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. In order to use these six points as the basis of critique, it is necessary first to give them definitions in the context of defining a religion (Shulman, Definitions of Religion Quiz). Also included are examples to help illustrate the definitions. Furthermore, the definitions present themselves in an order of what this author considers most important useful to a definition of religion. Bias means not using one’s own personal views as the basis of a definition. It is bias, for example, to include the idea of a deity in a definition of religion, because that does not take into consideration the notion of a non-theist religion, such as Buddhism. Not being too narrow is focusing on one aspect or religion. For example, stating religion is about bettering one’s life does not take into account the var... ... middle of paper ... ...ood or bad. In addition, it is important not to place all religions under one category. To avoid something that is too narrow, the definition needs aspects of religion other than intentions. To counter being too broad, perhaps, like the second definition, it needs to include a “holy” or “sacred” aspect. It needs to include various aspects of the practices to be substantive. The definition needs to be functional and so needs to include something the practitioner can take away from the religion. The comprehensive component is by default addressed through considering the previous points. The following is the revised definition of religion. Through sacred inspiration, beliefs, and practices, religion is a systematic manner of interacting with the world that can have either positive or negative consequences, depending on a given interpretation of the sacred inspiration.
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Religions across the globe have conceptualized a belief, generally surrounding the implementations and implications of th...
Religion, “part of the human experience that has to do with a god or gods, a higher power, or the ultimate values of life” (Cason & Tillman 6-7), is one of the most controversial and interesting subjects for humanity. It has been around for as long as anyone can recall and they have difference and similarities in their founders, beliefs, and history. Religion has served to give some sort of a meaning to life and everything around it. In modern society, some religions have grown and expanded significantly. These larger religions have been classified as world religions. In addition, these world religions have been split into two categories known as Eastern and Western religion.
Religion is known to be difficult to define as it transcends so many boundaries in human experience and from an academic perspective; it is difficult to find any distinction between the world religions 1, 2, 3. Ninian Smart approached religion as a religious studies specialist and instead of trying to define religion, he identified certain recognizable elements that religion in general possess and focused on studying them 3, 4, 9. He identified seven such elements or dimensions for the religion; practical and ritual, experimental and emotional, narrative or mythic, doctrinal and philosophical, ethical and legal, social and institutional and material dimension 3. The purpose of this paper is to use three of Smart’s dimensions and describe the three western religions. An example from each of the three religion pertaining to a chosen dimension will be provided and explained in the context of the religion and how it informs one of the core aspects of the chosen religion.
Defining Religion "Religion is only the illusory sun which revolves round man as long as
Repeatedly, commonality of understanding continues to carry the barrier of misinterpretation. Removing the assumptions of application of terminology, misunderstanding of concept, and individual interpretation will help the scholar studying religion. Theology continues to fight for space between all the other methodologies used to answer the questions of why, how, when and where does God and religion fit in with life. Where religion cannot go, theology can. Akin to the outdated use of Morse code, theology is alive through each branch of analytical science, with application to the study of religion. Theology should have its’ own place in the schematics of study, but has more pizzazz when tied in with the study of religion.
Religion is big part of human life. Every area of the world has some kind of religion or belief system. Religion is defined as “a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices” (“Religion” Def.2). With such a large amount of religions today, religion is widely variegated, usually with divisions in each one. Despite the large amount of religions, I will only be covering only three religions: Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism.
In Chapter 1 of Keith Ward’s, The Case for Religion, Ward discusses Wilfred Cantwell Smith’s concept of the term “Religion” and his definition of the term and critically responds to it. In one of Smith’s own books, The Meaning and End of Religion, he discusses both his interpretation of the term “religion” and his opinion that the term should no longer be used. Smith’s skepticism of the term, together with his attempt at defining it, creates a contradiction that Ward critically unpicks and responds to.
Thus defining religion seems to be a matter of belief more than anything else where the opinion of the definer matters more than any objectively factual material. For a person's conception of how religion ought to be examined will determine to a large extent that person's view of the value (or lack of value) of being religious, whether or not that person actually examines religion in depth. The other important factor is what a person actually finds as a result of engaging in a religious search. Some approaches make it easier to find something religiously meaningful in life, while others make it more difficult. For example, some people would identify "examining religion" with discovering certain external facts, such as the "true" date and authorship of some religious texts, or observing people as they engage in religious practices in order to discover the social or psychological factors causing them to act in such a way.
Having the author as the sole authority on providing meaning for a work is problematic. It is impossible for the author to force the reader to gain a certain meaning from their work. However, giving sole authority to the reader is just as problematic. This dilemma has just as much credence when it comes to defining terms. As long as religion is an ambiguous term to define, not one author can claim sole authority to the meaning of the term. In addition, if the term becomes too fluid through reader-response, the term will lose the platform required for it to be examined effectively. As a result, there must be a balance between authorial intent and reader-response, especially when it comes to defining an ambiguous term like religion.
Together I believe these two definitions give a very clear example of what religion truly is. Religion cannot be defined as something with a one fixed meaning. It is unique to almost every individual. At times it can be vastly different from its surrounding culture. So it is easy to see why it has caused so many controversial world issues. Religion has existed as long as humans could think and wonder. A vast majority of people have always believed that there is a higher power or a divine being that controls the events that occur in our lives. Unfortunately, though, religion and its many components has commonly raised more questions for people. Why is it that wars and international tensions are, almost always, strongly influenced by a person's religion? A person's religious belief has the potential to get him killed. Why is it that religion creates so much turmoil? It is this question as well as others that create a hunger within people to seek out and ultimately discover the truths of the world, whatever that may be. Inevitably this search leads to a multitude of ideas and theories, or better known as philosophies.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of religion is as follows: “the belief in a god or in a group of gods, an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods, or an interest, a belief, or an activity that is very important to a person or group” (Merriam-Webster.) My personal definition of religion is that it is a set of beliefs and practices that generally pertain the worship of one or more than one spiritual beings or representations of a spiritual power. Religion can be personal belief or an organization or group of people who have similar beliefs and values. There are many different types of religions in the world and have been since the history of mankind.
The definition of religion is the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods(Merriam-Webster). After this semester I have come to realize that religion is a much more advanced, complicated, and personal definition. Religion can’t be defined in one word or one term because there is a lot that religion entails. There really is no concrete answer of what religion is and the definition varies among different groups of people and individuals.
My definition of religion has mostly stayed the same, but my perception of it has changed. At the beginning of the class, I assumed religion was something you believed based on your moral principles. I now believe that those moral principles are based on the religion that you believe in. Your religion changes your perception of the world and how to go about in it. Your religion tells you what is right and wrong in the world and answers all of the big questions one asks. Religion according to our book is, “A pattern of beliefs and practices that expresses and enacts what a community regards as sacred and/or ultimate about life” (Van Voorst 6). That definition was one thing that really got me thinking about my own personal idea of what religion