World Religions

Introduction to World Religions Study Guide

3.4 Denominations Hindus do not claim denominations and there is no central authority. Academics, however, do place contemporary Hindus into four denominations: Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. The difference is in the god they worship as the Supreme One and in the accompanying traditions. Vaishnavas worship Vishnu or Krishna as the Supreme God. Shaivites worship Shiva, while Shaktas worship Devi as the Supreme Goddess and feel all other gods are manifestations of her. Smarta Hindus believe in six different deities and all are free to worship the one that they choose. When Westerners think of Hindus, they typically refer to the Smarta belief system. 3.5 Demographics Demographically, after Christianity and Islam, Hinduism is the world’s third largest religion. Table1: Top 10 Countries with the Largest Population of Hindus India 973,750,000 Nepal 24,170,000 Bangladesh 12,680,000 Indonesia 4,050,000 Pakistan 3,330,000 Sri Lanka 2,000,000 United States 1,790,000 Malaysia 1,720,000 United Kingdom 890,000 Burma 820,000 *Updated by World Atlas in 09/2017

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