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What Is Religion?By Khai Thien
Defining religion has been a complicated issue long
discussed throughout the process of human history. Religion is viewed
as an
important issue in human life in general and is referred to as one of
the
essential elements in the life of human belief and worship in
particular. In
fact, in talking about a religion, whether it be from the East or West,
people must
deal with certain matters of that religion, such as its features,
traditions,
social functions, symbols, and phenomena as ignorance of such matters
would certainly
lead to the darkness of fanaticism; such fanaticism has, at times, been
used to
promote violence, terrorism, and even worse—“holy
wars.” Indeed, although we
are living in the twenty-first century—the century of
victories over science
and technology—we continue to face many bloody
wars in the name of holy wars that
have stemmed not from a
doctrine of a religion or religions, but from the very fanaticism of
religious
believers. In order to provide an overview of religion, this essay will
focus
on identifying the common features of religions,
including traditions,
definitions, and—in particular—the universally
essential element of all
religions of the world. Traditions Many different kinds of traditional religions exist
throughout the world; these religions can be divided according
different classifications—e.g.,
religions of the East and religions of the West, local religions and
world
religions, classical religions and modern religions. Historically
speaking, however,
all world religions received the greatest influence from the three
important
cradles of human civilization: However, to grasp the essence of each religion,
we must return to their traditional origins. For this reason, Roger
Schmidt
suggests two main traditions that cover the nature
of all religions in the
world: theistic and non-theistic. “Theistic traditions are
those [religions] in
which the holy is conceived of as a God or group of gods or spirits
personally
involved in the life of human beings. Non-theistic traditions are those
in
which the holy is conceived of as an impersonal power, a process, a
state of
being, or an eternal truth capable of transforming human
existence” (Schmidt
10). Based on these two branches of religions, it
is possible to identify the composition of religion. Definitions Hundreds of definitions of religion(s) have
emerged; however, some are either too broad or too narrow, while others
are too
simplistic or too complicated. The following are samples of such
definitions: ·
From the Oxford Dictionary:
“Religion: belief in
the existence of god or gods who has/have created the universe and
given man a
spiritual nature which continues to exist after the death of the body
[...] a
particular system of faith and worship based on such a belief [...]
controlling
influence on one’s life [...] something one is devoted or
committed to” (762). ·
From
German socialist Friedrich Engels (1820–1895):
“Religion is nothing but the fantastic
reflection in men’s minds of those external forces which
control their early
life” (Thien 189). ·
From Sir
Edwin Ray Lankester (1847–1929): “Religion means
the knowledge of our destiny
and of the means of fulfilling it. We can say no more and no less of
science” (Dhammananda
8). ·
From Paul
Tillich: “The universal religious basic is the experience of
the holy within
the finite” (Schmidt
11). In order to reach a universal definition that
includes the common features of all religions of the world, Schmidt
suggests,
“Religion is defined as a human seeking and responding to
what is experienced
as holy” (11). Schmidt argues this form of expression of
religion is “flexible
enough to include both theistic and nontheistic
conceptions of the holy”
(11). Adopting this definition, we can proceed to the most important
element of
religion that consistently enable it to dominate and remain different
from any
other form of ordinary worship. Essential Element of
Religion The external appearances of religions, such as
structures, arts, ceremonies, and languages, demonstrate that each
religion has
its own features and characteristics that differentiate it from others;
however, in certain aspects of worship—particularly in the
case of spiritual
experiences—all religions share the same essential element
that goes beyond humans’
ordinary knowledge and cannot be explained by language. This essential
element
is the sacred or the holy—also called the transcendence or
the ultimate. No
words or definitions can truly describe the full nature of this element
of
sacredness. Schmidt notes that “The Holy
is a term for the eternal…Religious
traditions affirm that the Holy is paradoxically both known and hidden;
it is
near at hand, manifest in things and known in human experience, yet
transcendent,
invisible, and indefinable” (62). Although people may come to religion from
different approaches, they often receive the same powerful current of
the spiritual
gravity from the sacredness of religion. In deed, it is the very
element of
sacredness apparent in all forms of religion—both Eastern and
Western—that has
differentiated religion from science, philosophy, and psychology. In
fact, we
cannot eliminate this element of sacredness from religious life
whenever we
talk of it or think about it. This is not because religion is viewed as
a
supreme power that transcends the human world or beyond all physical
dimensions
of human existence, but because it is a particular sort of inner
experience
that cannot be seen by the eyes or touched with the hands. People may
perceive
that inner experience only through their religious worships or
performances,
which consists of belief, trust, honesty, sincerity, enthusiasm, and a
frequent
repetition in their daily practices. In addition, questions emerge as the borders of
religions go beyond human conceptual faculties—questions
about a) the origin of
human beings as well as other sentient beings; b) the origin and
existence of
the universe; c) the existence of life after death; and d) the world(s)
on the
other side of the human world. People, from ancient times to the modern
day,
believe that religions may provide the right answers to such questions,
enabling
people to receive the answers only when they reach the other side of
the human
world—namely, life after death, the Furthermore, invisible features of religions exist
that are extremely important to the life of humans’
belief—so important that we
cannot leave them aside whenever we mention the reason for existence of
any
religion in the world. In other words, religion, as always, is a source
of hope
that provides solace, courage, altruism, salvation, and eternal
happiness
(Schmidt 12). These invisible features actually provide the true
meanings and
values to human life as well as encourage each individual to cultivate
the
divine seeds within him- or herself based on daily practices. This
source of
hope is the greatest motivation for man to transform his worldly life
into a
divine one based on religious spirit. Common Features of
Religion Based on general forms of religious
expressions, Schmidt points out three formal features: a) All religions
are
conceptual; b) All religions are performative; and, c) All religions
are social
(16). The first feature, the conceptual,
includes a system of religious beliefs that eventually lead to the
special
views of the world, both sentient and non-sentient. This conceptual
feature can
be recognized through religious symbols, languages, parables,
scripture, and
theology. The second feature, the
performative, involves both practice and belief in the
specific
doctrines of each religion. Finally, the
institutional consists of distinctive patterns of the
relationships
between religion and society. Based on the institutional features of
religions,
people may understand intensively the social functions of religion as
well as
its connections to social structures, social events, and religious
reformations—particularly
the leadership of religions in public service and society at large. In summary, this brief overview of religion has
focused on traditions, definitions, the essential element, and the
common
features of religion considered to be common views of what religion is,
how it
exists, and how it works in society. Based upon these common views of
religions, we are able to delve further into the world of religion with
its
various manifestations, including symbols, myths, miracles, parables,
ceremonies,
theology, philosophy, morality, and salvation. Works Cited Dhammananda, K. Sri.
Why Religion. “Religion.” Schmidt, Roger. Exploring Religion. 2nd
ed. Thien, Khai. Buddhist General Semantics:
A
new approach to Buddhist religion and its philosophy.
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