How would you define religion?

"Religions are mechanisms to explain the unexplainable by looking outside of our natural world for answers. They help humans cope with doubt, and therefore bring comfort and relief. Religions provide relief and comfort through their symbol systems. These symbols direct people to act and think in certain ways that make the world seem like a less difficult place to understand." - My definition

This definition, I feel best represents how I have been influenced to see religion. I think however, that this is a very general definition, but I’m afraid that by being more specific, the risk is posed that I will say something that is true to some religions but not others. I think it is important that a definition of religion is all encompassing to every religious group and if it is not, it should be discarded. I have been influenced by Thomas Tweed’s theory, where he makes a clear distinction between the term religion and it’s plural counterpart, religions. He argues: “interpreters never approach religion-in-general” and rather “only encounter particular practices and particular people in particular contexts”. Therefore, I feel that following in his footsteps will further add to the inclusiveness of the above definition.

The first sentence of my definition has a strong connection to the concept of myths. All religions seem to have some sort of belief in supernatural or higher beings that are used to explain fundamental questions of life, such as how the earth came to be and what happens to us when we die. While the field of philosophy focuses on the natural world and reason to find answers, religion takes a different perspective and looks outside of nature. The only way to do this, without science, is through the creation of myths. These myths are passed down through centuries of storytelling and they come to be accepted by religious people as truths to explain the answers to the questions that seem impossible to answer. People have a very difficult time handling doubts about their lives, so they readily accept these myths as explanations for their doubts. People want to rid their lives of doubt as immediately as possible, and therefore, religion is a very convenient means for them to do so.

The reason it is so important for people to eliminate doubt, is because it causes so much frustration, confusion and vulnerability. For instance, when someone dies, people seek comfort. Not knowing what happened to a loved one after they die can leave a grieving person without closure. Religion provides comfort and relief to people in the sense that it these provides answers and gives people closure.  Myths and rituals make confusing or challenging events in life easier for people to handle. Science does not tell us that our loved ones live eternally in an afterlife, but religions typically explain this. This is a major characteristic of religions that make them desirable to people. I’ve drawn this from Bronislaw Malinowski’s theory, where he claims that religion gives people feelings of control and confidence in situations where they otherwise feel powerless. He believes religion serves as a way for people to control their fate and gives society a certain sense of stability and community, in particular through religious rituals.

Lastly, I draw upon Clifford Geertz’s definition of religion: “Religion is (1) a system of symbols which acts to (2) establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by (3) formulating conceptions of a general order of existence…" I agree with his idea that religious systems act as models, which depict a vision of the world and tell us how we ought to act and behave in accordance with that vision. This worldview is communicated through religious symbols such as myths, artifacts and rituals. Religions commonly create conceptions of “good and evil” or “us and them” and these create moral guidelines for how people should act in order to control their fate.

My definition of religion will exclude certain belief systems such as environmentalism. I don’t think environmentalism should come under the title of religion because through environmentalism, we do not have to aspire to outside of our natural world, instead, it believes the meaning of life is found within nature itself. More over, environmentalism does not seek to answer the fundamental questions about our existence like we find in religions. A baseball would not constitute as a religion either under my definition, for such an object does not play an influential role in our lives. If we were told that the baseball originated from another world and all answers about life were retained within the core of the baseball, only then might it be a worthwhile consideration. 

A limitation to my definition is that nowhere do I mention that religions include the presence of a deity or deities. To some, this may be a fundamental component of religions, but I’m personally not sure to what extent deities exist in all religions. For now, I will just say that the existence of supernatural deities can fall under the first part of my definition, “…looking outside the natural world for answers.”