Defining Religion

There are probably as many definitions of religion as there are religions themselves. Behind the definitions lie differing intentions and originate from various sources. Everyone from scholars, to religious leaders, to scientists has weighed in his or her opinion. Even an entire field of academic study arose to help define religion. This academic study of religion has proven useful in facilitating a better definition of religion, as it has identified six key aspects to create a decent definition of religion (Shulman, Definitions of Religion Quiz). The six points are not being bias, not being too narrow, not being too broad, being substantive, being functional, and being comprehensive. Three definitions of religion—one acceptable, one lacking, and this author’s own—go through a compare-and-contrast analysis using these six points as the basis of critique in order to illustrate what makes a definition of religion either acceptable or lacking.

The task of defining what a religion is, is certainly not an easy task. For countless millennia mankind has worshipped a pantheon of deities whether that is the Sun as seen within ancient Aztec culture or whether that is the God of the Hebrews. Therefore a definition of what is Religion must be accessible and far encompassing as it seems it must address a myriad of beliefs which differ in scope. The three definitions I have chosen in order to analyse focus primarily on the nature of the Belief within a religion. For example Marx saw Religion as a means of enslavement in order to maintain the status quo through the impartiality of an ideology which maintained absolute equilibrium leading to stagnation and thus a lack of change. Thus the belief in a religion is simply the reaction of the oppressed to offer them a shade of comfort in a “heartless world.” Tylor focused upon the notion of belief as defining religion, in that Religion itself is formulated by primitive man explaining what he did not understand by giving all things Anima`s to explain what they could not understand. He claims belief in spiritual beings to be Animism and that mankind has carried the resultant ignorance. Feuerbach`s definition is certainly thought-provoking as his definition of God being a construct of Man, rather than traditional vice versa. Feuerbach as with Tylor and Marx, focus on the nature of belief within religion, I have chosen this as I would prefer to focus upon the belief of religion, rather than the practice due in part to Freud’s insistence the practice of religion is a neurosis which has spread through the generations, and also as I would prefer to be able to make comparisons between the three definitions with the nature of belief being a funda...

The sociological meaning of religion is defined in three key elements: a form of culture, provides a sense of purpose, and it involves beliefs that take the form of ritualized practice.

Defining Religion The most fundamental question when examining a religion is "what is religion?" That is a distinctly hard question to answer considering that what is ordinarily considered to be religion is not all it is, and what many consider not to be religion may be near religious (i.e. sports). The truth is that there are no genuine answers to the question of "what is religion". Definitions of religion tend to suffer from one of two problems: they are either too narrow and exclude many of the belief systems which most people will agree are religious, or they are too vague and ambiguous, leading one to conclude that just about any and everything is actually a religion.

Viewing the textbook there are many approaches to the word “religion”. The basic meaning of religion is “The belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.” According to Stephen Prothero he states “That those who preach the oneness of religion are being disrespectful of the profound, and in his view irreconcilable, differences between religious traditions. This is somewhat correct. We do look at traditions and religious acts the same way. We feel as if you act upon a tradition of faith then it could appear as a religious act. The descriptive approach that the textbook mentions is that our faith would be more understood and token seriously if we as humans knew the differences between the two. We also

The analytic definitions concentrates on the relationship between religion and the cultural context; while the essential definition of religion states that “ a religion is a system of beliefs and behaviors that deals with the relationship between humans and sacred supernatural ”; where the sacred is intended as something worthy of reverence and respect and where the supernatural is intended as something that goes above the natural human world.

J. Köstlin, a German Protestant Theologian and a church historian, once said, “Religion means the conscious relation between man and God, and the expression of that relation in human conduct.” This was his definition of religion, and one of the more easily understandable definitions that exists. Our textbook shows us just how hard it can be to put a label one religion.

It is very hard to find the typical definition of religions because different people define religion in different way. It depends upon people perceptions and spiritual beliefs. No one is familiar with the origin of religions, it is uncertain although there are lots of scholars trying to show how religion evolved in the world. Religion is related to both beliefs and practices and supernatural way of living a life. The religion of an individual solely depends upon their parents religions uncles they convert themselves to any other religion of their choice. Thus it can be both achieved and ascribed but mostly it is ascribed. Religions are very scared and although there are different name of religions, all religions have a similar components.

Comparing and contrasting definitions of religion The four thinkers that we have learned about in class are Karl Marx, Rudolf Otto, Sigmund Freud, and Paul Tillich. Each thinker has different views. I agree with some thinkers while I disagree with others, however, each thinker has given me a new outlook on religion and each thinker has given me their definition of religion and what religion means to mankind.

Everyday, without realizing it, I go about my life in a similar way. I know right from wrong, and I know my values. A person’s values affect their decisions in every way, whether it is something as simple as what to wear or something as serious as committing a crime. I value religion. I am baptized as a Catholic and I try to live my life by the Ten Commandments to the best of my ability. I also prioritize my family. They are an enormous part of my life. In addition, I live life on a daily basis having respect for myself. Every time I make a decision, my values always affect my choosing.