at the composition of Christianity as a whole, but can be misleading. Among Protestants today, most significant divisions with regard to culture, practice and doctrine are not between denominational families, but between Liberal and Conservative Protestants.

Since the 1940s, one of the most important distinctions Christians have written about is between Evangelical and non-Evangelical Christians. At the denominational level, the Evangelical branch of Christianity is roughly equivalent to the Conservative Protestants, including Pentecostals. But both sociologists and Christian writers usually assign non-historical and non-denominational parameters to "Evangelical", defining the term primarily in theological and behavioral terms. Based on such criteria, sociologists have sometimes even included as "Evangelicals" many people not usually considered Protestant, such as Latter Day Saints and "born-again Catholics".

The variety of terms applied to different divisions and movements among conservative American Protestants can be confusing. Some of the most important and widely used are: born again Christians, Evangelicals, Pentecostals, Charismatics and Fundamentalists. These terms frequently overlap or are defined differently by different writers.

It is beyond the scope of this page to fully describe major divisions in conservative Protestantism, but the following definitions from an article by Harvey Cox for The Atlantic Monthly (Nov. 1995) are useful:

"Born-again" is the broadest category. It includes the 39 percent of the American population who claim they have had a personal experience of Christ. Their political ideas span the spectrum, and Jimmy Carter is not the only born-again political liberal.

"Evangelical" describes a theological position, one recognizing not only the need for such a personal experience with God but also the unique religious authority of Scripture and an obligation to share one's faith with others. Billy Graham is the paradigmatic evangelical.

"Fundamentalists," though they share many of the evangelicals' beliefs, also fiercely insist on the "verbal inerrancy" of the Bible, and this has led them into noisy conflicts over creation and evolution. William Jennings Bryan, who defended a literal reading of Genesis at the famous Scopes "monkey trial" in 1925, was a classic fundamentalist.

Pentecostals, by far the fastest-growing wing of Christianity today, share most evangelical beliefs, but for them all theology is secondary. What is most important is an immediate encounter with the Holy Spirit in a style of worship that is exuberant and even ecstatic. Aimee Semple McPherson was the first Pentecostal preacher to achieve celebrity status in America.

"Charismatics" (the word's root means "gift of grace") are people who practice a Pentecostal form of worship but remain in their own Catholic or Protestant churches.

* Liberal Protestants: A recent development in the United States has been the formal ecumenical movement marking increased cooperation among a number of long-separated liberal-to-moderate Protestant denominations. Currently a significant part of this unification of this branch of Protestantism is the "Churches United in Christ" agreement, which will create a network of denominations which share ministries and recognize one another's churches and share in Communion. Currently the combined membership of this movement is 17 million, representing about 7% of U.S. Christians, or about 12% of affiliated Christians in the U.S. [Article.]

* Anglicans are clearly distinct from Liberal Protestants in history, polity and liturgy. Anglicans, however, exhibit extreme ecumenical tendencies and in some countries have forged formal communions or outright mergers with Liberal Protestants. Anglicans are often grouped with Liberal Protestants in studies of a strictly sociological nature. Positions on political issues, voting patterns, educational/vocational demographics, etc. tend to be similar between the two groups.

* Quakers: Classification of Quakers into functionally meaningful "branches" of Christianity is difficult. Certainly the Quaker faith and witness arose from a Protestant background and Quakerism is correctly classified today as Protestant. But it is not as simple to group Quakers as "Conservative Protestant" or "Liberal Protestant." Like many other historical denominatinal families (Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, etc.), different Quaker denominations, and even congregations, are clearly either Liberal or Conservative with regards to many issues. But, although embracing certain degrees of ecumenicalism, Quakers nevertheless have maintained denominational identity which exceeds that of most other Protestant denominations. Various innovations by founder George Fox, including distinctive forms of Quaker worship (Meetings, "gathering", etc.), emphasis on Inner Light, as well as the pacifistic stand against violence in all forms, including self defense, all serve to heighten Quaker identity. Quakers still exhibit separate expressions of art and culture. So while "Lutheranism", "Presbyterianism", "Methodism", "Congregationalism", etc. are no longer sociological significant categories for most purposes, "Quakerism" still is and will continue to be so into the forseeable future. Those interested in this topic may find appreciate A Certain Kind of Perfection: An Anthology of Evangelical and Liberal Quaker Writers (edited by Carolyn Wilhelm, Margery P. Abbott).

Hinduism

Islam

The Druze, for example, are not considered part of the numerically dominant (i.e. "mainstream") Muslim grouping. But Druze are classified from a secular/historical perspective as a branch of Islam because they are derived from a branch of Shi'ite Islam. Having developed independently for hundreds of years, their cultural and religious self-concept is primarily Druze, without regard to how outside groups perceive or classify them. Nevertheless, they retain some self-concept as Muslims in addition to their clear historical ties.

This is merely a list of major branches of Islam. There are other groups which fall outside of the groups listed here. In the United States the Nation of Islam has varied widely in numerical and ideological prominence among American Muslims. It has variously been considered both heretical and acceptable by other Muslims. Sufism has been variously classified as a separate branch, a pan-Muslim movement, an order, a discipline, and as heretical or acceptable, as viewed by other groups. Movements such as the Moorish Science Temple and the Five Percenters have arisen from time to time, but have remained numerically minor. On balance, of course, Islam has exhibited far less division into different branches than other large religions.

Jainism

Judaism

Differences in practice and belief between the branches of Judaism are compared in this chart by Gilbert Rosenthal.

Shinto

Sikhism

Zoroastrianism