The Middle Eastern Tradition
Borrowing from Judaism, Christianity and Islam share the following metaphysics.
Belief in God. God is the all-powerful creator of the universe, and God is also man-like: the masculine model of which human beings are images, prone to jealousy, anger, mercy, and love.
Belief in eternal souls: after death, the good go to heaven/paradise, sinners go to hell/purgatory.
Christianity
Christians believe that Jesus Christ was God on earth, and that he taught the following. (1) The Golden Rule: Love your neighbor as you love yourself. (2) Original Sin: Human beings are so fundamentally depraved that acting on the Golden Rule is not enough to get you into heaven; you must also accept Christ into your heart as your messiah/ savior/redeemer.
Major sects & extent: the Orthodox Church prevails in Slavic Europe; the Catholic Church prevails in Romance Europe along with the former colonies of Spain and Portugal (ie Latin America); Protestant churches -- including Lutheran, Anglican, Congregationalist -- prevail in Germanic Europe and the former colonies of Great Britain (ie the US, Australia).
Gorgeous Art
Islam
"Islam" is Arabic for "submission (to God)"; followers of Islam are Moslems/Muslims.
Koran; Sunna
The Five Pillars of Islam. (1) Creed: There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet. (2) Prayer: Muslims worship five times a day -- at sunrise, noon, afternoon, evening, and night. (3) Charity. (4) Fasting on certain days. (5) The hajj: all Muslims must try to make a pilgrimmage to Mecca sometime in their lives.
Major sects: the Sunni and the Shiites. Extent: the Middle East (Arabia, Iraq, Iran); North Africa (Egypt, Libya, Algeria); and Southeast Asia (including Indonesia, the world's fourth largest country after China, India, the US).