Monday, September 5, 2011

What is Religion?

Religion is a term which evokes many ideas and images, meaning different things to different people.  Based on our class discussion up to this point how would you define the term "religion"? Finish this sentence, "Religion is...."  Write your answer as a comment to this post.

18 comments:

Unknown said...

Religion, as a general term, is the process someone follows in order to pursue a certain spiritual belief. However, I believe that with religion can come very personal and unique experiences that differ from person to person. Though, religion as a whole is a practice that encourages a spiritual lifestyle. To some it is just that, a practice; while others see it as a very personal relationship that connects us to a higher being. I think there are positives and negatives to the term "Religion" seeing that it holds so many different connotations.

Brittany Means said...

Religion is a set of beliefs, traditions, and practices concerned with the nature of the universe and humanity's purpose within it and usually governs the way people choose to live. It sometimes involves the belief in some divine God but there are exceptions to this. It exists to answer the question of "Why am I here?"

Bob Jensen said...

Religion is a set of beliefs that a person holds about a god, gods, or divine power(s). These beliefs generally attempt to remedy pain and suffering in the world, or at the least explain why pain and suffering exists. Sometimes this is based upon personal works to achieve salvation or higher revelation.

Erik Nieder said...

Religion is the institute that shapes and defines man's relationship to God.

Leslie Herrera said...

Religion are the specific and seperate institutions that can be used as guidelines to find groups of people who agree with your beleifs and rituals. I do think religion can be a path to spirituality, but I don't think religion and spirituality are equals.

Mallory Watson said...

Religion is a set of beliefs, practices and relationships with others as well as a divine being that influences our daily life (i.e. how we interact with others, how we handle certain circumstances, and how we view the world as a whole, etc.)

Stephanie said...

Religion, in my opinion, is a way for an individual to communicate with God (or Gods). Each religion has a set of specific beliefs about how to worship and ultimately acheive salvation.

Staci said...

Religion is a set of traditions and beliefs a person chooses to put into practice. These beliefs usually are focused on a God, gods, or a universal spirit. People find their belief to be the answers for their happiness, pain, and suffering along with a guideline to follow for their life.

Sarah Connell said...

Religion is a broad term that talks about the collective traditions and beliefs held by certain communities and groups of people that define their stance and understanding of the spiritual aspects involved in their lives. It is not a term specifically tied to one group, but covers a multitide of peoples and ideas.

Madison Fox said...

Religion is a belief or set of shared beliefs that bind people together over time and distance. This belief is the central focus that shapes the way people live their lives and seeks to answer worldly and personal questions as well as offering guidence. Religion is a very general and broad term and is not limited to just Christianity as I sometimes feel people think it is.

Kelsey Kayser said...

Religion is a set of beliefs and practices that a group of individuals have agreed upon. It is having faith in a higher power that can give you guidance in everyday struggles. The principles and practices of each religious community shape the individual members social activites and moral actions. Religion seems to answer the question of existence; how did we get here and what is our purpose?

Michelle High said...

Rather than just the specific beliefs that a certain person holds, religion is also the organized and set practices of those different faiths. Religion will look different for everybody and will involve some sort of of common practices for people who ascribe to the same beliefs. For example, Christianity would be a belief but the gathering of a church service would be the practice of religion. Religion, therefore, is the marriage of a person's belief system with the practice of those beliefs in ritualized ways.

Adrienne said...

Religion is a term based on a set of beliefs how one feels about god or a higher divine power. It is based on how someone views the expectations of others as well as the things that surround their life. Religion can differ from person to person based on personal experiences and different practices from their family. Some people seek religion to develop a personal relationship with god to help them in time of need or even sometimes just to say thank you for allowing us to see another day. Based on different family traditions and beliefs religion can have different meanings to different people.

Kevin Smith said...

Religion is a set of beliefs, lived out by traditions usually in order to worship a supreme being or many supreme beings.

Tyler Burke said...

Religion is the belief in a higher power and that if you follow the teachings, rituals and practices you will be rewarded in this life or the next.

Pam said...

Religion is a term that describes a set of beliefs and practices someone follows in response to their "higher being." Religion is often a reflection of one's culture and how they determine standards of living as well as moral values.

Daniel Leake said...

Religion is a word denoting ones beliefs regarding metaphysics or metaphysical questions.
I think the definition should be expanded from just one's belief about the supernatural or a higher being, because atheism is equally a religion as Hinduism.

erinelizabeth said...

Religion is a person's spiritual belief system that can involve one God, several, many or none at all. A specific religion is based around a community with the same beliefs. It is a way a person explains their form of living as well as their beliefs in the world. Depending on the religion, people have ideas of how their life should be lived out and what they believe will happen to them after they have left this Earth.