Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definitions: Religion |
ReligionNoun1. A strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny; "he lost his faith but not his morality". 2. Institution to express belief in a divine power; "he was raised in the Baptist religion"; "a member of his own faith contradicted him". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "religion" was first used: 12th century. (references) |
| Domain | Definitions |
Satire | RELIGION, n. A daughter of Hope and Fear, explaining to Ignorance the nature of the Unknowable. "What is your religion my son?" inquired the Archbishop of Rheims. "Pardon, monseigneur," replied Rochebriant; "I am ashamed of it." "Then why do you not become an atheist?" "Impossible! I should be ashamed of atheism." "In that case, monsieur, you should join the Protestants.". Source: Devil's Dictionary. |
Computing | Religion Agnostic. Atheist. Non-observant Jewish. Neo-pagan. Very commonly, three or more of these are combined in the same person. Conventional faith-holding Christianity is rare though not unknown. Even hackers who identify with a religious affiliation tend to be relaxed about it, hostile to organized religion in general and all forms of religious bigotry in particular. Many enjoy `parody' religions such as Discordianism and the Church of the SubGenius. Also, many hackers are influenced to varying degrees by Zen Buddhism or (less commonly) Taoism, and blend them easily with their `native' religions. There is a definite strain of mystical, almost Gnostic sensibility that shows up even among those hackers not actively involved with neo-paganism, Discordianism, or Zen. Hacker folklore that pays homage to `wizards' and speaks of incantations and demons has too much psychological truthfulness about it to be entirely a joke. Source: Jargon File. |
19th Century Satire | A cloak used by some persons in this world who will be warm enough without one in the next. Source: Foolish Dictionary, 1904. |
Diversity | 1. An organized belief system based on certain tenets of faith. 2. A belief in a supreme supernatural force or god(s). (references) |
Dream Interpretation | If you dream of discussing religion and feel religiously inclined, you will find much to mar the calmness of your life, and business will turn a disagreeable front to you. If a young woman imagines that she is over religious, she will disgust her lover with her efforts to act ingenuous innocence and goodness. If she is irreligious and not a transgressor, it foretells that she will have that independent frankness and kind consideration for others, which wins for women profound respect, and love from the opposite sex as well as her own; but if she is a transgressor in the eyes of religion, she will find that there are moral laws, which, if disregarded, will place her outside the pale of honest recognition. She should look well after her conduct. If she weeps over religion, she will be disappointed in the desires of her heart. If she is defiant, but innocent of offence, she will shoulder burdens bravely, and stand firm against deceitful admonitions. If you are self-reproached in the midst of a religious excitement, you will find that you will be almost induced to give up your own personality to please some one whom you hold in reverent esteem. To see religion declining in power, denotes that your life will be more in harmony with creation than formerly. Your prejudices will not be so aggressive. To dream that a minister in a social way tells you that he has given up his work, foretells that you will be the recipient of unexpected tidings of a favorable nature, but if in a professional and warning way, it foretells that you will be overtaken in your deceitful intriguing, or other disappointments will follow. These dreams are sometimes fulfilled literally in actual life. When this is so, they may have no symbolical meaning. Religion is thrown around men to protect them from vice, so when they propose secretly in their minds to ignore its teachings, they are likely to see a minister or some place of church worship in a dream as a warning against their contemplated action. If they live pure and correct lives as indicated by the church, they will see little of the solemnity of the church or preachers. Source: Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted .... |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Practices based upon religious beliefs typically include:
The word religion derives from the Latin word religare, meaning "to join, or link" and classically understood to mean the linking of human and divine. Accordingly, one might begin by defining religion as a system of beliefs based on humanity's attempt to explain the universe and natural phenomena, often involving one or more deities or other supernatural forces. Such a system of beliefs can be distinguished from branches of philosophy such as metaphysics which seek to address many of the same questions. However, the philosophy of religion was once regarded as being part of metaphysics.
Two identifying features of all religions are that to some extent they all (a) require faith and (b) seek to organize and guide the thoughts and actions of their adherents. Because of this, some people contend that all religions are to some degree both unempirical (see empiricism) and dogmatic, and are therefore to be distrusted. A system of thought that is purely rational would be a science rather than a religion, and a system that is not in the least dogmatic would be unable to guide its adherents in any way.
