Religion is a cultural system of beliefs and practices that a group considers to be important. It is based on the idea that there are spiritual, moral, and ethical aspects of life. It may include a belief in one or more gods, an afterlife, a supreme being, and other supernatural entities, as well as ethical and moral codes that govern human behavior. The study of religion helps students gain an understanding of global contexts and encourages civic participation, and the NCSS recommends that it be included in all social studies curricula.
How can we define Religion?
Scholars have proposed different approaches to the definition of religion. A lexical definition, for example, would be a description of the meaning that people attach to the term in common usage, while a substantive definition would determine membership in a class of beliefs and practices by examining the characteristics that distinguish one belief from another.
Some scholars have advocated that there are only a few basic features that characterize religion, such as a belief in a transcendent reality, community of believers, a set of sacred texts, and a system of ritual. Such a view, called the monothetic approach, would require all forms of religion to share these four characteristics in order to be considered a religion.
Other scholars have argued that this kind of monothetic definition is unsatisfactory because it excludes religions whose members do not believe in transcendent realities, for whom there are no sacred texts, and whose beliefs and rituals are entirely naturalistic. These critics have proposed a polythetic definition, which would allow for the inclusion of all kinds of religion in the category.