Defining Religion

• "Religion" is a fraught word, with varying interpretations depending on who is defining it and their interests.

Defining Religion

• Religions are frameworks that help people organize, shape, and make sense of their lives.
• This definition is broad, as even veganism of devotion to a sports team could be considered a religion.
• No single definition encompasses all expressions of religion.
• Defining religion impacts many lives, regardless of religious affiliation.
• Lord Herbert of Cherbury proposed belief in a higher power as a fundamental truth about religion in the 17th century.
• Many religions involve gods and goddesses, but some, like Jainism and Buddhism, focus on ethics and self-transformation instead.
• Creedal religions share a belief system and are often linked to sacred texts.
• Votive religions, such as the Soto Zen school of Buddhism, emphasize action over beliefs.
• Some religions focus on both belief and action, such as Islam's emphasis on orthodoxy and orthopraxy.
• "Religion" is like the word "sports," it lumps together many different practices.
• The definition of religion is specific to the societies, just like the practices themselves themselves.
• Émile Durkheim defined religion as a system of beliefs and practices surrounding the "sacred."
• The "sacred" can be anything a community gives special meaning to.
• Recognizing whose interests are served by specific definitions is important due to the absence of any shared features of "religions".
• Yoga teachers opposed Missouri’s reclassification of yoga as exercise, arguing its spiritual ties are inherent.
• A judge acknowledged yoga is religious, but ruled that school yoga isn’t religious enough as it was taught to children.

History of Religion

• The modern concept of "religion" as a separate sphere of society is relatively recent.
• Until a few centuries ago, many languages lacked a word for "religion" as it is currently understood.
• The Arabic word "din" meant "custom" or "law" and the Latin word "religio" meant "rules".
• The idea of "religion" as a personal belief system emerged in 16th-century Western Europe.
• During the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther advocated for separation of church and state.
• The Reformation redefined "religion" in Western Europe as a personal relationship with the divine.
• During the colonial era, Europeans encountered diverse religious practices.
• Traditions of Indigenous peoples often related to ancestors or the land.
• Europeans assumed "religions" to be Christianity-shaped.
• This model of "religion" prioritizes some traditions over others.

Impacts of the "Religion" Label

• Calling something a "religion" can have tangible benefits.
• These can include tax exemption and legal protection.
• Denying the label of religion has real-life consequences.
• Many countries protect religious freedom.
• The definition of religion determines who is afforded this freedom.
• China's government has detained Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in re-education camps.
• A 2019 law in India created a fast-track to citizenship for refugees from some religious groups, excluding Muslims.
• Governments have used their classification of religion to demonize, control, and exclude certain groups.
• Unrecognized religious practices are deemed illegitimate or illegal.
• Rastafari adherents have been incarcerated for smoking marijuana, which they see as a sacrament.
• In North Korea, Christians and followers of Korean folk religion have been arrested, tortured, and executed.

Conclusion

• There is no single way to define religion or do religion.
• It is important to be conscious of the definition being used and who controls its boundaries.
• Paul Tillich defined religion as "the state of being grasped by an ultimate concern."
• There are many ways to define, debate, and practice religion.
• The idea of an "Ultimate Concern" can be valuable, but can also be dangerous.