Final answer:
Religion is a system of beliefs connecting humanity to spirituality and the sacred, with practices often embedded in a group's culture. Sociologists offer differing definitions, from Durkheim's focus on community and sacredness to Geertz's emphasis on symbols and meaning.
Step-by-step explanation:
Defining Religion
Religion can be understood as a system of beliefs that links humanity to the spiritual and the sacred. It is a structured collection of beliefs and practices revolving around questions of ultimate meaning, often focused on a god or gods, and typically involves various cultural rituals and moral codes.
The practices and beliefs of a religion are deeply embedded in the social fabric, influencing various aspects of life from individual behaviors to societal norms.
Sociologists and anthropologists have offered various perspectives on religion. For instance, Émile Durkheim described it as a communal institution related to sacred things, with a set of practices that fosters a moral community.
Clifford Geertz provided a more abstract definition, seeing religion as a system of symbols creating powerful emotions and establishing a general order of existence.
Broadly speaking, religion also includes public displays of faith, such as festivals, rituals, and ceremonies, ranging from marriage to funerary services. It shapes how adherents interact with the natural world and think about a wide array of subjects such as politics, economics, and the environment.
Examining belief systems like Buddhism or Confucianism through these lenses shows that they can be categorized as religions despite some differing characteristics from Western theistic traditions.
For example, Buddhism does not focus on worship of a god but rather on spiritual development and the attainment of a deep insight into the true nature of life.
The definitions of religion discussed highlight the intrinsic challenge of capturing the full extent of religious experience, which blurs the lines with philosophy, spirituality, and even daily practices, such as ancestry veneration, that may not be classified strictly as 'religious' in some cultures.
This indicates that while there is an overlap between philosophy and religion, each is distinct in its focus on either existential questions or on a structured set of practices and beliefs related to the sacred, respectively.