1/12 What do Judaism, Shinto, and the Druze faith have in common?
They’re traditions you’re born into - not ones you choose. They bind people through blood, belief, and belonging.
Some are ancient, some are secretive, and a few might surprise you.🧵
They’re traditions you’re born into - not ones you choose. They bind people through blood, belief, and belonging.
Some are ancient, some are secretive, and a few might surprise you.🧵
2/12 Judaism:
One of the oldest and most resilient ethno-religions.
To be Jewish is to share a faith and a peoplehood - language, law, culture, and memory.
Conversion is possible, but Jewish identity is primarily passed down through birth and lineage.
One of the oldest and most resilient ethno-religions.
To be Jewish is to share a faith and a peoplehood - language, law, culture, and memory.
Conversion is possible, but Jewish identity is primarily passed down through birth and lineage.
3/12 Druze:
A closed, secretive faith born from Ismaili Islam.
You can’t convert in. You can’t marry out.
The Druze believe in reincarnation strictly within the community.
Found mostly in Lebanon, Syria, and Israel, fiercely loyal and deeply rooted.
A closed, secretive faith born from Ismaili Islam.
You can’t convert in. You can’t marry out.
The Druze believe in reincarnation strictly within the community.
Found mostly in Lebanon, Syria, and Israel, fiercely loyal and deeply rooted.
4/12 Yazidism:
The ancient, misunderstood religion of the Yazidi people.
They worship Melek Taus, the Peacock Angel, and maintain strict rules of endogamy - no conversion is allowed.
Yazidis have endured centuries of persecution, most recently a brutal genocide by ISIS in Iraq that shocked the world.
The ancient, misunderstood religion of the Yazidi people.
They worship Melek Taus, the Peacock Angel, and maintain strict rules of endogamy - no conversion is allowed.
Yazidis have endured centuries of persecution, most recently a brutal genocide by ISIS in Iraq that shocked the world.
5/12 Yarsanism (Ahl-e Haqq):
A mystical Kurdish faith practiced in Iran and Iraq.
Its beliefs center around divine manifestations and esoteric teachings.
Not missionary, not open - it’s an inherited identity, bound to Kurdish ethnicity.
A mystical Kurdish faith practiced in Iran and Iraq.
Its beliefs center around divine manifestations and esoteric teachings.
Not missionary, not open - it’s an inherited identity, bound to Kurdish ethnicity.
6/12 Hinduism:
Rooted in thousands of years of tradition, Hinduism is inseparable from Indian culture and identity.
Its rituals, customs, and social structures like caste are passed down by birth.
Hinduism doesn’t seek converts - it’s a way of life you grow into, not one you join.
Rooted in thousands of years of tradition, Hinduism is inseparable from Indian culture and identity.
Its rituals, customs, and social structures like caste are passed down by birth.
Hinduism doesn’t seek converts - it’s a way of life you grow into, not one you join.
7/12 Bön:
The ancient, indigenous religion of Tibet is older than Buddhism.
Rituals, deities, and ancestor worship make up its core.
Though often blended with Tibetan Buddhism today, Bön remains an ethnic faith of the Tibetan people.
The ancient, indigenous religion of Tibet is older than Buddhism.
Rituals, deities, and ancestor worship make up its core.
Though often blended with Tibetan Buddhism today, Bön remains an ethnic faith of the Tibetan people.
8/12 Shinto:
Japan’s native religion.
Shinto is embedded in daily Japanese life - shrine visits, seasonal festivals, and reverence for kami (spirits).
To be Japanese is, in part, to live Shinto.
Japan’s native religion.
Shinto is embedded in daily Japanese life - shrine visits, seasonal festivals, and reverence for kami (spirits).
To be Japanese is, in part, to live Shinto.
9/12 Hellenism:
The modern revival of ancient Greek religion.
More than myth - it’s a reclaiming of identity, language, and ancestral pride.
Hellenists worship the old gods not as fantasy, but as a living tie to Greek culture and heritage.
The modern revival of ancient Greek religion.
More than myth - it’s a reclaiming of identity, language, and ancestral pride.
Hellenists worship the old gods not as fantasy, but as a living tie to Greek culture and heritage.
10/12 Baltic Paganism:
Dievturība (Latvia) and Romuva (Lithuania) are revived indigenous faiths.
They honor nature gods, ancestors, and ancient rituals nearly erased by Christianization and Soviet rule.
Now, they’re a proud symbol of Baltic identity and resistance.
Dievturība (Latvia) and Romuva (Lithuania) are revived indigenous faiths.
They honor nature gods, ancestors, and ancient rituals nearly erased by Christianization and Soviet rule.
Now, they’re a proud symbol of Baltic identity and resistance.
11/12 Māori Religion:
Spirituality of New Zealand’s Māori people.
Based on deep connection to land, ancestors (whakapapa), and the sacred (tapu).
Māori beliefs are inseparable from Māori culture - not a system you adopt, but a lineage you inherit.
Spirituality of New Zealand’s Māori people.
Based on deep connection to land, ancestors (whakapapa), and the sacred (tapu).
Māori beliefs are inseparable from Māori culture - not a system you adopt, but a lineage you inherit.
12/12 Ethno-religions carry more than beliefs - they carry survival stories.
Many of these communities have faced forced conversions, persecution, exile, and genocide simply for holding onto their identity.
They remind us that in much of the world, faith is a risk, a burden, and a legacy.
How many of these had you heard of before? 👇
Many of these communities have faced forced conversions, persecution, exile, and genocide simply for holding onto their identity.
They remind us that in much of the world, faith is a risk, a burden, and a legacy.
How many of these had you heard of before? 👇
Photo credits: Gili Yaari/Flash90, Shmulie Grossbaum/Chabad.org, Getty Images, the Kurdish center for studies, india facts, Shenten Dargye Ling, sakura. co, elinepa. org, Loreta Broka, Jorge Royan, SAFIN HAMED/AFP/Getty Images.
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