What is religion?

It is hard to define such a dense concept as religion in just a few words. People around the world and across time have tried to come up with a definition of religion that is complete enough to include all the information needed, yet have failed to do so. Nevertheless, there are five features of religion that have been named to help put its main features together. The first one is that religion focuses on our ultimate concerns, such as giving an alternative to death, or comfort when in negative situation. The second one is that religion builds community; an example of this could be the communities built between people that volunteer at the same local church, or the receptions people attend to after a First Communion, for instance. The third feature is that religion appeals to myths and symbols, which would be for instance, the commotion of someone disrespecting a religious symbols. Further, the fourth one relates to the idea that religion is enforced through rites and ceremony, like going to church on Sundays. Finally, the last one is that religious demands certain behaviors from its adherens, which is the reason why so many people go to mass on Ash Wednesday or Christmas.

As understood by the features listed above, given its complexity religion cannot be defined in one or two words, but the main ideas of the concept are the same all throughout. Moreover, this studying of religion is called theology, “which attempts to understand the goodness as well as it can be understood and to arrive at a notion of justice that runs from it.” Yet, theology is not considered an academic discipline by many non-secular schools, so it is not taught in them most of the time. Without knowing it, this schools are keeping their students from developing a complete and more intellectual mindset.