What Is Religion?

Religion is a set of beliefs, practices and rituals that are central to the lives of many people. It can have a profound influence on individuals and society, and can help them deal with life’s challenges. It can also provide a moral framework, teaching people to love and care for their neighbour, protect the environment, promote social justice and equality, and fight oppression and discrimination. It is a powerful force, but it can also be harmful.

The word ‘religion’ comes from the Latin for ‘rule of the gods’, and is used today to describe all human systems of beliefs. They may be large-scale and coherently organized and hierarchical, such as Roman Catholicism, with its strong centre in the Vatican and clear hierarchy of Pope, cardinals, bishops, priests, and laity running in parallel with a spiritual hierarchy of apostles, saints, and martyrs; or they may have no overall structure at all. Many religions are also localized, based on particular regions or specific groups of people. For example, the Shinto religion is unique to Japan, and hockey is a religion in Canada.

People use their religions to make sense of the world, to give meaning to their lives and the lives of others, and to guide them in their daily choices. Religions can provide answers to fundamental questions, such as why people exist and what their purpose is in life. Religions can be a source of comfort, enabling people to feel close to those they love and giving them a reason to live in the face of death and the uncertainty of the future.

Some researchers, including Emile Durkheim, have argued that religion acts as the glue that holds societies together. However, the evidence for this claim is mixed. There are some examples of religious communes outliving secular ones, but in general religions have not been found to be more cohesive than non-religious societies.

The most common practices associated with religions include sermons, commemoration or veneration (of deities, saints, or the dead), initiations, weddings and funerals, sacrifices, feasts, trances, meditation and prayer, music and dance, and public service. Most importantly, though, religions offer guidelines for living a good and ethical life. Six-in-ten evangelical Protestants, Mormons, and Jehovah’s Witnesses say they rely on their religious beliefs and teachings when making decisions about right and wrong behaviour. This is less true of Catholics, mainline Protestants, and Orthodox Christians. Nevertheless, for most people, their religion provides a moral framework that they turn to for guidance. This is known as a ‘moral compass’. The religiously guided are often more likely to be ethical in their everyday choices, and this is a strong predictor of how they vote in elections. They are more likely to volunteer for community activities and to support the welfare state, and they are also more likely to have healthy relationships with their family members. This is because they are more likely to share their views and values with those in their immediate community.