Religion
A religion can be defined as a system of beliefs, values, principles, philosophy, mythos, and rituals that deal with the ultimate concern of a person or society. Common (but not universal) elements of religion include organized worship (possibly including a place of worship, commonly called a temple, church, or shrine), beliefs regarding the supernatural, and respect for a high figure (who may or may not be divine).
The meaning and scope of the word "religion" (and its other-language equivalents) are the subjects of much disagreeement. A few borderline examples will serve as illustrations. Textbooks on religion often include Confucianism, but its adherents often disagree, pointing to Confucius' reluctance to discuss the supernatural. Freemasonry claims not to be a religion (since members of any religion may join); however others consider its tradition of texts, rituals, ethics, and group solidarity to qualify it as religious. And for all its anti-religious rhetoric, Soviet Communism boasted "sacred" texts, condemned "heretics", revered founders, conducted rituals, and promoted an elaborate eschatological prophecy in the form of the future workers' utopia.
Finally, many traditional societies make no clear distinction between "religious" and "nonreligious" aspects of daily life. How are we to decide, for example, whether a particular people's understanding of their place in the cosmos qualifies as a belief to which they adhere (in this connection we might consider scientific worldviews prevailing in industrialized societies); or whether a custom or practice is best described under the heading of religious rules, or etiquette?
That said, elements which are often associated with "religion" include:
- a distinctive worldview or belief-system
- group identity
- social institutions
- rituals
- rules or behavioral expectations
- a focus on the supernatural
Organizing Religions
Organizing religions is a difficult task, as theologians differ on where the differences lie. For example, while "Christianity" describes a set of common beliefs in God, Jesus, and the afterlife, there are vast differences in the various churches of Christianity.
As an example, the Baptist faith, the Catholic Church, Mormonism, and the Jehovah's Witnesses all base their faith on the Bible, but take different views on such things as organization, the necessity of proselytization, the rituals that have to be observed to be a devout Christian, the will of God, and the nature of evil.
However, there are some common divisions that many scholars agree to:
"Dharmic religions". Includes the several Indic religions which conceive of their teachings in terms of dharma (a word variously meaning "religion" or "duty"): Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism.
"Abrahamic religions". This category includes the three religions which recognize Abraham as a part of their sacred histories: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. (The Baha'i religion also fits this description, but is usually overlooked on account of its small size.)
"Monotheistic religions". Religious which affirm belief on one God include Zoroastrianism and the Abrahamic religions (listed above). Some strains of Hindu or ancient Egyptian religion arguably qualify. The concept becomes somewhat murky in view of the many theologies in which God or his equivalent boasts a heavenly retinue, or changes form.
"Tribal religions." Include a wide variety of small-scale religions found in pre-modern societies. "Shamanism" describes one common religious-specialist role within many such societies (but neither exhausts the categeory, nor is limited to it).
Major religions of the world
Buddhism is ultimately derived from the life and teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (c. [big dating problem here]. It may be divided (according to culture, geography, and the language of sacred texts) into South Asian Buddhism, Tibeto-Mongolian Buddhism, and East Asian Buddhism; or (according to thelogy) into Theravada and Mahayana branches. "Vajrayana" or "Tantric Buddhism" is a special subset of Mahayana Buddhism.
Hinduism encompasses a variety of Indian deity-cults (the most popular being those of Vishnu and Shiva) united through their shared veneration of the Vedas and other sacred texts and t
Other religions
Neopaganism includes a variety of revivals of
"New Age") is a term that was coined to describe the modern trend of new religions which have a strong belief in the supernatural. Some religions strongly reject the label as it has been used derisively by scholars of other faiths, while some religions accept the label proudly. These religions are very diverse.