Definition
An organized set of narratives, rites, practices, norms, institutions and relationships to a reality that is considered ultimate, sacred or transcendent.
The category "religion" is a Western history and does not fully cover all traditions. Some insist on orthodoxy, others on rites, kinship, territory, law or way of life.
To be retained
- Avoid too narrow a definition
- Distinguish description and membership
- Watching practices and institutions
- Respecting internal diversity
Origin of the term and context
Latin religio etymology is discussed: Cicero linked it to relegee, "collect, read carefully", while Lactance drew it closer to religare, "connect". No single formula sums up the history of the term.
Why does it matter?
Researchers describe religions without ruling the truth of their supernatural claims. They study texts, institutions, experiences, practices and historical transformations with distinct methods of confessional theology.
- Avoid too narrow a definition
- Distinguish description and membership
- Watching practices and institutions
- Respecting internal diversity
How can it be explored or practised?
- Compare the internal definition and historical study of a tradition
- Identify currents and disagreements
- Observer who has authority
- Use preferred terms by communities where possible
Misconceptions and points of caution
- A religion is never monolithic.
- Ancient does not mean either true or false automatically.
- Criticism of a doctrine does not justify discrimination of persons.
Perspectives from different traditions
- Sociology: social institutions, groups and functions.
- Anthropology: rituals, symbols, kinship and lived worlds.
- Theology: reflection from within a tradition.
To go further
- The elementary forms of religious life — Émile Durkheim
- Crop interpretation — Clifford Geertz