Religion

Religion (see etymology below) —sometimes used interchangeably with faith or belief system—is commonly defined as belief concerning the supernatural, sacred, or divine, and the moral codes, practices, values, institutions and rituals associated with such belief. In its broadest sense some have defined it as the sum total of answers given to explain humankind's relationship with the universe. In the course of the development of religion, it has taken many forms in various cultures and individuals.

Etymology

The origins of the word "religion" have been debated for centuries. Some explanations for the origin of the word are:

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• re-reading--from Latin re (again) + legio (read), referring to the repetition of scripture.
• treating carefully--from Latin relegere (Cicero's interpretation)
• re-connection to the divine--from Latin re (again) + ligare (to connect, as in English ligament). This interpretation is favoured by modern scholars such as Tom Harpur, but probably originated with St. Augustine.
• to bind or return to bondage--an alternate interpretation of the "reconnection" etymology, possibly also originating with Augustine but emphasising a sense of servitude to God. However, the bondage interpretation, while popular with critics of religion, is often considered imprecise and possibly offensive in many modern religious contexts.

What is clear about the word "religion" is that the religious connotations (in the sense of gods, morality, afterlife, etc.) were not a part of the term's Latin precursors.

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Religion and science

Generally speaking, the methods of religion and science are different, and sometimes at odds.

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According to the religious, knowledge can be gained from a religious leader, a sacred text, or personal revelation. It is not limited in scope and can try to answer any question. Some religious people maintain that knowledge obtained in this way is absolute and infallible (religious cosmology). Religious knowledge tends to vary from religion to religion, from sect to sect, and from individual to individual.

Related Topics:
Sacred text - Revelation - Religious cosmology

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In contrast, the scientific method gains knowledge by interaction with the world, and can only answer questions about the physical universe (scientific or physical cosmology). All scientific knowledge is tentative, and subject to later improvement or revision in the face of better evidence.

Related Topics:
Scientific method - Physical universe - Physical cosmology - Evidence

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Many early scientists held strong religious beliefs and strove to reconcile science and religion. Isaac Newton, for example, believed that gravity caused the planets to revolve about the sun, but also said that angels may have to give the planets a push from time to time to keep them going. Sometimes, however, conflicts arose between science and religion. The Roman Catholic Church, for example, has reserved to itself the right to decide which scientific discoveries are acceptable and which are unacceptable. Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake for unacceptable scientific theories, while Galileo was tried and forced to recant the theory that the earth goes around the sun. The modern Roman Catholic Church accepts most current scientific theories, but still reserves the right to make the final judgment.

Related Topics:
Isaac Newton - Gravity - Planet - Angel - Roman Catholic Church - Giordano Bruno - Galileo

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Here are a few of the areas in which science and the organized Church have come into conflict from time to time.

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• Is the earth flat or round?
• Does the earth move or does the sun move around the earth.
• Is the earth a few thousand years old or more than a billion years old?
• Was there a flood that covered all the earth?
• Did the various species evolve or were they individually created by God?
• Is the speed of light constant and is Einstein's Theory of Relativity correct?
• Does radioactive decay occur at a predictable rate?

New voices within Christianity point out that there is a very important distinction between directives espoused by the 'Church' in the sense of an instutionalised legal/political entity (particularly the historic papal Roman Catholic Church) and the teachings of the Bible and point to various publications and researchers who have mediated many seemingly conflicting claims. (See resources such as The Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics by Norman Geisler and http://www.answersingenesis.org ... and related)

Related Topics:
Papal - Roman Catholic Church - Apologetics - Norman Geisler

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Philosophy and metaphysics

In between the doctrines of religion and science, stands the philosophical perspective of metaphysical cosmology. This ancient field of study seeks to draw logical conclusions about the nature of the universe, humanity, and god. One important philosophical tool that attempts to resolve the conflict between religion and science is Occam's razor, which was originally developed by William of Occam to support religion but is now often used in the philosophy of science to support science. Occam's razor cuts both ways.

Related Topics:
Philosophical - Metaphysical cosmology - Logic - Occam's razor - William of Occam - Philosophy of science

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One should also take note of the related philosophic field of epistemology which questions the very nature of how we come to understand and accept that a belief is true or false, such as belief in Darwinian evolution as compared to Christian young earth creationism and vice versa.

Related Topics:
Epistemology - Evolution - Christian - Young earth creationism

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Esotericism and mysticism

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Mysticism, in contrast with philosophy and metaphysics, denies that logic is the most important method of gaining enlightenment. Rather physical disciplines such as yoga, starvation, self-strangulation, or whirling (in the case of the Sufi dervishes) or the use of drugs such as LSD, lead to higher states of consciousness that logic can never hope to grasp.

