Curious: Is Juche philosophy considered a religion for millions of adherents or is it a branch of Marxism?
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I don't know, but Kim Jong Il reminds me of some creepy cult leader.
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Buddhism is a religion to about 300 million people around the world. The word comes from 'budhi', 'to awaken'. It has its origins about 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha Gotama, known as the Buddha, was himself awakened (enlightened) at the age of 35.\nbuddha is not a god. he is a teacher.\nTo many, Buddhism goes beyond religion and is more of a philosophy or 'way of life'. It is a philosophy because philosophy 'means love of wisdom' and the Buddhist path can be summed up as:\n\n(1) to lead a moral life,\n(2) to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions, and\n(3) to develop wisdom and understanding.\n\nBuddhism explains a purpose to life, it explains apparent injustice and inequality around the world, and it provides a code of practice or way of life that leads to true happiness.\nBuddhism is becoming popular in western countries for a number of reasons, The first good reason is Buddhism has answers to many of the problems in modern materialistic societies. It also includes (for those who are interested) a deep understanding of the human mind (and natural therapies) which prominent psychologists around the world are now discovering to be both very advanced and effective.\nScience is knowledge which can be made into a system, which depends upon seeing and testing facts and stating general natural laws. The core of Buddhism fit into this definition, because the Four Noble truths can be tested and proven by anyone in fact the Buddha himself asked his followers to test the teaching rather than accept his word as true. Buddhism depends more on understanding than faith.
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Estimates vary.  One reason for this is that there is really a methodological debate about the lines between "religions."  For example, does one count all of Christianity as one religion, or are the different major traditions (Protestant, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Assyrian, Nestorian, Mormon, Coptic, Anabaptist, etc.) each separate religions, or are the individual denominations within those traditions (e.g., within Protestantism, the literally thousands of individual sects) "religions"?  Is Islam one religion, or are Sunni and Shi'a separate religions?  Is Buddhism one religion, or are Mahayana and Theravada traditions separate, or are the different Mahayana sects all different religions?--you see my point.\n\nSound complicated?  It only gets worse.  Because there is no one universal definition of what is and what is not a religion.  Are only "organized" religions included (official, self-declared sects)?  Or what about spiritual systems that are not organized in that way?  What about belief systems that are para-religious, like "agnosticism" or "secular humanism" or state-sponsored cults like the Juche belief system of North Korea, or the "cult of the Republic" of the United States whose religious holidays you might be observing without even noticing it on Memorial Day?\n\nHere's a safe rule of thumb:  by even conservative estimates, there are probably over 1,000 religions in the world today.  That doesn't count the vast numbers of religions that have largely disappeared from the past.  And by other estimates, the totals are closer to 20,000.  Now remember, many of those faiths might have relatively few adherents, compared to enormous sects like, say, Roman Catholicism within Christianity or Shi'a in Islam, but that's still quite a total--and even that doesn't include the enormous number of people who have essentially personal, idiosyncratic spiritual belief systems.\n\nGood luck working this question out.  But the important thing to know is this:  anyone telling you there's only One True Faith is not going to help you answer this question, because your question is about information-seeking, and that answer is about bigotry and proselytizing.  That may be mandatory in some faiths, but it's not very educationally helpful in understanding the family of world religions.  I would encourage you to check out the sites below to learn more about other faiths.
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The correct term for them is marxist.  I've heard Horowitz refer to them as neo-communists, but that doesn't really capture their essence, and neither does socialist.  The problem here is today's marxists don't even have a cogent plan for their particular implementation of marxism....just some vague agenda for destroying the United States and democracy in the world in the interests of "social justice".  However, just like all of the previous children of marxist thought......national socialism (nazism), socialism and communism, progressives and liberals are really all about genocide.  What they want.  What they support.  What they ALWAYS support, is nothing less than the murder of hundreds of millions of innocent people.  That really is all that marxism is about, when you pair it down to its essence.  It is the one repeating pattern that ties all of these people (including all liberals) and their behavior together.  It's their goal.  And it is a good reason to seriously consider rounding up and jailing the lot of them.
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Hinduism..not Judaism or Christianity. Hinduism. I think the original poster meant "organized religion", although I'm not sure.However, if that isn't the case, then yes, Paganism.
