Why do people consider Judaism as one of the three major religions?

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Religion Adherents estimated that in the world there are:
  1. Christianity 2.1 billion
  2. Islam 1.5 billion
  3. Secularism/irreligious/agnostic/atheism 1.1 billion
  4. Hinduism 900 million
  5. Chinese traditional religion 394 million
  6. Buddhism 376 million
  7. Primal-indigenous 300 million
  8. African traditional/diasporic 100 million
  9. Sikhism 23 million
  10. Juche 19 million
  11. Spiritism 15 million
  12. Judaism 14 million
  13. Bahá’í 7 million
  14. Jainism 4.2 million
  15. Cao Dai 4 million
  16. Zoroastrianism 2.6 million
  17. Tenrikyo 2 million
  18. Neo-Paganism 1 million
  19. Unitarian-Universalism 800,000
  20. Rastafarianism 600,000
  21. Scientology 500,000
Some other surveys also have slightly different numbers but Judaism really never goes over 15 million…Yet it seems to be the target of most controversy, but when you consider that there are 11 other religions or belief systems with a greater population then Judaism why don’t those belief systems get more coverage?
 
I can think of a few reasons:

– In the US specifically, Judaism is the second largest religion (I’m not counting “secular” as a religion here). I’d expect that if you traveled around Asia you’d see a significantly different amount of coverage of Buddhism/Hinduism.

– Christianity and Islam both have their roots in Judaism, and thus interest in Judaism can often be tied to a desire to understand the roots of the world’s two largest religions.

– Judaism played a particularly prominent role in 20th century history right up to today vis a vis the holocaust and tensions between Israel and it’s Middle Eastern neighbors.

Those may not provide a definitive answer, but I think it’s reasonable to say that they’re all significant factors.
 
I think that quote is supposed to say “The three major MONOTHEISTIC religions”. Big difference.
 
Sorry if What I’m saying will disappointed anybody but I don’t think Judaism can consider as a Religion. What do you think guys…?
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It is called one of the Three Major Monotheistic religions. Hisorically and by number, it is a major player in the One God market. If you look at that list, you will see that those between Islam and Judaism are not true Monotheistic faiths.
 
numan said:
Sorry if What I’m saying will disappointed anybody but I don’t think Judaism can consider as a Religion. What do you think guys…?
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Judaism is a religion. It is also a ethnicity and a society. It is more than just a creed to be followed.

However, you cannot say that it is NOT a religion. It is just more than that.
 
Rolltide said:
I think that quote is supposed to say “The three major MONOTHEISTIC religions”. Big difference.
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I have never once in my entire life heard it worded this way. Just “the big three,” “world’s three largest religions,” “the largest religions in the world,” and so on. Usually it is used to say the three largest religions are monotheistic and believe in the same God.

So saying the three largest monotheisitic religions are monothesitic stricks me as a bit in the way of redundant.

Personally it seems that the more people learn about none
Abrahamic religions the more the goal posts are being moved.
 
cyberwolf001 said:
I have never once in my entire life heard it worded this way. Just “the big three,” “world’s three largest religions,” “the largest religions in the world,” and so on. Usually it is used to say the three largest religions are monotheistic and believe in the same God.

So saying the three largest monotheisitic religions are monothesitic stricks me as a bit in the way of redundant.

Personally it seems that the more people learn about none
Abrahamic religions the more the goal posts are being moved.
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Not all religions are monotheistic. In fact, and RollTide may need to verify this, Judaism is the first recorded monotheistic faith.

Look at that list and pull out any that have more than one god. For this test, count Hinduism as one with a pantheon, as some Hindus claim it has one.

If you do that, the First three are Christianity, Islam, and Judaism
 
ralphinal said:
It is called one of the Three Major Monotheistic religions. Hisorically and by number, it is a major player in the One God market. If you look at that list, you will see that those between Islam and Judaism are not true Monotheistic faiths.
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Sikhism is monotheist.

rossum
 
ralphinal said:
Oops. I read right over that one. Historically, how important has it been? Is it not a off-shoot of Islam?
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Fairly important in the shaping of the history of the Indian subcontinent, and considering they spent much of their earlier history being martyred by the Muslim Mughals, no, they are not an offshoot of Islam.

Although they do get confused for Muslims a lot, because of their beards and turbans, and the ignorance of the observer.
 
ralphinal said:
Not all religions are monotheistic. In fact, and RollTide may need to verify this, Judaism is the first recorded monotheistic faith.

Look at that list and pull out any that have more than one god. For this test, count Hinduism as one with a pantheon, as some Hindus claim it has one.

