Defining Religion There are countless definitions of religion but they are not all equal This is an interactive presentation You will periodically be asked to click on something to check your understanding and advance the slides Click to get started

Religion is…  the service or worship of God or the supernatural - Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary  a specific system of faith and worship – Oxford English Dictionary  a set of symbolic forms and acts which relate man to the ultimate condition of his existence – Robert Bellah Next Next 

Religion is…  Beliefs, attitudes, emotions, behavior, etc., constituting man’s relationship with the powers and principles of the universe – Reader’s Digest Great Encyclopedic Dictionary  Belief in and/or worship of God or gods – World Book Dictionary Next Next  PreviousPrevious

Religion is…  Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe; a personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship – YourDictionary.com Next Next  PreviousPrevious

Religion is…  [the seeking] of divine truth, exploring who we are, why we’re here, and how we should live - Joel Beversluis, ed., Sourcebook of the world’s Religions  belief that there is an unseen order, and that our supreme good lies in harmoniously adjusting ourselves thereto – William James Next Next  PreviousPrevious

Who wants to know?  The common folk (you and me)  Philosophers  Sociologists  Theologians  Anthropologists  Psychologists  Historians  Critics Everyone’s got an agenda and a limited perspective that will influence how they perceive religion Next Next  PreviousPrevious

Criteria for Defining Religion 1. Avoid a biased definition 2. Avoid a definition that is too limited 3. Avoid a definition that is too broad 4. Have a definition that is fairly comprehensive of the multiple dimensions of religion 5. Consider both the substance and function of religion Next Next  PreviousPrevious

Definitions can be… Click on the statement about religion that seems to be biased: Religion is…  an infantile dependency, a neurosis an infantile dependency, a neurosis  what the individual does with his own solitariness what the individual does with his own solitariness  a specific system of belief in God, doctrines, etc. God’s relation to humanity and the universe. a specific system of belief in God, doctrines, etc. God’s relation to humanity and the universe.  the relation of human beings to God or the gods or to whatever they consider sacred or, in some cases, merely supernatural. the relation of human beings to God or the gods or to whatever they consider sacred or, in some cases, merely supernatural. Biased, revealing a positive or negative value judgment or perspective toward religion. Next Next  Hint: if you can tell how the author feels about religion, then the statement is likely biased  PreviousPrevious

Explanation “an infantile dependency, a neurosis” (Sigmund Freud) “the opium of the people” (Karl Marx) Both of these statements are criticisms and judgments based on a negative perspective of the value of religion. Next Next  PreviousPrevious

Definitions can be… A definition of religion ought not relate to only a select one or few kinds of religion. The definition should be general enough to apply to all kinds of religion. Too narrow or limited (exclusive): Next Next  PreviousPrevious

Click on the statement about religion that seems too limited: Religion is…  a specific system of belief in God, doctrines, etc. God’s relation to humanity and the universe a specific system of belief in God, doctrines, etc. God’s relation to humanity and the universe  a set of beliefs and practices designed to improve the nature of oneself a set of beliefs and practices designed to improve the nature of oneself  set of beliefs that spark the formation of communities of faith which act out those beliefs in order to heal themselves and our broken world set of beliefs that spark the formation of communities of faith which act out those beliefs in order to heal themselves and our broken world  an exploration of self-discovery an exploration of self-discovery Next Next  PreviousPrevious

Explanation  a specific system of belief in God, doctrines, etc. God’s relation to humanity and the universe Not all religions believe in God. This definition would work for religions like Christianity, Judaism, Islam but Hinduism believes in many gods and goddesses and Buddhism does not focus on any god. So this definition would not apply so well to all religions. “an exploration of self-discovery” may be overly brief but the problem here is not one of being limited to only one kind of religion. In fact, this definition is too broad (as well a having other problems) Next Next  PreviousPrevious

Definitions can be…  This is the opposite problem of being too limited. We do not want our definition of religion to apply to things not generally considered to be religions.  Definitions that are too general (generic) may not be very useful  A good definition is sufficiently specific being neither too limited nor too broad. Too broad or inclusive: Next Next  PreviousPrevious

Click on the statement about religion that seems too broad: Religion is…  a system of beliefs and practices directed to the ultimate concern of society a system of beliefs and practices directed to the ultimate concern of society  a person’s journey within themselves and within society on a search for truth, love, community, and "holy connection" a person’s journey within themselves and within society on a search for truth, love, community, and "holy connection"  belief in invisible superhuman power together with feelings and practices that flow from such a belief belief in invisible superhuman power together with feelings and practices that flow from such a belief  human beings' relation to that which they regard as holy, sacred, spiritual, or divine human beings' relation to that which they regard as holy, sacred, spiritual, or divine Next Next  PreviousPrevious

