Religious divisions have existed since the creation of religion itself, with interpretations and forms of worship varying due to geographical location, linguistic differences, the influence of everyday society, and much more.
Come along as we explore the most known religious divisions worldwide and investigate the specific events and differences of beliefs that caused them.
Battle between Religious Divisions
Religious divisions can be narrowed down simply to those who are "believers" and those who are "non-believers". However, believers and non-believers can have little or extreme differences, depending on the deep divide between the branches.
A lack of understanding between these unique divisions has led to violence and even forms of exile from said religion. For example, Jews who do not make a home in Israel are considered by Zionists to be "living in exile" and are not viewed as "true" Jews. Until sacrifices and understanding can be put forth on all sides, religious divisions will continue to cause tensions between people.
Fig. 1 Puri Jagannath drawing from the book 'LINDE DES RAJAHS Voyage Dans LInde Centrale', 1877
Modern-day Divisions
Muslims and Jews in Palestine, Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs in India and Pakistan, and the Sunni and Shi'a Muslims of the Middle East.
Despite these divisions affecting our world today, religious divides have existed for thousands of years in many different contexts, ranging from internal divisions to the influence of outside perspectives through immigration, colonization, refuge-seeking, and more. Not only do these divisions make people unique, but they can also cause tensions and misunderstandings that eventually become violent. The cycle of fighting for power and influence will continue until divisions taking part in religious wars reach a point of understanding and tolerance.
Religious War
Sometimes called a "Holy War", it is a battle caused or justified by differences in religion. Some examples of these wars are The Thirty Years War (1613-1648), the Crusades (1095-1291), the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970), and many more.
Religious Divisions Europe
Europe's religious divisions are mainly split into 3 sectors of Christianity; Roman Catholicism in the West and Southwest, Protestantism in the North, and Eastern Orthodox in the East and Southeast. For much of Europe's history, empires have fought between the influence of Catholicism and Protestantism, though these tensions were often less about religion and more about territorial control.
Over time, the divide between Europe's Catholic and Protestant countries has created critical cultural differences. According to Max Weber, a German sociologist, Protestantism, work ethic, and the rise of Capitalism are linked. Conversely, Catholic countries tend to hold a different view of authority and government. It appears to be more top-down and hierarchal, whereas Protestant countries have more room for personal initiative and democracy.
Fig. 2 Map of Religions in Europe in 1560
Judaism has also been practiced in Europe since Roman times, having Jewish migrations into and throughout Europe for hundreds of years. The migrations created two distinct branches, the Ashkenazi and Sephardi. Unfortunately, WWII (1939-1945) killed 6 million European Jews due to Nazi concentration camps and German exceptionalism.
Islam has also made communities in parts of Europe, specifically in the Balkan states of Albania, Herzegovina, Bosnia, and Bulgaria.
Did you know?
Recently, European Muslim communities have faced extreme backlash due to the rise of Islamic fundamentalists and terrorism, both inside and outside many Middle Eastern countries. This violence has caused an influx of thousands of Muslim people into Europe seeking safety, though they are often blamed for extremists' actions.
Religious Divison Christianity
Christianity is split into 4 main branches; the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican Communion, and Protestantism. Though it is not a singular belief system, it is a monotheistic religion with the most significant number of followers worldwide (approximately 2.38 billion).
Christians believe in the life and teachings of Jesus, the son of God and messiah, who rose again after his crucifixion to grant eternal life to those who believed in him. Having lasted for hundreds of years, Christian communities have branched off for countless reasons and made way for new religious variants.
Differences between the 4 branches range from differing beliefs about who's in charge (the Pope, Bishops, or Jesus himself) to whether or not idols and religious images are accepted (for Catholics, yes; for Protestants, no). They also all have differences regarding the interpretation of the bible itself. For some, the words of the bible are guidelines that can be open to interpretation, whereas some see it as a text needed to be followed strictly, without question.
The Great Schism 1054
Caused by the rejection of the universal Papal authority by Eastern patriarchs, the expanding sociopolitical disagreements throughout the West and East, and the doctrinal differences between churches, The Great Schism of 1054 caused the permanent split of the communion between Eastern Churches into the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic church.
Fig. 3 Map of the eastern/western allegiances in 1054 with the former country borders
After much political jealousy and disagreements, the catalyst that caused the final decision to separate was the mutual ex-communications in 1054, carried out by the patriarch and Pope Leo IX.
These ex-communications were still in place until 1965!
This divide between the churches remains today, but over the thousand years since they split, the western and eastern churches had agreed to peaceable terms. The Catholic Church is said to have been weakened by The Great Schism, in particular by the divide among the European population because of the existence of three simultaneous popes, causing a loss of Christian faith. Modern historian, Anna M. Cox, discusses the significance of this historical event and how its legacy resonates in the Christian faith for many generations.
The Great Schism in its own religious right was one of the most single profoundly fundamental and influential events that resulted in the transformation of a religion, culture and history.
- Anna M.Cox1
Religious Divisions Islam
Similar to Christianity as a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion, Islam has approximately 2 billion followers across the globe. The religion of Islam is nearly 1,300 years old and began in 610 CE when the prophet Muhammad began receiving revelations from God. Followers of this faith recorded these revelations in the Qur'an.
One of the main differences between Islam and Christianity is the following of Jesus; to Christians, he is sacred, whereas Islam sees him simply as a prophet.
Sunni and Shia Divisions in Islam
The branches of Islam began to appear and develop after the death of Muhammad, with his followers disagreeing about who the true successor of the religion would be. Despite their differences, they follow the same God and the exact religious text; the Qur'an. From largest to smallest, the denominations of Islam are Sunni, Shi'a, Ahmadiyya, Ibadi, and Sufism.
