Religion is the most powerful and influential system of ideas, symbols, values, and behaviors in the world. It is the belief in supernatural forces and a transcendent goal of human life (either to please a god or to survive after death). It is a way of living, whether scrupulously, generously, ecstatically, prayerfully, sacrificially, or in any other way. It involves rituals as aids to emotions and expressions of the valuation. It also involves doctrinal elements that allow for the comprehensive inclusion of the valuation. It is a social phenomenon that exists in every culture.
Some scholars have used functional definitions of religion, for example Durkheim’s definition, which is based on the function of creating solidarity in society. Others have applied a more abstract and theoretical concept of religion, such as that of Paul Tillich, who defines it as whatever dominant concern organizes the values of a person’s life.
The vast majority of people on earth subscribe to one or more religions. These include Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. There are also several smaller groups of belief systems, such as Jediism (a modern day faith based on the teachings of George Lucas), the Bahá’
A few scholars have pulled the camera back to examine what it is that makes something a “religion.” They have recognized that assumptions baked into the notion of religion, like its universality or its existence independent of social power, distort our grasp of actual historical realities. These scholars, including Charles Taylor and Victor Hauerwas, have called for a reflexive turn to the study of religions to recognize that these religions are not unproblematically “there”.