Explanation “a system of beliefs and practices directed to the ultimate concern of society”  Are economic or political systems “religions”?  What kind of “ultimate concern”? What kind of beliefs? What kind of practices? Reference to things like “holy” “superhuman” “supernatural” “sacred” “spiritual” “divine”, etc. help to narrow it down without getting overly limited, such as the term “God” does. Next Next  PreviousPrevious

Cluster Definitions  Definitions should be fairly comprehensive of the multiple dimensions of religion  Religions are not monolithic. They are comprised of many different things:  Beliefs  Practices  Values  Community  Symbols  Human emotion and experience The more dimensions of religion a definition references, the more complete it is. Multiple aspects of religion noted in the definition can also help to keep it from being too broad. Next Next  PreviousPrevious

Click on the statement about religion that is the most comprehensive: Religion is…  belief in invisible superhuman power together with feelings and practices that flow from such a belief. belief in invisible superhuman power together with feelings and practices that flow from such a belief.  a system of beliefs and practices pertaining to the supernatural. a system of beliefs and practices pertaining to the supernatural.  a specific system of belief in God, doctrines, etc. God’s relation to humanity and the universe. a specific system of belief in God, doctrines, etc. God’s relation to humanity and the universe.  a personal and/or institutionalized system of beliefs, values and practices constituting a way of life, serving to remind and connect us to a higher truth or reality beyond our life in this world. a personal and/or institutionalized system of beliefs, values and practices constituting a way of life, serving to remind and connect us to a higher truth or reality beyond our life in this world. Next Next  PreviousPrevious

Explanation Remember: the more characteristics of religion the definition mentions, the more comprehensive it is. Thus:  a personal and/or institutionalized system of beliefs, values and practices constituting a way of life, serving to remind and connect us to a higher truth or reality beyond our life in this world.  This definition mentions four aspects of religion: community (“institutionalized”), beliefs, values, and practices  The other definitions contain 3, 2, and 1 characteristic, respectively Next Next  PreviousPrevious

Definitions can be… Substantive (essentialist) or Functionalist  Substantive or essentialist definitions characterize religion by some basic essence which is common to all religious systems, but not to any non- religious systems. They say what religion is (nouns)  Functionalist definitions focus on the way religion operates or functions in human life. They say what religion does (verbs) Substance tells us what religion consists of while function tells us why religion exists Next Next  PreviousPrevious

Click on the substantive statement about religion: Religion is…  We go into religion in order to feel warmer in our hearts, more connected to others, more connected to something greater and to have a sense of peace. We go into religion in order to feel warmer in our hearts, more connected to others, more connected to something greater and to have a sense of peace  a system of beliefs and practices directed to the ultimate concern of society. a system of beliefs and practices directed to the ultimate concern of society.  excellent stuff for keeping common people quiet. excellent stuff for keeping common people quiet.  a person’s journey within themselves and within society on a search for truth, love, community, and "holy connection". a person’s journey within themselves and within society on a search for truth, love, community, and "holy connection". Next Next  Remember, the clue to substance is to look for nouns and the answer to the question “what is religion?”  PreviousPrevious

Explanation  a system of beliefs and practices directed to the ultimate concern of society. This is the only statement in this group that mentions any of the substantive characteristics of religion (beliefs and practices)  The other three mention functions such as “in order to feel…,” to “keep people quiet,” “a search for…” These tell us the function or purpose of religion but they fail to mention the substance that helps us do this. Next Next  PreviousPrevious

Click on the functionalist statements about religion: Religion is…  a personalized set or institutional system of beliefs and practices pertaining to the supernatural. a personalized set or institutional system of beliefs and practices pertaining to the supernatural.  the betterment of yourself and the betterment of the world you live in. the betterment of yourself and the betterment of the world you live in.  the daughter of Hope and Fear, explaining to ignorance the nature of the Unknowable. the daughter of Hope and Fear, explaining to ignorance the nature of the Unknowable.  a system of belief and worship which usually incorporates a code of ethics. a system of belief and worship which usually incorporates a code of ethics. Next Next  Remember, the clue to function is to look for verbs and the answer to the question “why is religion?”  PreviousPrevious

Explanation Two of these are actually functionalist:  the betterment of yourself and the betterment of the world you live in.  the daughter of Hope and Fear, explaining to ignorance the nature of the Unknowable. (“to better” [improve] and “to explain” are verbs) The other two statements reference substance (institution, beliefs, practices, the supernatural, worship, code of ethics – all nouns) but no suggestion as to the purpose for (function of) doing these things. Next Next  PreviousPrevious

