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## Exploring Religion The common features of religion: * A belief in the supernatural and in a spiritual world beyond our physical material world. * A belief in the existence of a soul. * A collection of sacred writings or scriptures. * Organized institutions. * A strong sense of family and communi...

## Exploring Religion The common features of religion: * A belief in the supernatural and in a spiritual world beyond our physical material world. * A belief in the existence of a soul. * A collection of sacred writings or scriptures. * Organized institutions. * A strong sense of family and community based on rituals and festivals that represent and celebrate shared beliefs and practices. * A set of answers about the most pressing human questions, for example, the meaning of suffering. * Rules of conduct designed to help followers lead an honourable life and to provide order and purpose to individual and community life. * A system of ethics that offers a guide to moral behaviour. * Significant founders or inspired leaders who introduced or spurred the development of the faith. * A life of faith and worship. * A search for perfection or salvation. * Techniques for focusing or concentrating one's awareness. * An enriching impact on the lives of its adherents. ## Why Is Religion Practised? Since the beginning of human existence, people have turned to religion in one form or another. The religious impulse seems to be part of being human and has many explanations. One aspect of the religious impulse is a recoiling from something, such as fear, while another is a search or quest for something better, yet somewhat unattainable. While we have physical needs that must be met, we also have a sense of something beyond the material world - a greater reality that we can barely sense but cannot easily verify with our formal knowledge and five senses. A number of factors may lead us to turn to religion or express ourselves spiritually. Let's consider the following factors: * **Fear**: For all of our development and sophistication, modern humans share the same deep-seated fears that our predecessors experienced throughout time. Our education, our riches, and our