User:Goethean/Human5
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
There are many perspectives on what a human being is. According to adherents of philosophical naturalism (non-religious people number approximately 16% of the world's population), Humans, or human beings, are bipedal primates belonging to the mammalian species Homo sapiens (Latin for "wise man" or "thinking man") under the family Hominidae (the great apes). Humans have a highly developed brain capable of abstract reasoning, language, and introspection.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (members of which number approximately 16% of the world's population), a human is a being of body and soul in the image of God [1]. Another 16% of the world's population are non-Catholic Christians.
According to Islam (about 21% of the world population), every human "is composed of three parts: spirit, carnal soul, and body" [2] and humans are the "vice-regents of God" [3].
According to Hindu Advaita thought, "no such thing as a human exists. The human phenomenon (supposed to consist of the mind, vital energy, and physical body) is an illusion. Only God exists." And according to Hindu Dvaita thought, "humans, like all creatures, are souls of God (or divinity) enclosed within a complex of bodies ranging from very gross (the physical body) to very subtle (the ego). Humans, however, are unique among living things in that they have the potential to realize their divinity." Together, Hindu dvaitins and advaitins make up approximately 14% of the world's population.
The above four groups together comprise approximately 84% of the world's population. Another 18% is composed of member of other major world religions: various Buddhist, Chinese folk religion, tribal, shamanist, and animistic groups, which have widely varying conceptions of the world and of humanity. The other 5% of the world's population is comprised of members of an enormous array of minor religions.