Divisions in Islam
| Sunni | Shia |
| Believed that the decision of Muhammad's succession should be in the hands of the elite of the Islamic community. | Believed that Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law Ali should succeed him. They thought it was vital to be someone in Muhammad's family. |
| A large part of the Islamic Community. | A smaller group of the Islamic community. |
| The Sunni won as they were most of the population and chose Abu Bakr, Muhammad's close friend, to lead them. | Ali became the fourth caliph after two assassinations that killed those before him. Ali was later killed 661 during the power struggle between the Sunni and Shia. |
The Battle of Karbala
In summary, the Battle of Karbala was a short military conflict on October 10, 680, between the troops led by al-Husayn ibn and the Umayyad caliph Yazid I. This was caused by the succession of Yazid I after Mu-awiya had labeled him successor in 676, breaking the Basan-Muawiya treaty. The conflict resulted in the death of al-Husayn ibn, Ali's grandson, securing the position of the Umayyad dynasty and marking an annual day of public mourning for the Shi i Muslims.
Fig. 4 Battle of Karbala by Persian Painter Abbas Al-Musavi-from Brooklyn Museum
Religious Divisions Hinduism
Hinduism has 4 branches and no exact beginning date or year; the majority of the branches believe that Hinduism has been around for eternity. Hinduism's divisions are Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism, and the Smarta Tradition. In most branches, Hindus believe in a creator or a supreme deity; said deity depends on which division the person follows.
Vaishnavism is the largest denomination of Hinduism, with 350 million followers worldwide. To learn to worship correctly, Vaishnavas seek answers in the Bhagavat Gita, the epic poem of the Hindu God, Vishnu. In all sects of Hinduism, chanting and meditative practice are always present!
Hinnudism is believed to have grown from the overlapping beliefs of diverse settlers across India, later merged with the migrators from South Asia. This resulted in a large combination of religion and culture and a surplus of practices, beliefs, and gods. Because of this, Hinduism is considered one of the most complex religions as it has no single founder or sacred text and allows many forms of different worship to exist amongst each other.
The Four Branches of Hinduism
Starting around the 5th Century, Hinduism became sectarian, and most Hindus belonged to a sect of Hinduism. The different branches of Hinduism are separated and defined by their devotion to the god they worship.
Fig. 5 The Goddess Bhairavi Devi with Shiva
The Shaktism branch of Hinduism is unique, as it is the only female-oriented religious sect. In the presence of God, Shakti, the masculine, is considered inactive. Though often connotated with the controversial practices of Tantrism, other branches of Hinduism have adopted elements of Shaktism.
| Sect of Hinduism | Primary god of worship |
| Vaishnavism | Preserver god Vishu. |
| Shaivism | Shiva, god of destruction. |
| Shaktism | Hindu goddess Shakti. |
| Smartism | Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti, Surya, and Ganesha. |
Religious Divisions Buddhism
Buddhism can be divided into 3 significant branches and is most popular in the countries of Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia.
Buddhism's 3 divisions are:
- Theravada
- Mahayana
- Vajrayana
Theravada is the most conservative of the 3; though it believes (like the other 2) that one can reach Nirvana, they believe that those who are monks have a better chance.
Fig. 6 Amitabha Buddha, the master of the Pure Land, is blessing a female devotee.
Did you know?
For the monks or "perfect beings" to eat, they must be donated food by the people around them. It is believed that donating food to monks will bring good karma.
Mahayana is the largest and most often recognized branch of Buddhism. This division recognizes that all people are different and is open to multiple forms of spiritual awareness. They believe that Buddha can appear in 3 different forms; one is the "Cosmic Buddha," which is invisible and exists all around us. This manifestation also teaches the importance of a constantly changing world; the universe is constantly shifting, so creating a single, individual identity is impossible. We are infinitely connected with the world around us, and no moment will ever repeat itself; each moment should be treasured.
The table below shows the similarities and differences in the three different schools of Buddhism, giving us a better insight into why this division occurred!
| Theravada | Mahayana | Vajrayana |
| 'The school of the Elders' | 'The Great Vehicle | 'The Way of the Diamond' |
| See Mahayana Buddhism as an accessible version of Buddha's teachings and corrupt. | Believed that Theravada was too self-centered and lost its religious vision. | Believed that Mahayana had too many rules in place. |
| Believes that meditation is the route to attain seld-liberation through your efforts. They claim to be the closest to the Buddha's original doctrines. | Claims it holds to the Buddha's original teachings: that redemption lies at the end of the right path for a follower of Buddhism. | Claims that they are the most authentic as they follow the Buddha's way of life: living naturally, without regard for what should happen. |
| Theravada Buddhism began in Ancient India. | Founded in India. | Mainly developed in Tibet. |
| Maintain belief in the Four Noble Truths. | Maintain belief in the Four Noble Truths. | Maintain belief in the Four Noble Truths. |
| Believe in the Eightfold Path. | Believe in the Eightfold Path. | Believe in the Eightfold Path. |
Religious Divisions - Key takeaways
- Religious divisions can be narrowed down simply to those who are "believers" and those who are "non-believers". However, believers and non-believers can have little or extreme differences depending on the deep divide between the branches.
- Europe's religious divisions are mainly split into 3 sectors of Christianity (as well as some Jewish and Muslim communities in certain areas).
- Christianity has 4 main branches; the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican Communion, and Protestantism.
- From largest to smallest, the denominations of Islam are Sunni, Shi'a, Ahmadiyya, Ibadi, and Sufism.
- Hinduism's divisions are Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism, and the Smarta Tradition.
- Buddhism's 3 divisions are Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana.
References
- Anna M. Cox, (2018). THE GREAT SCHISM: The Great Divide of the West, the East and Christianity. PP.55
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