Can you recognize a statement about religion that contains both substance and function? Religion is…  an idea, belief, or act that creates a connection to other people, a greater being, or self. an idea, belief, or act that creates a connection to other people, a greater being, or self.  fulfills the human need for a relationship with the creative, spiritual force of the universe. fulfills the human need for a relationship with the creative, spiritual force of the universe.  the collective worship of a deity or set of deities structured by sacred laws or rules relative to the specific religion. the collective worship of a deity or set of deities structured by sacred laws or rules relative to the specific religion.  a set of beliefs and practices which serve to subordinate us to something superior or holy in order to justify the events that control our lives a set of beliefs and practices which serve to subordinate us to something superior or holy in order to justify the events that control our lives Remember, to look for the nouns and verbs Next Next  PreviousPrevious

Explanation Two of these contain both substance and function:  an idea, belief, or act that creates a connection to other people, a greater being, or self.  a set of beliefs and practices which serve to subordinate us to something superior or holy in order to justify the events that control our lives A definition that incorporates several aspects of substance as well as function tends to be more comprehensive  PreviousPreviousNext Next 

Reviewing the Criteria for a Good Definition of Religion 1. Avoid a biased definition 2. Avoid a definition that is too limited 3. Avoid a definition that is too broad 4. Have a definition that is fairly comprehensive of the multiple dimensions of religion 5. Consider both the substance and function of religion Next Next  PreviousPrevious

A “working” definition “Religion is a system of activities and beliefs directed toward that which is perceived to be of sacred value and transforming power.” Is this definition: BBiased?YesNo TToo limited?YesNo TToo broad or vague?YesNo CComprehensive?YesNo SSubstantive?YesNo FFunctionalist?YesNo Click on an answer and then click anywhere for the next criteria  PreviousPreviousNext Next 

Explanation Religion is a system of activities and beliefs directed toward that which is perceived to be of sacred value and transforming power.  Bias? No: cannot tell how the author feels about religion (good)  Too limited? No: “sacred value” can take any form, not just that of God or even multiple gods, so this definition can apply to any religion (good)  Too broad? No: “sacred value” helps make this specific only to religion (good)  Comprehensive? Somewhat: three aspects of religion: activities, beliefs, something sacred (good, but could be better)  Substance? yes: those three aspects of religion are the substance (good)  Function? No: “directed toward” does not really explain the reason for those actions and beliefs (needs improvement)  PreviousPreviousNext Next 

Let’s try another: “We go into religion in order to feel warmer in our hearts, more connected to others, more connected to something greater and to have a sense of peace.” Is this statement: BBiased?YesNo TToo limited?YesNo TToo broad or vague?YesNo CComprehensive?YesNo SSubstantive?YesNo FFunctionalist?YesNo Click on an answer and then click anywhere for the next criteria  PreviousPreviousNext Next 

Explanation We go into religion in order to feel warmer in our hearts, more connected to others, more connected to something greater and to have a sense of peace.  Bias? No: cannot tell how the author feels about religion (good)  Too limited? No: “something greater” might be a god, but can also be any other object religions might connect us to. So this statement can apply to any religion (good)  Too broad? Yes: “something greater” is a rather vague term. One’s nation or community or any cause beyond ourselves, religious or not can be can apply here (needs to be more specific)  Comprehensive? No: there is no reference to any of the aspects of religion (needs improvement)  Substance? No: does not say what constitutes a religion, (needs improvement)  Function? Yes: This statement is all about the “why” of religion – the reason or purpose for it, what it does for us (good)  PreviousPrevious Next Next 

And one more: “Religion is a set of beliefs that spark the formation of communities of faith which act out those beliefs in order to heal themselves and our broken world.” Is this definition: BBiased?YesNo TToo limited?YesNo TToo broad or vague?YesNo CComprehensive?YesNo SSubstantive?YesNo FFunctionalist?YesNo Click on an answer and then click anywhere for the next criteria  PreviousPreviousNext Next 

Explanation Religion is a set of beliefs that spark the formation of communities of faith which act out those beliefs in order to heal themselves and our broken world.  Bias? No: cannot tell how the author feels about religion (although he does seem to feel negatively about our world) (good)  Too limited? No: reference to “faith” is something common to many religions (good)  Too broad? No: reference to “faith” is distinctive to religion (good, though might have been a bit more specific with regard to faith or belief in something “sacred” or the “transcendent”)  Comprehensive? Yes: four aspects of religion: beliefs, communities, faith, actions (good)  Substance? Yes: those four aspects of religion are the substance (good)  Function? Yes: “in order to heal” tells us the function or purpose of religion (good)  PreviousPrevious Next Next 

Start the exercise again

That’s wrong That’s wrong Try again (click to return to the question)click to return to the question

Correct Good job! (click to return to question and then click “next” for the next slide)click to return to question