Final answer:
Major world religions differ by their origins, founders, texts, and beliefs. Hinduism, the oldest, began around 2000 BCE in India. Buddhism, founded by Siddhartha Gautama, and Christianity, based on Jesus Christ's teachings, have global followers, while Judaism, with historical figures like Abraham, is influential but has fewer adherents.
Step-by-step explanation:
When comparing major world religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Christianity, several factors such as date and place of origin, founder, holy books, major beliefs, current practice regions, and number of adherents are considered.
Hinduism
Hinduism is the oldest major religion, with origins dating back to 2000 BCE or even earlier, in the Indus River Valley of what is now modern-day northwest India and Pakistan. It has no single founder, embracing many traditions and thoughts, and includes sacred texts like the Vedas and the Upanishads. Today, it is predominantly practiced in India and has about one billion followers globally.
Buddhism
Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama ('the Buddha') around the 6th century BCE in what is now Nepal and India. Its core teachings include the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. Sacred texts are the Tripitaka or Pali Canon. Predominantly found in East and Southeast Asia, it has roughly 500 million followers.
Judaism
Originating in the Middle East around 2000 BCE, Judaism was founded by the Hebrews, particularly associated with figures such as Abraham and Moses. Central texts include the Torah and the Talmud. With its roughly 14 million followers, Judaism is spread worldwide but is most prevalent in Israel and the United States.
Christianity
Christianity began in the 1st century CE in the Middle East, based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The Holy Bible is the central text. It is the largest religion in the world with more than 2 billion followers, spread widely across all continents.