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Is Marxism relevant. Hmm. that's a subjective term. Relevant to what? To our economy, to our life, to our pocketbook, to our banking system, to the stock market, what? \n\nOr are you asking if Marxism is alive and well; where, in Russia, Germany?\n\nOr are you asking is Communism relevant today? But of course, there's more to Marxism than just Communism.\n\nMarxism lost popularity after the deline of Marxism in Russia, but his ideas are still in effect today and still influential in both political and academic cirlces. \n\nIt's very difficult to understand why. Marxism is great if you're part of the ruling class, but just doesn't work for the masses. So either we have some great conspiracy going on in the U.S., or the masses don't care; maybe both. \n\nThere are 10 Planks to the Communist Manifesto, and at least eight, and probably nine of the Marxist Planks are in effect in the U.S. And it isn't even covered up or secret, but neither is it blazened across the media screens and tabloids what a great discrepency our laws are in with our Constitution, and how our founding beliefs are in direct opposition to what exists in Washington today, but nobody seems to recognize it or care.\n\nAlways for the same reason, every time, every great nation in the history of mankind has only lasted for 200 years before complacency sets in. And when that happens, the few in power take advantage of the lethargy, and seize it all, take complete control, and squeeze it until it throws up on itself.\n\nThose in power have already bypassed the Constitution, made it almost non-existent, and the power of the Federal Government is now unlimited. The death of a great nation is upon us, and yes, Marxism is near the helm and at the root of the deception.
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reincarnation is not a buddhist idea...its a hindu idea. buddhist believes in rebirth.\n*****************\n(superstitions,) taoism, confucianism & buddhism will always be in every chinese's psyche. communism will never be able to erase it. \n-ask any 2nd generation ABC (american born chinese/ australian born chinese), we all agree that fillial piety comes 1st. (evidently, fillial piety is a confucian's virtue).\n-folk culture are also running high on every chinese. during chinese new year, the youngs will receive red packet, & pray to gods, with lion/ dragon dance...etc\n(that is evidently taoism & folk culture)\n- folk religion, like praying to ancestors, burning papers,etc are so closely connected to every chinese family.\n- shaolin temples (buddhist)/ wutang (taoist) may see a decline in  monks & disciples, but their temples are always full of visitors for prayers.\n- death is a BIG issue for every chinese...which funeral you see in chinese are simply buried? it has to go thru' taoist/ buddhist rites 1st. \nso, for all the sino- chinese in the mainland, with the relaxation of the religious rules, they may have lost touch with religions, it is never lost. it's gaining momentum...but still, money comes 1st, they are seeking out opportunites to earn money 1st before religions.\nnevertheless, like i mentioned, these 3 doctrines are deeply embedded in every chinese, mainland or overseas.\n***********\nislam came through to china from the silk road, hence you can see that the communities around the silk road routes are converted to muslims (example xinjiang). it has been in china for over 1500years, but its effects are still limited. the famous muslim in china is still: zheng he.\n**********\nchristianity/ catholic faith is slowly gaining in popularity. but presently, it is still having its setbacks. i believe the communist country is wary of it, with its association of its revolutionary past.\nshanghai was once a populous christian/ catholic city, before the 2nd world war. after that, most christians revoutionaries (pro- democracy) lost & retreated to taiwan.
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Shinto and Buddhism are Japan's two major religions.\nReligion does not play a big role in the everyday life of most Japanese people today.
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Yes and no.  Yes in that you can take basic psychological ideas(fight or flight, survival instincts, mother/child ideas, primitive responses, fear, anger, love etc...) that apply to humanity and then place them upon a culture superficially to analyze but you have to be careful of context. But you cannot place specific ideas of behavior, religion, rituals, tradition etc., upon different cultures because not only is that imperialism(and assumes your culture is the definition of what culture or normal/acceptable behaviors are) and just plain rude and out of line but inappropriately imposing.  Because each culture is so drastically different with different traditions and rituals that it wouldn't make sense to impose one philosophy upon another: ie...Christianity upon native peoples around the world, Euro-centric upon natives or Africans etc...It is inappropriate and arrogant to assume one idea makes sense for all people.  It's an ideal unrealisitic notion. \nAlso you have to consider economic and cultural systems in place that affect the way people relate as a whole society.  Japan from what I've learned is a group mentality society versus America is an individual mentality society.  They tend to think of the group and the affects upon the group first, and we tend to think effects upon the individual first.  Both have pros and cons.  \nAnd Japan does have a religious or rather spiritual foundation, Buddhism.  It's a brilliant and gentle philosophy that permeates much of their culture subtly but unlike religious dogma, is not obvious and in your face, reminding people of it's existence on a daily basis; There is no guilt by religion.  Because that contradicts the very nature of Buddhism, unlike other religions. Yet I know that shame is a much used idea to encourage modesty and humility amongst Japanese people.   \nSome cultures base their manners, traditions and overall culture upon ideas and history and not just religion or desires for conquest or expansion like many western cultures have.
