Religious persecution

Key Issue 1: Where are Religions Distributed? A. Universalizing Religions: appeal to all people - Branch ? large and fundamental division within a religion - Denomination ? a division of a branch that unites a number of local congregations in a legal body - Sect ? small group that has broken away from an established denomination 1. Christianity: over 2 billion adherents, most widespread - Main branches: Roman Catholic (52%), Protestant (21%), Eastern Orthodox (10%) - Western Hemisphere = 90% - Other Christian churches: Coptic Church of Egypt and Ethiopian Church 2. Islam: 1.3 billion, prime religion in Middle East - Five Pillars of Faith - Two Branches: Sunni (83%) and Shiite (16%) - Muslims = 5% of Europe?s population, U.S. and Canada are home to 5

Key Issue #1 Where are religions distributed? The three main universalizing religions are Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism. A branch is a large and fundamental division within a religion. A denomination is a division of a branch that unites a number of local congregations in a single legal and administrative body. A sect is a relatively small group that has broken away from an established denomination. Christianity It has 3 major branches: Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox. Roman Catholicism is dominant in the southwest and east of Europe. Protestantism is dominant in the northwest of Europe. Eastern Orthodox is dominant in the east and southeast of Europe. The Western Hemisphere is 90% Christian.