Religion is a cultural system of beliefs, practices and ethics. It typically includes a belief in one or more gods, sacred texts, certain rituals and symbols, and a code of moral conduct. Religious people also tend to believe that their lives have meaning and purpose. Religion varies widely from culture to culture, but many scholars have argued that there are universal features that all religions share.
Scholars who study religion use a variety of methods and approaches. Some take a monothetic approach, which defines what it means to be a religion in terms of specific defining properties, such as the existence of certain gods or the worship of particular deities. Others take a polythetic approach, which defines what it is to be a religion by the co-occurrence of multiple characteristics.
The most common religions in the world today are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. The majority of the world’s 6.5 billion people practice some form of religion. Some scientists, particularly psychologists and neuroscientists, think that religion is a response to certain human needs or desires, such as a fear of death, a need for belonging, a desire for an ultimate meaning in life, and/or a belief in something supernatural.
Most religions deal with some aspect of salvation, or gaining eternal life in heaven, as with Christianity and Hinduism, or some other version of liberation from suffering and rebirth in nirvana, as with Buddhism. Many religions also include some type of organization and structure, including a clergy or priesthood, sacred places and symbols, and certain days and times that are considered holy.
Whether or not there is such a thing as a true definition of religion, most scholars agree that religion exists in every culture. The debate centers on why this is so and how religion differs from society to society.
A substantive definition of religion was popularized by Emile Durkheim, who defined it as a system of beliefs and practices that generates social solidarity. This definition is controversial because it excludes religions that do not revolve around a belief in a supernatural being or power. Another functional definition of religion was proposed by Paul Tillich, who defined it as a person’s dominant concern that organizes his or her values and gives him or her an orientation in life.
A variety of academic disciplines study religion, such as anthropology, history, sociology and phenomenology. These academic fields examine a religious tradition cross-sectionally to find its basic patterns and structures. For example, historians look at the way a religious tradition developed over time; psychologists analyze religious experience and feelings; sociologists study the institutions of religion; and literary scholars seek to understand the meaning of myths and other symbolic expressions of a religious tradition. These different approaches are necessary to understanding the complex, interwoven nature of religions and their effects on humanity.