Many Westernerners prefer to use the term spirituality rather than religion to describe their form of belief. This may reflect a large-scale disillusionment with organized religion that is occurring in much of the world (see Religion in Modernity). However, proponents of many forms of spirituality seem to represent a movement towards a more "modern" - more tolerant, less counter-factual, and more intuitive - form of religion. This is evidenced by apparently greater religious pluralism and movements such as the ecumenical movement within and transcending Christian denominations. There are corresponding moderating movements within Islam and other religious traditions.
It is possible, and perhaps advised, to keep in mind that there can be a rigid distinction between the mundane, earthly aspects of religion and the spiritual dimension. People can gain security from such things as regular attendance at Church, deepening knowledge of Scripture, and the social comfort of fervently agreeing with other believers. This sometimes is done without a corresponding spiritual dimension, so that some people could be seen as distant from God, but very 'religious', and conversely those who are deeply involved with the Divine may have come to reject much of the recognised paraphernalia of established religion.
Indeed, some would feel that this is central to the beliefs of the founders of some religions: for example, Jesus was very critical of some aspects of established religion, indeed declaring himself as coming for all peoples, 'Jews and Greeks', so transcending even the notion of religion. The Christian church was not founded by Jesus, nor did Jesus instruct his followers to form a religion. The organization, structures and denominations of Christianity came into being after his death.
People disagree about whether religions have a spiritual or supernatural basis; an example of this is the belief that the modern ceremonies and canons of the Church have almost completely grown away from, or even are contrary to, the original Divine revelation or source. This belief has arisen throughout history. One example is found in pre-Reformation Christianity, when 'Indulgences' (excusal of sin) were for sale, and corruption was endemic in Church appointments. Today, some would hold that extreme religious practices such as some punishments under Sharia law, or the burning of heretics in history, was not at all what God intended us to do.
Religion can therefore draw itself into disrepute through the weaknesses of its practitioners, while spirituality can be independently, but invisibly, strong and flourishing.
In the late 19th century and throughout most of the 20th century, religion, especially Christianity, has suffered a great deal of damage, both to its reputation, its power, and its membership. Some historically Christian Western countries, particularly in Europe, show declining recruitment for priesthoods and monasteries, and studies in the UK show a fast-diminishing attendance at churches, synagogues, etc. The demographic group that is "losing faith" the most rapidly is the most well-educated classes. Explanations for this effect include the rising influence that science wields in modern society, the development of what some call "secular religions" such as Marxism and Anarchism, and the hostility that many feel towards evangelical religions in an age that places greater emphasis on toleration. However, in many parts of the world, religion is far from declining. In the United States and in Latin America, for instance, studies show that religion is as strong as ever, and in the Middle East fundamentalist Islam has been growing rapidly, as attested to by the rise of extremist movements in Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan, and many other Islamic states. For inquiry as to the causes of this dissilusionment, see "Modern causes for hostility to religion."
As noted above, in the developed world mainstream religions have been on the decline. This decline is apparently in parallel with increased prosperity and social well-being. The reasons for the decline are complex and ill-understood, but probably include some of the following features.
Many of these causes for hostility are a reaction to inevitably worldly events and people; religious believers are sad to see that people are turned away from the churches' perspective on spiritual and eternal dimension by concerns which are based on very limited and transitory features.
However, more and more people are engaging in far-ranging explorations and finding profound spiritual satisfaction outside of organized churches. This is a demographic group whose numbers are growing and whose future impact cannot be predicted.
All religions explain the reasons for their existence in their own terms, but modern scholarship has brought new tools to the task of accounting for the phenomenon of religious belief, in naturalistic terms. Especially in the fields of neurology, neuropsychology, and evolutionary psychology, new breakthroughs offer a hope of explaining religion in scientific terms.
Why do religious views dominate so many diverse cultures that have had very little or no contact? Why is some form of religion found in almost every human group? Why do humans often accept counterfactual statements in the name of religion? In neurology, work by scientists such as Ramachandran and his colleagues from the University of California, San Diego [1] suggests that they have found evidence of brain circuitry in the temporal lobe that gives rises to intense religious experiences. In sociology, Rodney Stark has looked at the social forces that have caused religions to grow and the features of religions that have been most successful. For example, Stark, who claims to be an agnostic, hypothesizes that, before Christianity became established as the state religion of Constantinople, Christianity grew rapidly because it provided a practical framework within which non-family members would provide help to other people in the community in a barter system of mutual assistance. [1] In evolutionary psychology, scientists have considered the survival advantages that religion might have given to a community of hunter-gatherers, such as unifying them with in a coherent social group.
