Religion
| Religion link | |
|---|---|
| Type | Ideology |
| A belief system that dictates the cultural attitudes, behaviours and norms of a group | |
A Religion is an ideology that is difficult to define. The absence of a consensus over its definition means that people from different groups may define what a religion is differently. This article aims to provide a concise definition which is broad enough in scope to describe the religious phenomenon clearly and coherently.
Religion can be loosely defined as any belief system which dictates cultural attitudes and behaviours for a particular group of people. Despite popular belief, religions aren't necessarily designed to be literally true but are created to influence the thoughts and behaviours of a particular group which affiliates with a given religion. Also contrary to popular belief, the inclusion of supernatural deities, including a monotheistic creator deity (God), is not necessary for the functioning of a religion.
All religions have a mythology (aka theology) and rituals associated with them. People who ascribe to a religion typically engage with its mythology and rituals in some capacity.
Mythology (aka theology)
Mythology is a fundamental component of religion. A mythology comprises stories or narratives which explore supernatural/unexplained phenomena or notable historical or cultural events. Mythologies may be entirely fictional or entirely non-fictional. Alternatively, mythology can also be a mixture of fictional and non-fictional elements. As a fundamental compenent of a religion, the mythology has several functions. These functions of myths, as defined by Joseph Campbell in The Masks of God: Creative Mythology, are listed below.
Metaphysical Function
Mythology encodes into symbols and language that which is difficult or impossible to define using symbols or language.
Cosmological Function
Mythology can serve as a protoscience for explaining unexplained or inexplicable phenomena.
Sociological Function
Pedagogical Function
Mythology can also serve as a guide through various stages of life.
Rituals
Besides a mythology, the other significant component of a religion is its rituals. The word ritual is very broad in scope and includes non religious phenomenon as well (shaking hands or saying "hello" are two examples of non-religious rituals). Campbell argues that engaging in a religious ritual requires a deliberate or involuntary suspension of disbelief, like watching a movie.
Innate response mechanism
In The Masks of God: Creative Mythology, Campbell argues that certain symbols and imagery inherently provoke a religious response among adherents. Campbell argues that this kind of an inherent, innate response has a biological basis and is a driving factor behind religious rituals.[1]
"Extremism"
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“Some years ago, a leaked MI5 behavioural of pathways to terrorism concluded that there was no single profile or pathway to violent radicalisation. It also found, contrary to conventional assumptions, that religious conservatism tended to act as a bulwark against extremism.”
Nafeez Ahmed (13 February 2015) [2]