Defining Religion

[ZNPaaneah]

Originally Posted by Trapped

Do you mean religion from a Christian perspective, as mentioned in the Bible? Or religion from the perspective of mankind in general?

If mankind in general, I would say something like "religion is a set of beliefs and practices that provide principles by which to live and conduct yourself toward others, a way to connect to a spiritual realm, and an explanation as to the purpose or meaning of life."

If from a Christian perspective or as referred to in the Bible, ignore my post and carry on.

P.S. after I wrote my definition, I looked up the definition. Wikipedia says there are about 10,000 distinct religions worldwide - wow! It also claims there is no scholarly consensus over what precisely constitutes a religion. That is really something if you think about it.

I think that your definition is quite close to what I view. I find it very strange that there is no consensus on the definition. One reason could be James word about "pure religion". This implies there are many versions that are not "pure".

Imagine if you wanted a different definition for water depending on the minerals that are dissolved in it. You would have a different version of water for every locale on earth. But when boiled down to its' purest form it can be defined as two hydrogen atoms bound to a single oxygen atom. Even though we know there is no such thing (water always has minute amounts of hydronium, hydroxide, etc.)

Likewise, if we boil religion down to its fundamental components "religion is a set of beliefs and practices that provide principles by which to live and conduct yourself toward others". Not all include a spiritual realm and perhaps not all rise to the level of the purpose of man.