Some cognitive psychologists, however, take a completely different approach to explaining religion. Foremost among them is Pascal Boyer, whose book, Religion Explained, lays out the basics of his theory, and attempts to refute several previous and more simple explanations for the phenomenon of religion. Essentially, Mr. Boyer claims that religion is a result of the misfunctioning or overfunctioning of certain subconscious intuitive mental faculties, which normally apply to physics (enabling prediction of the arc a football will take only seconds after its release, for example), and social networks (to keep track of other people's identity, history, loyalty, etc.), and a variety of others.
While the "people of the Book," Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all claim to worship the same god, each religion has different beliefs. Jews believe that their deity is the one and only God. He created the earth in 7 days and will one day send the Messiah to earth to deliver them from their oppression. Christians accept this same God, but believe that the Christ has already appeared in the form of Jesus. Unlike the Jewish belief of Christ, the Christians proclaim that He came to earth to set God's children free from sin, rather than from oppression. Muslims believe in the same God as the Jews and the Christians. Like the Jews, they differ with the Christians as to the deity of Jesus, but accept the Virgin Birth as a miracle of God. The role of Jesus in Islam is as the Messiah and amongst the distinguished prophets, one of whom is Muhammad, believed to be the final and last messenger.
There are a great many other religions, and a great many ways in which they differ. These differences focus on key differences between the most influential monotheistic religions.
Religions are systems of belief which typically answer questions about the following concerns:
In addition, scholars can classify a religion according to the nature of the authority to which the religion refers.
Adherents of particular religions deal with the (more or less) divergent doctrines and practices espoused by other religions in several ways. Examples of each exist within most major religious systems. People with exclusivist beliefs typically explain other religions as either in error, or as corruptions or counterfeits of the true faith. People with inclusivist beliefs recognize some truth in all faith systems, highlighting agreements and minimizing differences, but see their own faith as in some way ultimate. People with pluralist beliefs make no distinction between faith systems, viewing each one as valid within a particular culture. Pluralists and inclusivists may borrow from more than one faith system for their own religious practice. However, it should be noted that in many areas different faith systems are integrated into one; this does not fit the definition of pluralism. For example, in many tribal areas of Indonesia natives practice a mixture of Islam, tribal gods, and worship of Adam and Eve.
Many religions have been deeply influenced by charismatic leaders, such as Jesus Christ, Adi Sankara, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekanada, Sai Baba, Muhammad, Gautama Buddha, etc. These leaders are either the central teacher and founder of the religion (e.g. Muhammad, Jesus, or Gautama) or reformers or prominent persons.
The Founders of some of the major world religions include Abraham and Moses (Judaism), Zoroaster (Zoroastrianism), Siddartha Gautama (Buddhism), Jesus Christ (Christianity), Muhammad for (Islám), Bahá'u'lláh (Bahá'í), and Joseph Smith (Mormonism).
The origin of religion in general and for particular religions is usually controversial, since religions often claim to have been derived directly from information supplied by god(s) to chosen human messenger(s). Followers of the religion (by definition) accept the claims, either literally or in a metaphorical, or partial fashion. Although followers of a religion, although they may hold strong belief, may also be interested in looking at possible human origins for religious events, together with non-religious enquirers.
Religion was practiced long before the invention of writing, as paintings and pottery shows in images. Religion may well have originated in stories created to account for the great questions of life, for comfort, to keep records of a people's history, and for entertainment. It is possible that atheists (those who do not believe in any deities) or agnostics (those who believe we cannot know if there are any deities) always existed as well, but they would have lacked alternative explanations for natural phenomena.
Recent advances in cognitive psychology and neuropsychology suggest that religion might have its origins in the workings of the brain itself. Pascal Boyer's book, Religion Explained, attempts to explain religion through cognitive psychology.
One does well to remember, however, that the physical sciences have self-described limits -- neuropsychology can tell us "where" religion is perceived in the human brain, and cognitive psychology can tell us "how", but there is no test or experiment to discover "why" or if there really is a supernatural "who".
Evidence of very early human prehistory is scanty and it is best not to over interpret archaeological remains: for example bones painted with red ochre may signify a color symbolizing life rather than a belief in an afterlife. And covering the dead person's body with valuable possessions may derive from the belief that using the dead person's possessions will bring bad luck. For a more contemporary example, imagine a future archaeologist digging through the remains of a Star Wars fan's bedroom and consider the possible erroneous interpretations of such a find.
Nevertheless, evidence for early civilizations' religious ideas can be found similarly in elaborate burial practices in which valuable objects were left with the deceased, intended for use in an afterlife or to appease the gods. This custom has clearer motives as it is usually accompanied by tomb paintings showing a belief of afterlife. It reached a spectacular form with the creation of the pyramids of Giza and the other great tombs of ancient Egypt; the Sumerian royal burials, and other prehistoric (pre-written records) monument builders.
