2. Webster’s definition: a personal awareness or conviction of the existence of a supreme being or of supernatural powers or influences controlling one's own, humanity's, or all nature's destiny

3. What happens when we die? Why do we have religion? Religion answers the big questions… Where did we come from? Why are we here? What does It all mean?

4.  Deal in some way with people’s relationship to the unseen world of the supernatural, spirits, gods, and/or demons  Developed a system of myths and rituals about the unseen world  Organized rituals, places of worship, teachers, and texts  Some explanation about life after death- heaven/hell, reincarnation  Attracted a large following All the world’s religions have several common elements:

5. 1.Christianity- 2.1 billion 2.Islam- 1.5 billion 3.Hinduism-900 million 4.Buddhism-376 million 5.Judaism- 14 million 6.Sikhism-23 million 7.Nonreligious / Agnostic / Atheist- 1.1 billion 8.Other- 584 million World Religions & Adherent s