Why are there so many different religions?

Question

How and where do they typically start? What makes them "successful"?

I'm not trying to be facetious. But I'm concerned about trajectories.

In science, things typically start from very diverse beginnings, then converge. Or elaborate details around a shared core. Such is the trajectory of the development of scientific fields.

The trajectory of religious development seems to be just the opposite.

And I do wonder what that means.

Answer 1

Usually they branch off from a major religion because the people feel they are lacking something in their faith. First there were pagans, then came jewish- out of them came christians & islam. From the original christians came the catholics (which means universal christians), gnostics, essenes, (and many more divisions), then lutheran, baptists, evangical, mormons, and on and on...

Answer 2

Denominationalism is something Jesus prayed would not happen. The Bible predicted that it will happen and warns against it. In the first century, there was only One church. Over the years, Satan has divided religions into the numerous sects we have today. We live in a world of religious confusion. There are literally thousands of religious denominations claiming to follow the Bible and declaring allegiance to Christ. Attitudes of tolerance have developed toward all these differences. Many believe God approves of all the conflicting denominations.The word "denomination" signifies a part of a whole, a class, or division.We can be Christians without being members of any denomination by taking Christ as our creed and the Scriptures as our only guide. If we will simply become Christians (Acts 2:37-38; 8:12, 35-39), serve, and worship God the way the early disciples did (Acts 2:41-42), we will be a congregation.

Answer 3

Well I believe it all started way back with Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar.
Sarah was barren and well stricken in years and thought her womb would never be opened to concieve. Even though God told her that she would bear the promised seed. She did not trust God and ended up telling Abraham to go into her maid/servant Hagar.
Then one day Sarah Concieved and bore Issac and became jealous of Hagar and her son Ishmael. So she had them banished to the desert.
Anyhow, Issac was the promised seed but God also promised Hagar while out in the desert that he would rise up a mighty nation out of her son Ishmael, which are known as the muslims, (I think) and Issac is the seed of the Jews and later on the Christians.

also from that point on the world began drifting from the 2 religions and creating their own..

Answer 4

1 John 5: 19 says "the world is lying in the power of the wicked one (Satan)." The best way to keep people away from the right path is to confuse them. Like you can't see the tree for the forest. Matthew 24: 23-26 fortells false prophets rising to mislead the Christians, recognized by their "fruits" or actions.

What makes them successful? As regards money, they are very greedy. As regards followers, the majority of people follow the path of least resistance. The false Christian religions require very little from members and dream up or borrow many beliefs from potential members to make it easy to follow. Following Bible principles is not even questioned. Discouraged in fact.

Answer 5

They typically start:
EVERYWHERE!!! every place in the world has had a religion start there.... the 2 biggest ones Christianity and Islam started in the middle east, so lots of ppl believe all relgion starts there. WRONG!!!

Religion starts every where.
Greek myth, greece
Norse myth, Germanic area (including scadinacia)
celtic myth, britian
Toaism, China
confusim, china
hinduis, india
voodoo, west africa
aztec beliefs, mexico
eskimo had their own, alaska
inute religion, canada
nativa north american gods (hundreds of religions there): north america

so do you see, so many religions, starting all over the world, so there is no right religion, i mean the native americans never heard of christianity or jewdaism so since the never had a choice to believe in it then they all went to hell acroding to christians.

What makes it succesful?
Spreading, mostly by force
christianity spread cuz eropean kings kill anyone who did not convert, it was forced on nonbelivers, anyone who didnt believe was savage in their eyes. forced on new conqured lands
Islam, forced on new conqured lands
Hinduism , is a mergence of many religons of the area, forced on new conqured lands,
voodoo(not very succesful), has addapted and changed to the beliefs of the ppl

so you can see usally its forced upon the conqured nations and there for speads.

RELIGION IS FALSE!!!!

Answer 6

Very interesting topic which spans nearly the total spectrum of man's existance. They are successful because on the whole man needs to believe in something larger than himself. Man needs to find an answer to the question. " Why am I here?" When men gather together to seek answers to life's biggest questions, religion happens. When answers happen, faith begins. When faith begins.....

Answer 7

YOU ARE SO RIGHT!!!!!!

THE BIBLE SAYS THIS WOULD HAPPEN
1TIM 4:1-4 ... GIVING HEED TO SEDUCING SPIRITS...
2TIM 4:1-4 ...SHALL BE TURNED UNTO FABLES
WHY THEY ARE SUCCESFULL
RM 1:23-25 God said they would believethe lie

So they just say something and people follow, but
the bible's church would BEGIN in Jerusalem (LK 24:46,47)
and every other religion has started elsewhere

EVEN ISLAM CALLS US THE PEOPLE OF THE BOOK
Since this statement persists in their QURAN it shows THE
BOOK was written first and someone is trying to disprove it

The origin is distinctive in CHRIST, others try and make themselves sound better

DARWINISTS originate the worlds beginnings from 1mil. yrs
to 250 million yrs ago , I believe the bible has greater odds

Answer 8

Well it all start with a different interpretation of the word of God or just a different view of the world. They are all successful because these interpretation actually makes sense to them.

Answer 9

There is so my different religions ? Why!! There's millions of people! They typically start from days end! "successful" Belief ! Thank you.

Answer 10

Many people believe in different things. They become popular when you start a religion and have lots of followers