Related Topics:
Mysticism - Logic - Yoga - Starvation - Self-strangulation - Whirling - Sufi - Dervish - Drug - LSD

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Mysticism ("to conceal") is the pursuit of communion with, or conscious awareness of ultimate reality, the divine, spiritual truth, or God through direct, personal experience (intuition or insight) rather than rational thought. Mystics believe in the existence of realities beyond perceptual or intellectual apprehension that are central to being and directly accessible through personal experience. They believe that such experience is a genuine and important source of knowledge.

Related Topics:
Mysticism - Ultimate reality - Divine - Spiritual truth - God

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Esotericism claims to be more sophisticated than religion, to rely on intellectual understanding rather than faith, and to improve on philosophy in its emphasis on techniques of psycho-spiritual transformation (esoteric cosmology). Esotericism refers to "hidden" knowledge available only to the advanced, privileged, or initiated, as opposed to exoteric knowledge, which is public. It applies especially to spiritual practices. The mystery religions of ancient Greece and the modern religion of Scientology are examples of Esotericism.

Related Topics:
Esotericism - Esoteric cosmology - Exoteric knowledge - Spiritual - Mystery religion - Ancient Greece - Scientology

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Spirituality

Members of an organized religion may not see any significant difference between religion and spirituality. Or they may see a distinction between the mundane, earthly aspects of their religion and its spiritual dimension.

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Some individuals draw a strong distinction between religion and spirituality. They may see spirituality as a belief in ideas of religious significance (such as God, the Soul, or Heaven), but not feel bound to the bureaucratic structure and creeds of a particular organized religion. They choose the term spirituality rather than religion to describe their form of belief, perhaps reflecting a disillusionment with organized religion (see Religion in modernity), and a movement towards a more "modern" — more tolerant, and more intuitive — form of religion. These individuals may reject organized religion because of historical acts by religious organizations, such as Islamic terrorism or the Spanish Inquisition.

Related Topics:
Spirituality - Religion in modernity - Islamic terrorism - Spanish Inquisition

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Mahatma Gandhi who was born a Hindu wrote the following about religion in his autobiography The Story of My Experiments with Truth http://www.nalanda.nitc.ac.in/resources/english/etext-project/Biography/gandhi/:

Related Topics:
Mahatma Gandhi - The Story of My Experiments with Truth

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:"Thus if I could not accept Christianity either as a perfect, or the greatest religion, neither was I then convinced of Hinduism being such. Hindu defects were pressingly visible to me. If untouchability could be a part of Hinduism, it could but be a rotten part or an excrescence. I could not understand the raison d'etre of a multitude of sects and castes. What was the meaning of saying that the Vedas were the inspired Word of God? If they were inspired, why not also the Bible and the Koran? As Christian friends were endeavouring to convert me, so were Muslim friends. Abdullah Sheth had kept on inducing me to study Islam, and of course he had always something to say regarding its beauty."

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He then went on to say:

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:"As soon as we lose the moral basis, we cease to be religious. There is no such thing as religion over-riding morality. Man, for instance, cannot be untruthful, cruel or incontinent and claim to have God on his side."

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He also said the following about Hinduism:

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:"Hinduism as I know it entirely satisfies my soul, fills my whole being ... When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and when I see not one ray of light on the horizon, I turn to the Bhagavad Gita, and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. My life has been full of tragedies and if they have not left any visible and indelible effect on me, I owe it to the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita."

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Later in his life when he was asked whether he was a Hindu, he replied:

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:"Yes I am. I am also a Christian, a Muslim, a Buddhist and a Jew."

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Myth

The word "myth" has two main meanings, according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary:

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• a usually traditional story of ostensibly historical events that serves to unfold part of the world view of a people or explain a practice, belief, or natural phenomenon
• a person or thing having only an imaginary or unverifiable existence

Ancient polytheistic religions, such as those of Greece, Rome, and Scandinavia, are categorized under the heading of mythology. Religions of pre-industrial peoples, or cultures in development, are similarly called myths in the anthropology of religion. Mythology can be a term used pejoratively by both religious and non-religious people. By defining another person's religious stories and beliefs as mythology, one implies that they are less real than one's own religious stories and beliefs.

Related Topics:
Polytheistic - Greece - Rome - Scandinavia - Mythology - Cultures - Anthropology of religion

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The term "myth" in sociology, however, has a non-pejorative meaning. There "myth" is defined as stories that are important for the group and not necessarily untrue. Examples include the death and resurrection of Jesus, which, to Christians, explains the means by which they are freed from sin, as well as being ostensibly a historical event.

Related Topics:
Resurrection - Jesus

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