What is Religion?
The word Religion describes a wide range of belief systems. Some religions, like Buddhism and Jainism, focus on finding truth inside the body – in terms of enlightenment, peace, emptiness (see sunyata), or Buddha-nature – and are known as ‘inversive systems’. Others, such as Christianity and Islam, rely on the discovery of external truths outside the body, such as God, the universe, and the afterlife. In addition, many people do things religiously in the sense of striving for moral excellence. They may do these things scrupulously, humbly, generously, prayerfully, or ecstatically. They may also do them sacrificially, puritanically, ritualistically, or superstitiously.
Despite the vast differences in beliefs, practices, and symbols from one society to another, scholars have found that there are some characteristics common to all religions. These include a belief in a supernatural force or forces, an afterlife, and a code of ethics that guides behavior.
Several theories of religion have been developed to explain these properties. Some of them are functional in nature, such as Durkheim’s theory that religion is simply a social mechanism for creating solidarity, and Paul Tillich’s model of a “primal core” in the personality which organizes values. Others take a more abstract view of the concept of religion, such as Catherine Albanese’s model of four Cs: the cosmos, the conscious, the conscience, and the community.