What is your personal definition of religion?

Question

I am not asking for a dictionary definition, nor a definition of your particular religion or non-religion. I am asking for your personal opinion of the term "religion".

Answer 1

Religion, from what I can tell, is a set of stories (mythology), beliefs, and philosophy designed to explain how it is we got here, where we are going, and what we should be doing in the meantime.

This of course implies that religion is designed to encourage some kinds of thinking and conduct and discourage others.

Answer 2

I personally believe that in order to be a religion, there must be some degree of the following:
1) Belief System aka worldview. It's a systematic interpretation of the world/universe and humanity's place therein.
2)Community. The belief system is shared by a group.
3)Central myths. Stories that express the beliefs that are retold and often reenacted.
4)Ritual. Beliefs enacted and made real through ceremony.
5)Ethics. Rules about human behavior, usually viewed as originating from the supernatural, but can be socially generated.
6)Characteristic emotional experiences. Emotions or feelings that a person feels is connected to the belief system and that are common to the group, rather than just the individual.
7) Material expression. physical elements from inanimate objects, animals, and plants to vocal or artistic expressions that are associated with the religion and often elevated.
8)Sacredness A distinction between the sacred or holy and the ordinary or mundane.

No, I didn't generate these by myself. I didn't do that academic a study of religion. Instead, I found these in a sociological study of religion by Michael Molloy. They make more sense to me than any other definition of what religion is than anything else I've read. They keep non-theistic religions in the religion category and philosophies in the philosophy category. This kind of labeling helps when you study culture.

Answer 3

Religion is an institution of humanity and as such has its problems. But we create institutions of all sorts to meet our human needs - The grocery store and school are institutions just like church/religion.

I do best to think of religion as a tool for my spiritual practice. It helps meet my human need to practice with others. When I practice with others, it's unavoidable to need a framework to follow - what time, where will we meet? What activities will we do? What symbols will we share? Religion becomes a collection of activities and locations and symbols that can help us share and develop our beliefs and spirituality.

Sadly, it's also very human to think of our beliefs in terms of "better" than others so religion gets mis-used to convince people who is right and who is wrong. It's also very human to seek others similar to ourselves, and convince others to be more like ourselves. That has made it difficult for me to stick with any religion. It happens in all religions I've explored.

I think I'm in a place where I'm learning how to share practices with people who are at different places than I am even within the belief system that is most familiar to me.

Answer 4

My personal definition of religion has been formed by my years of Bible study. Religion is a prescribed way of worship. That worship can be based upon a variety of things. Mine is based upon the Bible. I believe the Bible to be true and the only valid guide to true worship.The Bible speaks of true worship and false worship.(John 4:23; Revelation 18:4) Any worship that does not follow closely the way God directs in his word the Bible is false religion.

Answer 5

Hm. I dislike the term myself. To me it means some kind of human-created organization or system.

Faith is something quite different. Faith is what someone actually believes, and/or the object of that belief. ALL people have some kind of faith, whether they admit to it or not -- even atheists. Their faith teaches there is no God, but it's still a faith.

(I don't believe in a "religion" per se -- I believe in Jesus Christ the Messiah, the only begotten of God.)

Answer 6

Religion is the backdrop deep within the algorithm of the one's self that creates a philosophy affecting one's way of life and helps one to sortly understand what is unexplainable by adding a ? or _ to 2+2=. Making it 2 + _ = ?

Answer 7

Bible notes two sorts of religion:
- impure religions: awful lawful
- pure religion: grace is sufficient

Pure religion paid a "visit", not ransom;
arrived undefiled, remained unspotted;
in a come & go visitation to the "afflicted".

Pst: afflicted = oppressed of the devil(law);
Which things are an "allegory": Galatians 4.

The GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ with you all. Amen.

Answer 8

Religion- An organization of people being lead by others. A refined and controlled system which creates innovative ways through documentations, literature's and other brainwashing methods to lead people away from their own sense of perspective.

Example: Jim Jones recruited many of his followers under claims of the Christian religion. He later convinced his followers that he was Jesus Christ reincarnated. There have be other false prophets in our time to claim under the Christian religion, to be Jesus Christ reincarnated..................... look it up!

Answer 9

Religion is what connects me to the spiritual,my code of ethics and my ritual life in connection to what I consider to be transcendant. Religion is how I express and nourish my relationship with the Ultimate and to the spiritual aspects of family,society , nature and the interior life.

Answer 10

religion is a set of structured, organized beliefs originally used as a control tool over the masses as the first civilizations were being formed. Now, it's a way to affirm one's faith in "God" or any such likeness, though oftentimes it is mistakenly used in place of true spirituality, which is one's personal relationship with said "god" (or, in the case of atheists, their personal relationship with their conscience).