Conception Of Religion

“Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.” ― Albert Einstein. According to the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, religion could be defined as, “an interest, a belief, or an activity that is very important to a person or group”. In other word a religion could mean a belief in a supernatural controlling power. In todays society there are many well renowned religions such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam. The main thing that all of these above mentioned religions have in common is that they serve as guides on how one should live their life. On the other hand many people started to question religions and their stories. Which in turn led to many individuals becoming atheist. According to the Merriam Webster

Religion is the belief in an ever-living God, that is, in a Divine Mind and Will ruling the Universe and holding moral relations with mankind. (James Martineau)

A number of problems are often encountered when dealing with the study of religion, the foremost problem has to do with defining religion. For instance, definitions that attach and limit religion to simply a belief in God/gods tend to be vague as well as narrow and to some degree not entirely accurate. This is mainly because definitions like the one mentioned above neglect to take into account atheistic religions that do not believe in God/gods. This is illustrated in a definition provided by the oxford English dictionary, ‘Action or conduct indicating belief in, obedience to, and reverence for a god, gods, or similar superhuman power; the performance of religious rites or observances.’

What is the true definition of the word religion? Well, religion is a set of beliefs and practices that recognize the existence of a god or many gods. We need religion in our lives because it gives us a sense of belonging to our common faith and helps us set morals in our lives. The importance of faith in our lives has created a bigger understanding to us and has showed us how we can have a closer link to it.

Before deciding on the definition, I considered religion as being an “organised system of beliefs, ceremonies and rules to worship a god or a higher being”. The only phrase that I agreed with was the fact of religion being an “organised system” mainly because of the fact that there is a set way of practising the religion by, for example, praying and attending mass. In contradiction, the rest of the definition makes it seem as if religion is straight-forward on a community basis, in contrast to a personal one. Use of “a god or a higher being” contradicts the idea of polytheism, associated with religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism (Theism.net, 2014).

Religion is often used as a general term and it is also a term that is misunderstood. Like Pascal Boyer mentioned in his work one should not say that religion is only based on God as a superior being but it is about an array of agents such as "ghouls, ghosts, spirits, ancestors, gods, etc., in direct interaction with people." (Boyer 1). Religion is also something that is not all about morality and salvation, this is only common in a few doctrines and unrecognized in other religious practices. He also discussed the

What does it mean to be religious? According to John Bowker (2006), it can mean so many things to different people (p.6). Therefore, John Bowker argues that being religious does not have a perfect explanation and it does not mean one simple thing. I totally agree with John. I agree because “as a religion develops, disagreements can arise” (Coogan, p 10). Everyone had his or her own true meaning of being religious. In addition, religion is a key element in most human cultures. John and I believe that understanding the differences within a religion, you can cultivate many skills that will serve individuals well during their lifetime. For instance, I learned a lot about Christians and Muslins. I am not a very religious person, but I do believe there is a god. Within those two religions, a lot of debates occur about god. Christians believe that Jesus was the Son of God. Unlike Islam, Muslims do not believe that he was the Son of God. Islam suggests that Jesus was a prophet. Essentially, I trying to make a point that both have different views on religions, but both want to serve a purpose to be happy with in. My next question is what is a religion. I understand that when it comes to defining the term “religion” it tends to be difficult. As stated earlier, there are millions of definition or interpretations of the word. Nevertheless, we have to realize that even though it is hard to understand what make up a religion to different people, we have to understand that it serves a

Religion was defined in various different ways in Chapter One of our textbook. The term religion is derived from the Latin meaning “to tie back,” or “to tie again.” A universal goal shared by religions is to tie a person back to something that lies beneath the surface of life – a greater reality that exceeds our ability to experience it with our five senses. This greater reality has encouraged the pursuit of several attempts to comprehend and connect with it. Many of the attempts are through organized institutions. An organized institution is an entity that is composed of multiple people that share a collective goal and is often linked to the external environment. An example of an institution would be Christianity or Judaism. These institutions

Purpose: The purpose of this section is to learn proper strategies of style and tone. As well as, to use the strategies learned; to make written communications within our company easy and appropriately presented. Style and Tone: Style and tone are important factors of writing that applies to all documents. Before writing the writer should think about the tone and style that is best to convey their message to their audience.

continues to exist after the death of the body. Religion appears to be a simple

Religion is the belief in a superhuman force, such as a god or gods, in a devoted and respectful manner. Religion is the basis of society in the fact that it gives people the opportunity to choose what they would like to believe in, and give individuals a sense of identity. In some cases, religion isn't chosen because people are born into it. Religion has its connections, some more than others, with politics, economic, social norms, behavior, and almost all parts of life. With some religions, just going to church and praying isn't enough. Some "religions" are a way of everyday life because of the traditions and beliefs that are followed. Not all religions have withstood the test of time, wars and corruption have destroyed many. Many

Defining religion is a difficult task, as it can mean many things to different people and raise conflicting biases and views. Many people claim that religion is just simply the belief in God. If that were true then it could be argued that there wouldn’t be multiple religions in the world today. Instead the definition of religion needs to be narrowed down more than simply stating that it is a belief in God. An adequate definition of religion is the general belief, which may include a superhuman or supernatural being that is often times, but not always, associated with some form of worship, usually offers some insight into life after death and has a community of followers.

What is religion? Each person’s definition of religion is different. Each person’s faith is different. This is a question that has been asked for centuries, and regardless of the answer given there is no right or wrong answer. Religion can be defined as a group of people who have shared beliefs who feel their life has purpose or meaning. This feeling or belief that their life has meaning can come from outside of themselves, as well as within. Taking this one step further, these shared beliefs put into action in the form of worship, can be easily identified because they happen regularly. It can be said the Primal religions were in fact not religions. Some may argue Confucianism is not a religion. Others may say Taoism is not a

Throughout the course of this term, we have studied several different philomaths of religion and several different approaches to the study of religion. As we studied these approaches, many aspects of religion have been recurring in several scholars’ definitions of religion and approaches to the study of religion. I have endeavored to encapsulate what I believe to be the most paramount aspects in my definition, which is as follows: Religion is a community that shares notion in some supernatural force and apportions a worldview that disunites the sacred from the profane and reinforces this worldview through symbols, rituals, traditions, texts and objects of religion. Foremost in my definition is the aspect of a supernatural force. While this term is nebulous, it is essential in differentiating religion from many non-religious forms of ‘worship’ such as devout fans of Miley Cyrus. As verbalized in the textbook Exordium to the Study of Religion by Hillary Rodrigues and John S. Harding, “A defining feature of many religions, which dissevers them from other deeply absorbing and paramount activities, is their solicitousness with powers or agents that are regarded as mostly subsisting beyond the grasp of the five senses or instrumental apparatus” (Rodrigues, Harding 3). There are so many different religions with so many different notion systems that a nebulous term is obligatory, because a more concrete term such as “God” would omit many traditions. The next part of my definition

Religion is most basically defined as the belief and worship of a higher power, more specifically a belief in one or many Gods. Although no two religions are exactly the same, all religions are based off of some belief. My own personal belief is based off of Catholicism. While I do not agree with all the teachings of the catholic church, I do believe that Jesus is our lord and savior. He symbolizes hope and forgiveness for me and is a constant in my life.