Despite many differences in practice or belief, religions share core moral and ethical foundations. Most major traditions emphasize compassion, honesty, generosity, forgiveness, and respect for life. They also share similar functions, providing meaning, moral guidance, and a sense of community belonging. Scholars note that when viewed through shared values rather than outward rituals, religions are more alike than different, reflecting a universal human search for connection with what is considered sacred, good, or transcendent.​
This framework can help students and visitors explore the world’s faith traditions as parallel expressions of shared human questions, rather than competing systems.
Sources:
Texas State University. (2021, June 30). World religions share more in common than not, if only one looks. Texas State University Research News. https://news.txst.edu/research-and-innovation/2021/world-religions-share-more-in-common-than-not.html
Religion can be understood as a system of beliefs and practices that connect humanity to the sacred or divine, often expressed through rituals, ethics, and community life. In academic usage, it is both a personal and social framework for understanding meaning, morality, and existence.
Faith, in contrast, refers to personal trust or conviction that may or may not be attached to organized religion—it is an inward confidence or spiritual awareness that often gives rise to religious identity or practice.​
Throughout history, scholars estimate that there have been more than 10,000 distinct religions worldwide. Today, the vast majority of the global population follows one of the four largest: Christianity (31%), Islam (24%), Hinduism (15%), and Buddhism (7%). Collectively, more than three-quarters of the world’s people identify with a religion.
Sources:
Newman, L. L. (2004). Faith, Spirituality, and Religion: A Model for Understanding the Differences. College Student Affairs Journal, 23(2), 102–110.
Taliaferro, C. (2022, March 27). The concept of religion. In The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (E. N. Zalta & U. Nodelman, Eds.). Stanford University. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/concept-religion/
According to Pew Research Center’s 2025 Religious Landscape Study, roughly 63% of U.S. adults identify as Christian—including Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox Christians—while 28–31% are religiously unaffiliated (“nones”), and 6–7% identify with non-Christian religions such as Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism.​
In Illinois, 62% of adults identify as Christian, about 8% practice other world religions, and approximately 29% are unaffiliated. Regional variation reveals slightly lower Christian identification in urban areas, such as Chicago (59%), with an increasing number of people who describe themselves as spiritual but not religious.
In McHenry County, historical census-based data indicate that Christianity remains the predominant religion, followed by smaller numbers of Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist residents. Like national trends, a significant portion of residents identify as nonreligious or unaffiliated.
Sources:
Pew Research Center. (2025, February 25). Religious identity in the United States. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/02/26/religious-landscape-study-religious-identity/
Pew Research Center. (2025, February 25). People in Illinois: Religious landscape study. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/religious-landscape-study/state/illinois/
Association of Religion Data Archives. (2020). Congregational membership report: McHenry County, Illinois (2020). ARDA. https://www.thearda.com/us-religion/census/congregational-membership?y=2020&y2=0&t=0&c=17111