Religions created in modern times are often reasonably well documented (for example, Scientology.) Minor religions have been called cults and still are, while many scholars use the term New Religious Movement (NRM). Reasons for the creation of religions are many, including a range from idealism to a desire to obtain wealth and power over others; the two may combine in interesting ways. It's easy to speculate that similar forces were at work in the creation of earlier religions. Once a religious community increases in size and gains widespread recognition, it has to negotiate with the governing social group, the State. At this point material or political ambitions are more likely to be dominant.
Religions provide great numbers and scale of visionary inspirations for compassion, practical charity and moral restraint.
Abram Maslow's research after World War II showed that Holocaust survivors tended to be those who held strong religious beliefs (not necessarily temple attendance etc). Humanistic Psychology went on to investigate how religious or spiritual identity links with longer lifespan and better health. Humans may particularly need religious ideas because they serve various emotional needs such as the need to feel loved, the need to belong to homogenous groups, the need for understandable explanations or the need for justice.
Maslow's results have not proved repeatable in other contexts. The critical factors may involve sense of purpose, extreme beliefs in general, or other factors sometimes correlated with religious belief, and/or may be specific to Holocaust survivors. The very fact that religion was the primary selector for research subjects may have introduced a bias.
Ancient polytheistic religions, such as those of ancient Greece, ancient Rome, the Vikings, etc., are often studied under the heading of mythology. Religions of pre-industrial peoples, or cultures in development to industrial conditions, are similarly observed by the anthropology of religion. Mythology can be a term used pejoratively by religious and non-religious people both (the religious person will in this case define another religion's stories as mythology). Here myths are treated as fantasies, or "mere" stories. But the study of religions, and the investigation of myths by psychology, not to mention how some myths turn out to have historical verification, has brought about a mixed, almost contradictory use of the term: some NRMs (New Religious Movements) such as Neopaganism actively research and use myths from older religions, both those that still exist and those that have disappeared. Joseph Campbell, in The Power of Myth, held that myth was a universal human trait, and necessary to well-being. There is no essential difference between the myths of extinct religions and those of extant religions.
A few religious critics view the elevation of philosophy of science and "mathematical fetishism" as creating a mythology, and call that an error, scientism. These are usually inseparable from debates about ethics in science.
The dominance of monotheism among influential Western scholars of religion, and theologians, proposed a division into monotheistic and polytheistic faiths. The classification fails with a religion that places minute emphasis on gods but more importance on mankind's growing ability to understand the ineffable (like Theravada Buddhism). Christianity claims to be monotheistic, although some writers find this idea problematic since Christian doctrine has developed a notion of God as one essence in three persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), explained in the doctrine of the Trinity. The monotheism of Islam and Judaism is much more clear cut, although very early sources for both Allah and Yahweh show signs of henotheistic or polytheistic origins or forerunners, which do not at all deny their sole Deity status once the religion became established. Neopaganism (including Wicca and Asatru), a group of religions generally considered to be polytheistic, is also difficult to classify neatly. While adherents worship a diverse pantheon of gods and goddesses, a great many of them believe those personalities to be facets of a single Divine entity. The Japanese national religion, Shinto, is often said to be polytheistic, though it would be more accurate to characterise it as a pantheistic religion which tolerates worship of any and all individuated deities.
Some religions have secondary deities, which is straightforward in Hinduism, but less so for those Christians who venerate Mary as Theotokos (Mother of God). Mary has often attracted such a massive devotion by the faithful that the Church has been careful to clearly define her status: Christians in the Catholic and Orthodox traditions are instructed that she is to be venerated but not worshipped, and that Jesus Christ is eternally begotten of the Father, and the Creator of his strictly human mother. (see also: Third Ecumenical Council, Seventh Ecumenical Council.) Many mystics have asserted the female aspect of Deity but apart from Hinduism this has not been regarded as mainstream by major world religions for several centuries. Goddess is routinely recognised in Hindu Mahadevi, Mahayana Buddhism, Western Paganism and Goddess Spirituality.
