Religion is our social and cultural identity. According to the Oxford Dictionary, religion refers to our faith and belief in superhuman powers, especially in God. Mahatma Gandhi once said, ‘Before the throne of the Almighty, man will be judged not by his acts but by his intentions. For God alone reads our hearts.’ Our religion teaches us a way of living, what we will accomplish in life and how our actions will determine our afterlife. International sources estimate the existence of more than 4000 religions in the world, the popular being, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, etc. But did you know that there is a large section of people who identify themselves as secular/ nonreligious/ agnostic? Today, we have brought to you a speech on religion in English. Stay tuned!
Table of Contents
‘All Religions Must Be Tolerated…For Every Man Must Go To Heaven In His Way.’ -Epictetus
Popular Religions in the World
The table below highlights some of the popular religions in the world with the total number of followers.
Religions | Adherents | Percentage |
Christianity | 2.3 billion | 31% |
Islam | 1.9 billion | 24.9% |
Hinduism | 1.1 billion | 15.2% |
Buddhism | 506 million | 6.6% |
Sikhism | 26 million | 0.30% |
African Traditional Religions | 100 million | 1.2% |
Chinese Traditional Religion | 394 million | 5.6% |
Ethnic Religions | 300 million | 3% |
Spiritism | 15 million | 0.19% |
Jainism | 4.2 million | 0.05% |
Also Read: Right to Freedom of Religion
10 Lines to Add in Speech on Religion
Here are 10 lines that you can add to your speech on religion. Feel free to use them in your speech or writing topics related to religion.
- Every religion has its holy texts, where rules and rituals are mentioned.
- There are four Hindu holy texts or Vedas: the Rig Veda, the Yajur Veda, the Sama Veda, and the Atharva Veda.
- In India, there are eight major religions.
- Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world and was mentioned as ‘Sanathana’ in ancient Hindu texts.
- Christians and Muslims are monotheistic, meaning they believe there’s only one God, and he created the heavens and the earth.
- There are around 330 million gods in the Hindu culture.
- Jews are more highly educated than any other major religious group around the world.
- Religious tolerance and freedom are necessary to build a pluralistic society.
- Religions around the world offer moral guidelines and ethical principles that shape the behaviour and conduct of their adherents.
- Rituals and ceremonies are integral parts of religious expression.
Also Read: Best Speech on Christmas
2-Minute Speech on Religion
‘Hello and welcome to everyone present here. Today, I stand before you to present my speech on religion. We all have grown up hearing the phrase, ‘Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Isai, sab apas me bhai bhai.’ Today, there are more than 4000 religions in the world, and the most popular ones are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, etc. Since India is a Secular country, several religions co-exist. There are eight major religions in India, such as Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism Buddhism, etc.’
‘Religion is not a physical entity. Instead, they are rules and regulations, giving us a social and cultural identity to live in harmony with other religions. Every religion teaches us to find the meaning of existence; the purpose of our life. Different religions have their customs and celebrations, where people follow their belief practices, and pray to the god for the goodwill of their family’s health and overall wellbeing.’
‘In our country, some of the popular religious places are Varanasi (Kashi), Haridwar, Ujjain, Amritsar, Tirupati, etc. All these cities are holy places where millions of people every year gather to participate in religious practices. The famous Kumbh Mela is a Hindu pilgrimage and festival which is conducted every 12 years at four places in India.
‘Our religion teaches us a lot of life lessons like being kind to others, telling the truth or following the path of righteousness, etc. Different religions have their learned men, who act as the medium between people and god. Christians have a Father in church, an Imam in the Mosque, a Pujari in the Hindu Temple, a Granthi in Gurudwaras, and so on. Although these people have different names, their job is the same; performing rituals in holy places to connect with god or deity.’
‘We respect religion and abide by all our religious practices. Religion is not just about visiting temples and celebrating festivals. It is a way of living, it’s our identity, it defines who we are and teaches us what we can achieve in our life. Every religion offers moral guidelines and ethical principles that shape the behavior and conduct of adherents.
Thank you.’
FAQs
Ans: Religion refers to the beliefs and practices people follow, which connect them with their social and cultural identity. International sources estimate the existence of more than 4000 religions in the world, the popular being, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, etc. ‘Religion is not a physical entity. Instead, they are rules and regulations, giving us a social and cultural identity to live in harmony with other religions. Every religion teaches us to find the meaning of existence; the purpose of our life.
Ans: The top three religions in the world are Christianity, Islam and Hinduism.
Ans: People who don’t follow any religion identify themselves as secular/ nonreligious/ agnostic. More than a billion people in the world identify themselves as secular/ nonreligious
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