Origination Of One - God Belief Systems

All of the major modern religious systems that believe in a single God had a common origin. Christianity, Judaism and Islam are all based on belief in "the God of Abraham". The following is a brief outline indicating the history and relationships. All of these believe in the same God, although they call Him God, Father or Allah, depending on whether they consider themselves Jewish, Christian or Muslim. They all recognize and revere the same Old Testament figures, including Adam, Abraham, Moses and many others.

BELIEVE
Religious
Information
Source
web-site

Our List of 1,000 Religious Subjects

E-mail

Moses around 1600 BC, received the Ten Commandments from God. This directly became the basis of Judaism and Jewish beliefs.
- Judaism was the original one-God belief system (around 14 million today)
  - Conservative Judaism
  - Orthodox Judaism (only officially recognized group)
  - Reconstructionist Judaism
  - Reform Judaism
- Jesus (4 BC to about 30 AD), was Crucified and became the basis of Christianity. (around 1869 million today)
  - Roman Catholic Church (about 50 AD) begun by Saint Paul (around 1042 million)
  - Orthodox Church (around 900 AD) broke away from the Roman Catholic Church in the Great Schism (around 173 million)
    - Russian Orthodox Church (about 70 million)
    - Romanian Orthodox Church (about 21 million)
    - Greek Orthodox Church
    - Constantinople (a few thousand)
  - Protestant Church (1517 AD) broke away from the Roman Catholic Church in the Protestant Reformation (around 382 million)
    - Lutheran Church (1517 AD) begun by Martin Luther (around 70 million)
      - Moravian Church (1727) (about 360,000)
      - Brethren (1708) (about 170,000)
      - Amana Society (1842) (about 900)
    - Calvinism (1531)
      - Reformed Church (1537)
        
        Reformed Church in America (RCA) (1748) (1867) (350 thousand)
        Christian Reformed Church (CRC)
        Presbyterian (1649) (about 50 million)
        
        Disciples of Christ (1809) (1832) (about 1.1 million)
        
        Christian Churches and Churches of Christ (1969)
        
        Arminius (greatly influenced Wesley) (1610)
    - Zwingli Anabaptism (1523)
      - Free Church Tradition (1527)
      - Swiss Reformed Church (1523)
      - Congregational Christian Churches
      - Evangelical and Reformed Church
      - United Church of Christ (1957, combined CCC and ERC) (about 1.7 million)
      - Melchiorites (1533)
        
        Mennonite Church (1536) (1591)
        
        (Old) Mennonite Church (largest)
        Amish (1693) (about 40,000)
        Old Order Amish (majority)
        Conservative Amish
        Unitarian Church (1560) (1743) (about 173,000)
      - Hutterian Brethren (1533) (about 20,000)
      - Baptists (1611) (1639) (both Calvin and Zwingli) (about 35 million)
        
        A multitude of relatively independent Churches
        Landmark (1856)
    - Anglican (1647) (somewhat Calvinist) (about 75 million)
      - Episcopal (about 27 million)
        
        Protestant Episcopal Church (1789) (about 2.5 million)
      - Methodist Church begun by John Wesley (1744) (about 38 million)
        
        Holiness (1840s) (1880s)
        
        Fire-Baptized Holiness Church (1895)
        Church of the Nazarene (1908) (about 7000 congregs)
        Salvation Army (1865) (about 2.5 million)
        Pentecostal (1901) (about 51 million)
        
        Assembly of God (1914) (about 2.1 million)
        Church of God in Christ (1906)
        Int'l Church of the Foursquare Gospel (1927)
        Open Bible Standard Church
        Pentecostal Church of God
        United Pentecostal Church
        Pentecostal Assemblies of the World
        Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee)
        Pentecostal Holiness Church
        
        African Methodist Episcopal Church (1816) (these three, about 2.5 million)
        African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (1820)
        Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (1870)
        Methodist Church (1939, combined MPC, MECS and MEC)
        Evangelical United Brethren Church (EUB) (1946, combined 1807 Churches) (about 750,000)
        United Methodist Church (1968, combined MC and EUBC)
        Wesleyan Methodist Church (1840s)
        Methodist Protestant Church (1828)
        Free Methodist Church (1860)
        Methodist Episcopal Church, South (1844)
      - Puritans (c. 1580)
      - Pilgrims (1620)
  - Eastern Rite Churches (about 11 million)
    - Alexandrian
    - Antiochene
    - Armenian
    - Chaldean
    - Byzantine
      - Ukranian Catholic Church (1596) (about 5 million)
      - Romanian Eastern Rite Church (1700)
  - Armenian Church (c.400 AD) (about 1.6 million)
  - Coptic Church (c. 400 AD) (about 7 million)
- Muhammad (570 AD to 632 AD) initiated Islamic (Muslim or Moslem) belief (around 1200 million).
  - Sunnites, Sunnis (656 AD) strict followers of the practices of the Prophet (the great majority of Muslims, around 950 million)
  - Shiites, Shias (656 AD) followers of Fatima/Ali (Prophet's son-in-law)
    - Twelvers (Ithna Ashariyya) (largest group)
    - Seveners (Ismailis)
    - Fivers (Zaydites)

Such an outline as this certainly has inaccuracies in it. A great number of organizations listed as sub-categories are actually groups that broke away from the earlier group. Often that breakaway involved adding some beliefs from a different main group.

In addition, there are groups such as Baptists, whose beliefs include both Calvinist and Zwinglian ideas. Traditionally, they are considered an offshoot of the earlier Anabaptists, so they were put there in this outline.

There are also a great number of religious organizations that could not be included in this outline. Many were some original combinations of various existing beliefs, often with some new ones added in. The Quakers are an example of this, combining English Puritanism and Anabaptist traditions with new ideas such as an Inner Light.

Other organizations originated on the basis of some human prophet, such as the Mormons. Or they originated as a totally independent organization, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses or The Way International. Such organizations may or may not have based some or all of their beliefs on previously accepted beliefs. Such organizations generally seem to consider themselves as "islands" and do not generally acknowledge any relationship or similarity to any other organizations.

Finally, there are individual Churches whose names imply some combination of traditions and beliefs. I do not know if there is any Charismatic Lutheran Amish Church, but you get the idea. Such an individual Church could not be included in this outline.

In the United States, there are over 330,000 individual houses of worship. The vast majority of them worship the one same God, whether He be called God, Father or Allah. The general categories in the outline table above should give an overall view of the relationships between them. (Wherever available, the outline includes a date of organization and an approximate current number of followers).

This presentation was first placed on the Internet in May 1997.

Send an e-mail question or comment to us: E-mail

The main BELIEVE web-page (and the index to subjects) is at: