Sacred Beliefs
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Definition of religion

Religion has been defined in a wide variety of ways. Most definitions attempt to find a balance somewhere
between overly sharp definition and meaningless generalities. Some sources have tried to use formalistic,
doctrinal definitions while others have emphasized experiential, emotive, intuitive, valuational and ethical
factors.

Sociologists and anthropologists tend to see religion as an abstract set of ideas, values, or experiences
developed as part of a cultural matrix. For example, in Lindbeck's Nature of Doctrine, religion does not refer to
belief in "God" or a transcendent Absolute. Instead, Lindbeck defines religion as, "a kind of cultural and/or
linguistic framework or medium that shapes the entirety of life and thought… it is similar to an idiom that
makes possible the description of realities, the formulation of beliefs, and the experiencing of inner attitudes,
feelings, and sentiments.” According to this definition, religion refers to one's primary worldview and how this
dictates one's thoughts and actions.

Other religious scholars have put forward a definition of religion that avoids the reductionism of the various
sociological and psychological disciplines that reduce religion to its component factors. Religion may be defined
as the presence of a belief in the sacred or the holy. For example Rudolf Otto's "The Idea of the Holy,"
formulated in 1917, defines the essence of religious awareness as awe, a unique blend of fear and fascination
before the divine. Friedrich Schleiermacher in the late 18th century defined religion as a "feeling of absolute
dependence."

The Encyclopedia of Religion defines religion this way:

In summary, it may be said that almost every known culture involves the religious in the above sense of a
depth dimension in cultural experiences at all levels — a push, whether ill-defined or conscious, toward some
sort of ultimacy and transcendence that will provide norms and power for the rest of life. When more or less
distinct patterns of behaviour are built around this depth dimension in a culture, this structure constitutes
religion in its historically recognizable form. Religion is the organization of life around the depth dimensions of
experience — varied in form, completeness, and clarity in accordance with the environing culture."

Other encyclopedic definitions include: "A general term used... to designate all concepts concerning the belief
in god(s) and goddess(es) as well as other spiritual beings or transcendental ultimate concerns" and "human
beings' relation to that which they regard as holy, sacred, spiritual, or divine."
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Religious symbols, Left to right:
Row 1. Christian, Jewish, Hindu
Row 2. Islamic, Buddhist, Shinto
Row 3. Sikh, Baha'i, Jain

A religion is a set of beliefs and practices generally held by a community,
involving adherence to codified beliefs and rituals and study of ancestral or
cultural traditions, writings, history, and mythology, as well as personal faith
and mystic experience. The term "religion" refers to both the personal
practices related to communal faith and to group rituals and communication
stemming from shared conviction.

All patriarchal religions present a common quality, the "hallmark of
patriarchal religious thought": the division of the world in two comprehensive
domains, one sacred, the other profane. [1] Religion is often described as a
communal system for the coherence of belief focusing on a system of thought,
unseen being, person, or object, that is considered to be supernatural, sacred,
divine, or of the highest truth. Moral codes, practices, values, institutions,
tradition, rituals, and scriptures are often traditionally associated with the core
belief, and these may have some overlap with concepts in secular philosophy.
Religion is also often described as a "way of life".

The development of religion has taken many forms in various cultures.
"Organized religion" generally refers to an organization of people supporting
the exercise of some religion with a prescribed set of beliefs, often taking the
form of a legal entity (see religion-supporting organization). Other religions
believe in personal revelation and responsibility. "Religion" is sometimes used
interchangeably with "faith" or "belief system,"[2] but is more socially defined
than that of personal convictions.
Religion, from wikipedia