If you do that, the First three are Christianity, Islam, and Judaism
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If I recall correctly, Judaism was indeed the first truly monotheistic faith, although there is Akenaton’s failed experiment of monotheistic worship of the sun god Aton for a generation during the Egyptian New Kingdom. There is also Zoroastrianism, which is contemporaneous with Judaism (and probably influnced by it), but it’s more of a dualistic religion, with a pair of gods, the benevolent Ahura-Mazda and the evil Ahriman. In Zoroastrianism, these gods are equal and opposite, as opposed to the devil in Christianity, who is a fallen angel and therefore a lesser being. If you include Judaism, Christianity, and Islam together, you account for the religous beliefs of over 1/2 of all people on earth.
 
ralphinal said:
Not all religions are monotheistic. In fact, and RollTide may need to verify this, Judaism is the first recorded monotheistic faith.

Look at that list and pull out any that have more than one god. For this test, count Hinduism as one with a pantheon, as some Hindus claim it has one.

If you do that, the First three are Christianity, Islam, and Judaism
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Dude did you even read my post, or the post I was replying to?

Someone asked why Judaism is counted as one of the three major religions even though it is rather small.

He was told it is only counted as the top three Monothesitic religions.

I responded no it hasn’t. Then pointed out the context of “the big three.” That is whenever Christianity, Judaisim and Islam are mentioned as the big three it is in arguments that the worlds three largest faiths came from the same region, are monothestic and believe in the same God.

Therefore as people have learned Judaisim is relativly small there has been back peddling that they ment monothestic faiths that are Abrahamic only.

I point out the obvious that this is moving the goal post or back peddling as it is redudant to say "The worlds largest monothestic faiths are monothestic.
 
cyberwolf001 said:
Dude did you even read my post, or the post I was replying to?

Someone asked why Judaism is counted as one of the three major religions even though it is rather small.

He was told it is only counted as the top three Monothesitic religions.

I responded no it hasn’t. Then pointed out the context of “the big three.” That is whenever Christianity, Judaisim and Islam are mentioned as the big three it is in arguments that the worlds three largest faiths came from the same region, are monothestic and believe in the same God.

Therefore as people have learned Judaisim is relativly small there has been back peddling that they ment monothestic faiths that are Abrahamic only.

I point out the obvious that this is moving the goal post or back peddling as it is redudant to say "The worlds largest monothestic faiths are monothestic.
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I misread you then. I am sorry. I thought you said that all religions are montheistic.

To comment on your exact post, I have never seen them called the three major religions, only the three major monotheistic ones. Hinduism and Buddhism were always considerd bigger.
 
ralphinal said:
It is called one of the Three Major Monotheistic religions. Hisorically and by number, it is a major player in the One God market. If you look at that list, you will see that those between Islam and Judaism are not true Monotheistic faiths.
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Actually, Sikhs are monotheist, as well are some Buddhists (Buddhism inherently says nothing about god(s) and so Buddhists are an array of monotheists, polytheists, ancestor worshippers, and atheists).

=====

ETA: Sorry for the double post.
 
xixxvmcm85 said:
Actually, Sikhs are monotheist, as well are some Buddhists (Buddhism inherently says nothing about god(s) and so Buddhists are an array of monotheists, polytheists, ancestor worshippers, and atheists).

=====

ETA: Sorry for the double post.
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I know, as posted earlier, i did not see Sikhs on there. Buddhists are their own thing.
 
If you’re using the list above, many, if not most, Unitarian-Universalists would be considered deists in the monotheistic sense.
 
Bahá’í and Zoroastrianism are monotheistic religions also.
Bahá’í is just, well to nicely put it, a little out of touch with reality and Zoroastrianism is basically dead.

:gopray2: Yeshua Messiah (Jesus Christ) Save us, Please
Amen.
 
Catholic_JIMMY said:
Bahá’í and Zoroastrianism are monotheistic religions also.
Bahá’í is just, well to nicely put it, a little out of touch with reality and Zoroastrianism is basically dead.

:gopray2: Yeshua Messiah (Jesus Christ) Save us, Please
Amen.
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I actually think Bahai’i does a great job shedding some light on post-Christian movements such as Islam.

Christians have been saying that Islam is merely repackaged Christianity, and so long one claims that God is in a habit of raising up prophets at odd times in order to bring a new “dispensation” with different truths, different rites and different understandings of that which is holy, then the same can happen ad infinitum.

Sure enough, Bahai’i has come along and repackaged Islam.
 
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