Final answer:
The three major universalizing religions are Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism. The two major ethnic religions are Hinduism and Judaism. Universalizing religions have a global distribution due to their missionary efforts, while ethnic religions are more concentrated among specific ethnic groups or cultures.
Step-by-step explanation:
Major Universalizing Religions
Christianity: With over 2 billion followers worldwide, Christianity is the largest universalizing religion. It originated in the Middle East and has spread to every continent.
Islam: Islam is the second-largest universalizing religion, with over 1.8 billion followers. It originated in Saudi Arabia and is now practiced in various countries around the world.
Buddhism: Buddhism is a major universalizing religion with over 535 million followers. It originated in India and has spread throughout Asia and beyond.
Major Ethnic Religions
Hinduism: Hinduism is the largest ethnic religion, with over 1 billion adherents. It is mainly found in India and Nepal, but there are Hindu communities in other parts of the world as well.
Judaism: Judaism is an ethnic religion with approximately 14 million followers. It originated in the Middle East and is practiced by Jewish communities around the world.
Observations about their global distributions:
Universalizing religions: Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism have achieved a global presence due to their active missionary efforts and openness to accepting new members. They are widely practiced in diverse regions around the world.
Ethnic religions: Hinduism and Judaism have primarily remained tied to specific ethnic groups or cultures. As a result, their geographic distributions are more concentrated, with Hinduism centered in India and Judaism centered in Israel and the Jewish diaspora.