Christianity, Mahayana Buddhism, and most Hinduisms also recognize the existence of lesser spiritual beings: angels and demons. These may play a more or less elaborate role, but they are not worshipped as gods. In Christian Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, Mary and the saints have especially important roles as intercessors and personal guardians. They are venerated and asked for prayers because their exemplary lives suggest that they are in the presence of God in Heaven. Mahayana Buddhism's lesser deities embody psychological forces, whether as guides, examples or antagonists with whom to learn power and skill. The division between Deity, deity, minor deity, angel, demon, nature spirit, ancestor or hero, is not clear cut, but developed pragmatically.
Deities both great and lesser are part of practices like transcendental psychology (which looks at the psychology of the spiritual) and therapies like Jungianism. Jung found an underworld of mythological drama in the backstage areas of the mind: in particular, he proposed that our ideas and feelings are shaped by spiritual archetypes, recurring models such as God, the Old Man, or the Mother which have become a part of our collective unconscious through ages of evolution. Gaia philosophy is based on one such image, that of the Earth Mother, called Gaia in Ancient Greece.
The New Age Movement, a late 20th century culture of eclectic beliefs in millennial change, healing traditions, alternative realities, also draws on these mythological images. However, many of these images and rituals are drawn from traditional religions, e.g. Hindu, Sufi, Buddhism or Gnostic.
But it is important to distinguish a spiritual psychology that explores a map of the self, which goes so deep and far that it recognises divine shapes, from a religion or spirituality that explores a relationship between human self and an Other, the divine.
The distinction asks whether there is dialogue between two or more with genuine voice and influence coming from the other (Martin Buber's I and Thou), or whether there is a journey in which the self encounters profound symbolic experiences. As the opening definition tells us, religion is about linking.
An important view is that one experiences the divine Other only through the specific Other, one's neighbor or enemy (which most religions hold are the same). In some religions, e.g. Islam, this is of primary importance.
The Parliament of World Religions conducts a search for what they call a Global Ethic which would capture the essence of what religions agree on - a consensus. This is one of many ecumenical movements that seek to reconcile religions using consensus decision making and other principles shared by humanism. This is not always easy. Modern Islamic philosophy for instance includes both militant radical Islamist and New-Age-like trends to renew the focus on khalifa, "stewardship", and global social justice.
See also: List of religious topics - Goddess - God - interfaith organizations - names given to the divine - Religions of the world - Philosophy of religion - Sociology of Religion - Theology - Feminist theology - Thealogy - History of religions - Definition of religion - Charismatics - Religious pluralism - Tolerance - freedom of religion - Afterlife, Angel, Demon, Demonolatry - History of religions - Mystery religion - Religious Festivals - Worship - Veneration - Folk religion - Civil religion - State church - Comparative religion - Pascals Wager - theism - atheism - agnosticism - pantheism- panentheism - henotheism - maltheism - secularism - Christian anarchism
See also this listing of various religions: religions of the world
What do religions have in common?
Comparing religion to spirituality
Religion in Modernity
Modern causes for hostility to religion
Many religions have (or have had in the past) an extreme approach which produces, or produced, practices which are not acceptable to some people: e.g. extreme restrictions on female dress, and severe restriction on diets and activities on certain days of the week. Some people feel these measures are a distortion of the faith in a God who advocates universal love. Others see the measures as a clear indication that religion is fundamentally misguided.
Some individuals place themselves in positions of power and privilege through promoting their own religious views, e.g. the Bhagwan interlude last century, the Moonie movement, and other cults. This self-promotion has reduced public confidence in anything with a 'religion' label. Similarly, cases of abuse by the clergy of several religions reduces public confidence in the essential message.
People who are agnostic see early childhood education in religion and spirituality as a form of brainwashing, and some concur with the Marxian view that religion is the opium of the people, with addiction to it fostered when people are too young to choose.
Religions postulate a reality which verges on the metaphysical,and even some believers have difficulty accepting religious assertions about the supernatural realm and about the afterlife. As a result, people reject the concept of religion in its entirety, and turn their backs on the more ordinary and acceptable belief in a God or divine intelligence.
People can form a negative view, based upon the visible manifestations of religion, e.g. ceremonies which appear pointless and repetitive, arcane clothing, and exclusiveness in membership requirements.
Some assume that religion is the antithesis of prosperity, fun, enjoyment and pleasure. This causes them to reject it entirely, or to see it as only to be turned to in times of trouble. However, many people from many faiths would confirm that their faith has brought them self-fulfillment, peace and joy. Believers therefore feel that faith has the potential to enrich and to expand everyone's life. On the other hand, many non-religious people reject the idea that love, compassion, forgiveness, grace and other qualities belong only to religion, and argue that religion is not necessary to embrace and experience these qualities.Accounting for religion
How do religions differ?
