St Mary's Church, Dymock

'Religion' is the name given to belief in a Supreme Being and the way of life its believers follow.

There are many different religions in the world; some have only a few members whilst the principal ones have millions, if not billions of followers. The biggest religions include Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism.

With the exception of Buddhism (which doesn't believe in a supreme being but seeks a pure state of existence known as Nirvana), the principal religions each believe in a supreme being with powers greater than humans. Most believe that the supreme being created the universe (space and time) and everything in it including humanity and maintains a managing interest in their creation.

The principal religions give their supreme being some properties in common, but they each maintain differences in detail.

For detailed information about the words and concepts associated with Religion, click here.

For detailed information about the Christian Religion, click here.