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unity?\n you think it brought fu*king unity!\n\nyou are the biggest idiot on earth if you think that. If anything it brought fear, hate, and violent racism on anyone that did not fit the pure Russian Communist bill. My grandmother was a Atheist and a college professor in Moscow. Do you think that helped her escape abject poverty? \n\nwould it have helped her when Stalin was planing to put her and her infant child on a cattle car headed for Siberia!\n\nyou seriously need to learn some history before you talk about what you dont know.
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Japan is a strange pantheistic mix of Shintoism and Buddhism.  There are shinto aspects to weddings, and buddhist aspects to funerals. There are shinto shrines and buddish shrines. You could say that Japan has one religion - a shinto/buddhist hybrid. Different facets of Japnese life involve one or the other. But unlike the USA, no one is zelous about religion, unless they have been converted to christianity anyway - the shinto and buddhist religions in japan are more cultural than religious.
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Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Islam, Catholicism, and Protestantism.\n\nI believe however that most people are what is sometimes called Chinese Traditional Religion, which is a mixture of beliefs from Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, as well as local worship practices and beliefs, including ancestor worship and so on.  394 million are said to be Chinese Traditional Religion.
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Marxism was a form of Communism.  Just as there are degrees of Capitalism, there are degrees & styles of Communism.  \n\nRead the Wiki on this for more:
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Christianity, if you count both protestantism and catholicism is the largest at 2.1 billion.\n# Christianity: 2.1 billion\n# Islam: 1.3 billion\n# Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist: 1.1 billion\n# Hinduism: 900 million\n# Chinese traditional religion: 394 million\n# Buddhism: 376 million\n# primal-indigenous: 300 million\n# African Traditional & Diasporic: 100 million\n# Sikhism: 23 million\n# Juche: 19 million\n# Spiritism: 15 million\n# Judaism: 14 million\n# Baha'i: 7 million\n# Jainism: 4.2 million\n# Shinto: 4 million\n# Cao Dai: 4 million\n# Zoroastrianism: 2.6 million\n# Tenrikyo: 2 million\n# Neo-Paganism: 1 million\n# Unitarian-Universalism: 800 thousand\n# Rastafarianism: 600 thousand\n# Scientology: 500 thousand
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I don't think so because when people join a religion it is effectively only a club, which breeds predudice and exclusion. I think more people join a religion for security (life after death, reincarnation etc.) company of other believers or as a reaction to an event, so essetially religion is psycology.\n\nBut christianity has been used by hitler and bush as excuse for holy wars, looked down on those who are promiscious or have illegitimate children and has this idea of hell, so i think the idea of it as a wholly loving religion is false. \n\nThis is a generalisation and i'm sure there are lots and lots of loving christians but the two don't always go hand in hand and ANY religion can be used as an excuse or manipulated when it comes to non loving behavior.
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Communism and Marxist theory is no longer considered to be a threat, mostly due to the Soviet Union's fall from power. China is the last large Communist nation and has the fastest growing economy in the world.\n\nAlthough communism has given socialism in general a bad name, many Western European countries have been able to effectively utilize various socialist ideals in capitalist societies. Unfortunately, Americans still feel somewhat threatened when hearing the label 'socialist.' \n\nThe problem with communism wasn't its connection to socialism; the spread of communism became a problem due to fascist regimes and movements. Fascism is a current worldwide threat, in addition to existing societies based on religious fundamentalism.
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Marx. By the way, how's that philosophy workin' out for the world?