Questions that religions address
Generally, the different religions and the non-religious all have different answers for the above concerns. Hence, scholars can classify a religion according to the characteristic answer the religion gives for the above concerns.Comparison of sources of authority
Generally while individual religions may differ in sources of authority, they share many common traits, such as ritual, concern with the afterlife, regulation of social behavior, and belief in the supernatural.Dealing with alien religions
Role of charismatic figures
Origin of religion
Religion developed before writing
Genetic propensities toward religion
Physical evidence for origins of religion
Evidence from burial practices
Documentation of modern religions' beginnings
Modern benefits from religion
Religion vs. Mythology
Monotheism vs. Polytheism
Emergent religion
The Other
External Links
See Also
simple:Religion
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Religion."
Synonyms: ReligionSynonyms: faith (n), religious belief (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Impiety | Adverb: under the mask of religion, under the cloak of religion, under the pretense of religion, under the form of religion, under the guise of religion. |
Piety | Noun: piety, religion, theism, faith; religiousness, holiness; Adjective: saintship; religionism; sanctimony; (assumed piety); reverence; (respect); humility, veneration, devotion; prostration; (worship); grace, unction, edification; sanctity, sanctitude; consecration. |
Theology | Noun: theology (natural and revealed); theogony, theosophy; divinity; hagiology, hagiography; Caucasian mystery; monotheism; religion; religious persuasion, religious sect, religious denomination; creed; (belief); article of faith, declaration of faith, profession of faith, confession of faith. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Right, Owen? I mean, psychiatry: it's the latest religion. We decide what's right and wrong. (Twelve Monkeys; writing credit: David Webb Peoples) I must go back and tell him what I think of him. The world must be safe so that men of all nations and creeds, regardless of color or religion, will be free to sneeze on their superiors! (The Good Doctor; writing credit: Anton Chekhov; Neil Simon) Now these books have a special importance for you not connected with a general study of religion, obviously. (The Seven-Per-Cent Solution; writing credit: Arthur Conan Doyle; Nicholas Meyer) This so-called new religion is nothing but a pack of weird rituals and chants, designed to take away the money of fools. (The Simpsons; writing credit: Artur Brauner; Paul Hengge) Religion goes out of favor in 2037 when science discovers the gene that regulates fear. (Happy Accidents; writing credit: Brad Anderson) | |
Lyrics | And no religion too ("Imagine"; performing artist: John Lennon) Losing my religion ("Losing My Religion"; performing artist: R.E.M.) | |
Clever | You will never win an argument concerning religion. (references; author: unknown) A religion that is small enough for us to understand would not be large enough for our needs. (references; author: unknown) | |
Movie/TV Titles | About Religion (1956) The Week In Religion (1952) Religion and Gun Practice (1913) UFOs Conspiracy Sex or Religion (1998) Herrn Hitlers Religion (1995) | |
Song Titles | Losing My Religion (performing artist: R.E.M.) My Religion (performing artist: Soma) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books |
| ||
Periodicals | |||
Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
| ||
High Tech |
| ||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | The new religion.Credit: Library of Congress. |  | The sunny South--a negro revival meeting--a seeker "getting religion" / W.L. Sheppard del.Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Propaganda flier depicting two images of religion in Thailand; one of soldiers destroying religious facility and taking monks away under Communism; and the other of people worshiping in a temple under freedom.Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Le Triomphe de la religion.Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Religion.Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Religion, mural at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Religion in Nashville, Tennessee. A religious gathering in the street.Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Honey Brook, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Amish farmer driving cultivator. Their religion bans powered cultivators on the soil or rubber-wheeled tractors, but all horse-drawn, steel-wheeled machinery is widely used.Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Christmas puppet show; the fight against religion is the fight for socialism] / Radakov.Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Business & religion.Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Play | Caption |
 | Hallelujah; choir; church; chapel; religion; religious; praise; joy; lord; god; worship. |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Author | Quotation |
Author Unknown | A good test of a man's religion is its vitality. |
Coleridge | A Gothic church is a petrified religion. |
Douglas William Jerrold | Religion is in the heart, not in the knees. |
John Wesley | The Bible knows nothing of solitary religion. |
Joseph Conrad | God is for men and religion for women. |
Robert Burton | One religion is as true as another. |
Thomas Browne | The religion of one seems madness unto another. |
Thomas Fuller | A good Life is the only Religion. |
