- "Religion is a range of social-cultural systems, including designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relate humanity to supernatural, transcendental, and spiritual elements."
The belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.
Theoretical approaches to the study of religion: Covers different methods and approaches used by scholars to study religion, such as structuralism, functionalism, and phenomenology.
Religious belief and practice: Explores religious beliefs, rituals, and practices, including myths, symbols, and sacred texts.
Comparative religion: Compares different religions and their beliefs, practices, and interpretations.
Sociology of religion: Studies the social aspects of religion, including how religion affects societies, culture, and social organizations.
Religious symbolism: Delves into the symbolic meaning of religious gestures, objects, and words.
Religious experience: Looks at the ways in which people experience and interpret religious events, such as visions, trances, and mystical experiences.
Conversion to religion: Explores the processes and factors that lead people to convert to a religion.
Religion and identity: Examines how religion shapes individual and collective identities, and how identities are influenced by religious beliefs and practices.
Religion and gender: Looks at the ways in which gender affects religious practices and representations.
Religion and politics: Explores the intersection of religion and politics, including the role of religion in political movements, conflicts, and institutions.
Religion and globalization: Examines the ways in which religion is affected by globalization and how global cultural flows interact with local religious practices.
Religion and ecology: Explores the relationships between religion, nature, and the environment, and the ways in which religious beliefs and practices shape environmental attitudes and behavior.
Ritual and performance: Looks at the ways in which rituals are performed and how they create and sustain social and symbolic meanings.
Myth and legend: Examines religious myths and legends, including their creation, transmission, and interpretation.
Anthropology of Christianity/Islam/Buddhism/etc.: Focuses on the anthropology of specific religions, exploring their beliefs, practices, and cultural variations.
Christianity: This is a monotheistic religion that is based on the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Followers of Christianity believe in the Holy Trinity, which is comprised of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Islam: Islam is also a monotheistic religion that is based on the teachings of the prophet Muhammad, who is considered the last messenger of God. Followers of Islam believe in one God and adhere to the Five Pillars of Islam, which includes faith, prayer, fasting, charity, and pilgrimage.
Hinduism: Hinduism is a polytheistic religion that originated in India. It is based on the beliefs in karma, reincarnation, and the concept of dharma, or one's moral duty. Hinduism is characterized by the worship of many gods and goddesses.
Buddhism: Buddhism is a non-theistic religion that is based on the teachings of the Buddha, who lived in India over 2,500 years ago. It is focused on the attainment of enlightenment and the elimination of suffering through the Eightfold Path.
Judaism: Judaism is a monotheistic religion that is based on the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud. It is centered on the belief in one God and the covenant between God and the Jewish people.
Sikhism: Sikhism is a monotheistic religion that originated in India. It is based on the teachings of Guru Nanak and his nine successors. Sikhism is characterized by the belief in one God and the concept of equality among all people.
Taoism: Taoism is a philosophical and religious tradition that originated in China. It is based on the concept of the Tao, which is the natural order of the universe. Taoism is characterized by the belief in simplicity, harmony, and balance.
Confucianism: Confucianism is a philosophical and ethical system that originated in China. It is based on the teachings of Confucius and promotes the concept of social harmony, respect for authority, and education.
Shinto: Shinto is an indigenous religion of Japan that is based on the worship of kami, which are spirits or deities. It is characterized by the belief in the harmony between nature and humans.
Animism: Animism is a belief system that is characterized by the belief in the existence of spiritual beings, such as animals, plants, and inanimate objects. It is commonly found in indigenous cultures around the world.
- "Although there is no scholarly consensus over what precisely constitutes a religion."
- "Religious practices may include rituals, sermons, commemoration or veneration (of deities or saints), sacrifices, festivals, feasts, trances, initiations, matrimonial and funerary services, meditation, prayer, music, art, dance, or public service."
- "Religions have sacred histories and narratives, which may be preserved in sacred texts, symbols, and holy places, that primarily aim to give life meaning."
- "Religions may contain symbolic tales that may attempt to explain the origin of life, the universe, and other phenomena; some followers believe these to be true stories."
- "Four religions—Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism—account for over 77% of the world's population."
- "92% of the world either follows one of those four religions or identifies as nonreligious."
- "The religiously unaffiliated demographic includes those who do not identify with any particular religion, atheists, and agnostics, although many in the demographic still have various religious beliefs."
- "A portion of the world's population, mostly located in Africa and Asia, are members of new religious movements."
- "The study of religion comprises a wide variety of academic disciplines, including theology, philosophy of religion, comparative religion, and social scientific studies."
- "Most definitively including the Abrahamic religions Christianity, Islam, and Judaism."
- "Nearly all of them have regionally based, relatively small followings."
- "Traditionally, both faith and reason have been considered sources of religious beliefs."
- "Scholars have indicated that global religiosity may be increasing due to religious countries having generally higher birth rates."
- "Both faith and reason have been considered sources of religious beliefs."
- "Religious practices may include rituals, commemorations or veneration (of deities or saints), sacrifices, festivals, feasts, trances, initiations, matrimonial and funerary services..."
- "Although there is an estimated 10,000 distinct religions worldwide, nearly all of them have regionally based, relatively small followings."
- "Religion is a range of social-cultural systems that generally relate humanity to supernatural, transcendental, and spiritual elements."
- "Different religions may or may not contain various elements ranging from the divine, sacredness, faith, and a supernatural being or beings."
- "Religions have sacred histories and narratives, which may be preserved in sacred texts, symbols, and holy places."