Humans have assumed for thousands of years that they have a spirit or soul that will survive the body after death. These beliefs gave rise to countless religions that developed in different directions and led eventually to Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, and many minor religions. Hinduism and Buddhism, however, could be better described as a mixture of philosophy and religion. All religions are based on faith, so not surprisingly they evolve in different directions and originate countless branches and subdivisions. It should be noted that these contradict not only each other, but also scientific knowledge. Faith is a primitive form of irrational knowledge in which the truth or falsity of the beliefs cannot be tested. But faith is an essential component of all religions.Drastic religious changes took place during the Reformation in the sixteenth century, and some of these had major political and religious consequences, sparking off many political conflicts and still fuelling wars even today, mainly in the Middle East and in western Asian countries. The freedom given to all established religions and new religious movements has unintentionally created further conflicts, many of which have ended in tragedy. Extreme faith can produce shared psychotic disorders that may have lethal consequences.