What is religion?

Now this may be a very dumb question - but I just realized that I actually do not know what makes a belief a religion.

I keep saying I'm not religious, but I do have a very strong belief system within. Does that not make me religious????

Or does religion require some kind of manual - like the Bible etc.? Or does it have to have many followers to be a religion?

What makes a religion a religion???

[theophilus]

This isn't a dumb question at all. There are lot of different ideas about what constitutes religion and I have heard many arguments about it.

I am a Christian and Christianity is generally considered a religion. But many Christians claim that it is a relationship, not a religion, because it involves knowing Christ personally by faith rather than simply knowing facts about him. It is true that a genuine Christian has a new relationship with Christ but I don't think it matters whether or not that relationship is called a religion. "Religion" is simply a label.

There is also disagreement among atheists as to whether atheism can be considered a religion. Some of them think that it is a religion because it consists of a specific belief regarding God, the belief that he doesn't exist. Other think that atheism is a lack of religion.

The important thing you need to consider is not whether your belief system is a religion but whether or not it is true.

The important thing you need to consider is not whether your belief system is a religion but whether or not it is true.

A very good point - and I know what I feel, is the truth for me - that I have no question about.

I suppose it is not really that important for me if it is really a religion or not, but the fact that I tend to state very clearly that I'm not religious, made me think that I proberly am, just in my own way. And that means .... I have to look in to it, to find out more about me.

I very much like your describtion of what you think is religion, thank you for your input, and I agree very much about it being a label.

Originally Posted by The Feather

Now this may be a very dumb question - but I just realized that I actually do not know what makes a belief a religion.

I keep saying I'm not religious, but I do have a very strong belief system within. Does that not make me religious????

Or does religion require some kind of manual - like the Bible etc.? Or does it have to have many followers to be a religion?

What makes a religion a religion???

"Religion", as used in it's modern sense, is an invention by Christians, more or less. Many cultures had no word for religion, it was simply what your grandparents did, your parents did, and you did, with minimal changes, usually. With the rise of Christianity and, to some degree, Islam, it became important to convert people to the Real God (tm), thus the category of religion was born, and separated from it's culture.

What I am trying to say, is that religion, and what constitutes it, is a extremely arbitrary line. Many people think of Buddhism as a religion, but some Buddhists prefer to call it a philosophy, or even in some cases a "science of the mind". In most cases, worldview is a better word, because it encapsulates the cultural attitude and social nuance that shape the "religion" of the society and individual.

Bottom line, there is no such thing as religion, in and of itself, it's merely a word of convenience to label a spiritual or ritualistic part of a person's/culture's worldview. So when people say they're spiritual and not religious they've shown that they are, under the definition of the word, religious, by embracing a metaphysical/ritualistic aspect into their worldview

~end of potential nonsense train.

[Miss Hepburn]

I always think of religion as an "organized thing".

You believe in a certain 'set of beliefs' usually called dogma or doctrine.
Btw, if you sway from a particular doctrine the organized religion or group
can kick you out of their church or religion all together.

Religion to me = rituals, ceremonies, rules - doctrine, dogma, set of beliefs in order to belong.

I am not religious and think religions are a scourge on mankind.

I am interested in spiritual subjects.
(Don't know of any ritualistic bone in my body. Except for tea in the morning.)
My beliefs can change as I evolve and grow and open to Truth like a flower.

So, I say I love Jesus. I think lot of the Bible to be primitive made up
stories by Early Man, bless his collective heart.

I respect Krishna, Buddha, Ram, Zoraster, Guru Nanak, The Gita, Patanjali, - you know, the whole Holy Bunch of them.




Religions actual stifle growth 99% of the time. (Thus, the kicking out aspect..ha!)

[Shabda]

Originally Posted by Miss Hepburn

I always think of religion as an "organized thing".

You believe in a certain 'set of beliefs' usually called dogma or doctrine.
Btw, if you sway from a particular doctrine the organized religion or group
can kick you out of their church or religion all together.

Religion to me = rituals, ceremonies, rules - doctrine, dogma, set of beliefs in order to belong.

I am not religious and think religions are a scourge on mankind.

I am interested in spiritual subjects.
(Don't know of any ritualistic bone in my body. Except for tea in the morning.)
My beliefs can change as I evolve and grow and open to Truth like a flower.

So, I say I love Jesus. I think lot of the Bible to be primitive made up
stories by Early Man, bless his collective heart.

I respect Krishna, Buddha, Ram, Zoraster, Guru Nanak, The Gita, Patanjali, - you know, the whole Holy Bunch of them.




Religions actual stifle growth 99% of the time. (Thus, the kicking out aspect..ha!)

i agree~! 100% and then some...rituals be damned, they are utterly useless, the only daily occurrence that could even remotely be called a "ritual" that could possibly have any use or benefit, would be, in my opinion, taking one's consciousness inside, plunging it into the endless ocean of Love, until all self awareness is completely lost and forgotten, obliterated and out shined by the presence of the Divine within...but what do i know?

[Triner]

I think it's just a structured way of interacting with the spiritual.

It can be simple, such as the animists in Africa, or very structured like Hasidic Judaism, or somewhere in between. Some are very rigid (fundamental Christianity), others more flexible (Universalists).

I tend to agree with Miss_Hepburn that religions are the scourge of mankind. All to often they are more concerned with their dogma, doctrine, beliefs, and survival than they are concerned with the spiritual growth of their members.

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by Shabda

...but what do i know?

Seems like quite a bit.

[Chrysaetos]

Originally Posted by Triner

I think it's just a structured way of interacting with the spiritual.

It can be simple, such as the animists in Africa, or very structured like Hasidic Judaism, or somewhere in between. Some are very rigid (fundamental Christianity), others more flexible (Universalists).

I think this comes close to my line of thinking.

I consider all beliefs that have something to do with the supernatural/spiritual to be ''religious'' or ''spiritual''.
In essence both are the same, but just different words. And religion can be individual or communal, big or small, simple or complex.

But of course there is no universally accepted definition of ''religion''.. but a requirement should be a belief in a supernatural reality.

[Shabda]

Originally Posted by Miss Hepburn

Seems like quite a bit.

you flatter me ma'am~! lol i am the eternal student, but if i may state an opinion of my own, you are doing quite well yourself~!