Monday, September 27, 2010

What Is Religion?


Religion is highly an infamous word to describe as it has different meanings to it. Religion can be described in many ways. It can be said to be the belief in something sacred or a moral code believed to have a supernatural basis .Religion can be broken up to three main factors which includes psychological, sociological and historical factors, which helps to understand and identify the concepts of religion in a broader perspective. Definitions of religion tend to suffer from one of two problems: they are either too narrow and exclude many belief systems which most agree are religious, or they are too vague and ambiguous, suggesting that just about any and everything is a religion.  An example of a narrow definition is seen when religion is described as a belief in God and a vague example would be is to consider religion as a worldview.
Religion has always been with us from the early ages till present day. It has taken the central place in the lives of many people across the globe. It is powerful and it shows no sign of disappearing. It incites commitment, expression, action, and intense debate. Furthermore, the essence of religion is really deep and overwhelming, which the practioners consider to be the divine or the absolute. Scholars usually set out to study the historical roots of the background of the people. According to scholars religions are complex enterprises that mix moral, metaphysical and historical affirmations. Most scholars start from the assumption that the beliefs and behaviours they examine are products of human thought, intention and emotion. Religious activity needs instead to be approached through humanistic categories. It is best understood when scholars apply to it the same rules of analysis, evidence and logic used in philosophy, history and literature
I belief that the exact definition of religion various from one person to another due to the fact that every person is unique in their own way, which basically means is that they have different beliefs and values, which helps in forming the true terminology of religion.