Religion is a set of beliefs, practices, and social structures that are used to generate social cohesion, support morality, and provide orientation in life.
The study of religion offers students the opportunity to learn about different traditions, cultures, and world views, fostering their understanding of global contexts and encouraging civic participation. It also provides students with skills they can use in their everyday lives.
Origins of Religion
According to anthropologists (scientists who study human societies and human origins), religion evolved in response to a biological or cultural need. For instance, when people became self-aware and realized that they would die one day, they began to search for ways to avoid death or to find a better place after death.
Religious theories vary widely, but the basic idea is that religion is a way for people to deal with their ultimate concerns about their lives and their fate after death. These concerns include the belief that gods or other supernatural beings exist, that there is an afterlife, and that people have a spiritual life outside of their physical bodies.
Definitions of Religion
Among the most common approaches to religion is to define it as a social genus, an epistemic concept that refers to sets of social practices. These include the world religions of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism; local or tribal religions such as the Yoruba or Cherokee; and natural religions such as philosophy-like religions that grow out of questions about the universe and the ways it works rather than divine messages.