Victor Hugo | Toleration is the best religion. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Author | Date | Quotation |
John Locke | 1690 | But if either these illegal acts have extended to the majority of the people; or if the mischief and oppression has lighted only on some few, but in such cases, as the precedent, and consequences seem to threaten all; and they are persuaded in their consciences, that their laws, and with them their estates, liberties, and lives are in danger, and perhaps their religion too; how they will be hindered from resisting illegal force, used against them, I cannot tell. (Second Treatise of Government) |
US Bill of Rights | 1795 | Amendment I. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. (reference) |
Communist Manifesto | 1848 | Law, morality, religion, are to him so many bourgeois prejudices, behind which lurk in ambush just as many bourgeois interests. (reference) |
Treaty of Versailles | 1919 | Poland accepts and agrees to embody in a Treaty with the Principal Allied and Associated Powers such provisions as may be deemed necessary by the said Powers to protect the interests of inhabitants of Poland who differ from the majority of the population in race, language, or religion. (reference) |
United Nations | 1948 | Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. (reference) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Title | Author | Quote |
A Grief Observed | C.S. Lewis | Talk to me about the truth of religion and I'll listen gladly. |
Sylvie and Bruno | Carroll, Lewis | Right and Wrong had somehow been transformed into Gain and Loss, and Religion had become a sort of commercial transaction. |
Life, the Universe and Everything | Douglas Adams | He wasn't certain whether he had just got space-sickness or religion. |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | His guard standing behind with grounded arms, looked up to him with a sort of religion. |
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man | Joyce, James | I will defend my church and my religion when it is insulted and spit on by renegade catholics. |
Gulliver's Travels | Swift, Jonathan | Whether party in religion or politics were observed to be of any weight in the scale of justice. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | STDs affect women of every socioeconomic and educational level, age, race, ethnicity, and religion. (references) | |
Research on dementia care should address how value differences based on ethnicity, immigration status, race, and religion influence caregivers. (references) | ||
Business | Tight controls on religion and on other fundamental freedoms continued and in some cases intensified. (references) | |
Non-Muslims are free to practice their religion but may not proselytize publicly or distribute religious literature. (references) | ||
Scientology has come under increasing scrutiny by both federal and state officials who contend that it is not a religion but an economic enterprise. (references) | ||
Children | Bahrain | The social status of children is shaped by tradition and religion to a greater extent than by civil law. (references) |
Ghana | As a charge of the priest, the girl works in the shrine and undergoes instruction in the traditional indigenous religion. (references) | |
Ghana | A virgin girl, sometimes under the age of 10, but often in her teens, is given by her family to work and be trained in traditional religion at a fetish shrine for a period lasting between several weeks and 3 years as a means of atonement for an allegedly heinous crime committed by a member of the girl's family. (references) | |
Civil Liberties | South Africa | The ruling party favors no particular religion. (references) |
Solomon Islands | In general the Government does not subsidize religion. (references) | |
Fiji | The role of religion continues to be a political issue. (references) | |
Discrimination | Armenia | The religion law discriminates against some religious groups. (references) |
Saudi Arabia | There is legal and systemic discrimination based on sex and religion. (references) | |
United Kingdom | The Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion by public authorities. (references) | |
Economic History | Spain | Spain has no official religion. (references) |
Peru | Religion (1993): Roman Catholic (89%). (references) | |
Equatorial Guinea | Religion was repressed, and education ceased. (references) | |
Human Rights | Korea | The cult approaches the level of a state religion. (references) |
Pakistan | Civil marriages do not exist; marriages are performed and registered according to one's religion. (references) | |
Iran | Kadivar advocated political reform and greater intellectual freedom and criticized the misuse of religion to maintain power. (references) | |
Indigenous People | Indonesia | The laws provisions include: acknowledgement of the Government's shortcomings in governing Papua; acknowledgement of the special cultural identity of Papuans and recognition of indigenous rights; establishment of a Human Rights Commission to clarify the history of Papua; redirection a large percentage of local revenues from the central government to the province; and a stipulation that the provincial government has authority in all fields, except foreign policy, defense, monetary and fiscal policy, religion, and justice. (references) |
Minorities | Turkmenistan | Ethnicity and religion are acquired at birth. (references) |
Somalia | Christians, as well as other non-Muslims who proclaim their religion sometimes faced societal harassment. (references) | |
Political Economy | Bhutan | Citizens face significant limitations on freedom of religion. (references) |
