What Exactly is Religion?

Religion and language are the foundation of Culture It is too complex to be defined in one basic and standard definition. One definition could be different from another.

In our text book, Geographers Robert Stoddard and Carolyn Prorak define religion as “a system of beliefs and practices that attempts to order life in term of culturally perceived ultimate priorities.”

Religion is very important in society because even though everyone believes something different, it still keeps people in order. Anyone who's ever heard of God, knows that it is a "sin" to murder, steal, cheat, etc… It shapes individuals in different ways.

No matter where you go, you'll always hear something about some sort of religion. It could be door to door solicitation for churches, over the radio, the television, the computer, jewelry, t-shirts, billboards, flyers. Religion is everywhere, a lot of people neglect the opportunity to broaden their senses about other religion, but no matter where you go, its embedded in our culture, heavily.

Do we rely on religion to define our culture? Its not a question if we rely on religion to define our culture, it is our culture. No matter what kind of family you come from, you will always have some sort of belief in something. It could be God, Buddha, Allah, The Sun, or anything. What you believe in, molds your mind to think a certain way. It narrows the people you hang out with, it chooses the way you dress, the way you speak, and the way you think. Therefore, we heavily rely on religion to define our culture.

Cultural Landscapes