Chad | At times the Government limited freedom of religion and movement. (references) | |
Equatorial Guinea | It continued to limit freedom of religion and freedom of movement. (references) | |
Political Rights | Algeria | No party may use religion, Amazigh heritage, or Arab heritage as a basis of organizing for political purposes. (references) |
Comoros | The declaration called for the creation of a new Comorian entity, in which the islands would share a common policy on religion, nationality, currency, foreign relations, and defense. (references) | |
Uzbekistan | By law the Government prohibits formation of parties based on religion or ethnicity; those that oppose the sovereignty, integrity and security of the country and the constitutional rights and freedoms of citizens; or those that promote war, or social, national, or religious hostility. (references) | |
Trade | Uae | Publications, photographs, oil painting, cards, books, magazines and sculptures that do not adhere to religion, morals or aim at causing corruption and disorder are also banned. (references) |
Travel | Nepal | A majority of the population follows the Hindu religion. (references) |
Egypt | About 90% of Egyptians are Muslim and Islam is the state religion. (references) | |
Worker Rights | Lithuania | Problems of trafficking are discussed during ethics and religion classes in the schools. (references) |
Indonesia | Union membership must be open to all regardless of political affiliation, religion, ethnicity, or gender. (references) | |
China | Freedom of Religion The Government maintains tight controls on religious practices and places of worship. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | ASS, n. A public singer with a good voice but no ear. In Virginia City, Nevada, he is called the Washoe Canary, in Dakota, the Senator, and everywhere the Donkey. The animal is widely and variously celebrated in the literature, art and religion of every age and country; no other so engages and fires the human imagination as this noble vertebrate. Indeed, it is doubted by some (Ramasilus, lib. |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Dennis Miller | Look, all religion has done is to jump-start a grudge war over it's individual beliefs and at least in casinos everyone can get along, have a few drinks, play a little Black Jack and forget their problems. |
Rush Limbaugh | What Jay didn't understand was just how different the nation was at our founding, and how individual states feared a Church of England-type national religion. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
George Washington | 1789-1797 | With slight shades of difference, you have the same religion, manners, habits, and political principles. |
John Adams | 1797-1801 | Here and throughout our country may simple manners, pure morals, and true religion flourish forever! |
Thomas Jefferson | 1801-1809 | In matters of religion I have considered that its free exercise is placed by the Constitution independent of the powers of the General Government. |
James Madison | 1809-1817 | Because experience witnesseth that ecclesiastical establishments, instead of maintaining the purity and efficacy of Religion, have had a contrary operation. |
Benjamin Harrison | 1889-1893 | The influences of religion have been multiplied and strengthened. |
Harry S. Truman | 1945-1953 | We are aided by all who desire freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom to live their own lives for useful ends. |
Bill Clinton | 1993-2001 | Discrimination or violence because of race or religion, ancestry or gender, disability or sexual orientation, is wrong, and it ought to be illegal. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Religion" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 99.73% of the time. "Religion" is used about 3,749 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 99.73% | 3,739 | 2,598 |
| Noun (proper) | 0.13% | 5 | 157,705 |
| Noun (common) | 0.13% | 5 | 157,705 |
| Total | 100.00% | 3,749 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "religion": ad under the mask of religion ♦ christian religion ♦ forbidden by religion ♦ freedom of religion ♦ get religion ♦ her name in religion ♦ jewish religion ♦ natural religion ♦ of the same religion ♦ pagan religion ♦ pentecostal religion ♦ Religion and Medicine ♦ Religion and Psychology ♦ religion of CHI ♦ religion of humanity ♦ revealed religion ♦ study of religion ♦ To experience religion ♦ true religion ♦ under the cloak of religion ♦ under the form of religion ♦ under the guise of religion ♦ under the pretense of religion ♦ wars of religion. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "religion": religion-based, religion-in-negative, religion-tolerating, Religion-watch. | |
Ending with "religion": pseudo-religion. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day | Expression | Frequency per Day |
religion | 9,864 | freedom of religion | 88 |
bad religion | 1,281 | history religion | 87 |
world religion | 1,079 | african religion | 86 |
jewish religion | 1,053 | china religion | 83 |
islam religion | 456 | comparative religion | 73 |
bad lyrics religion | 304 | bad religion tab | 72 |
belief religion | 246 | wicca religion | 71 |
catholic religion | 232 | aztec religion | 70 |
religion and spirituality | 231 | religion in school | 68 |
muslim religion | 201 | religion catolica | 68 |
hindu religion | 188 | chinese religion | 67 |
pagan religion | 140 | lutheran religion | 65 |
mormon religion | 120 | baptist religion | 64 |
christian religion | 115 | egyptian religion | 64 |
islamic religion | 108 | different religion | 61 |
wiccan religion | 100 |