Personal Narrative Essay: What Does Religion Mean to Me

We may be aware that religion refers to the cultural and belief system. It is also about how values, humanity, and spirituality relate to religion itself. However, have we already asked ourselves if what religion means to us? 

I am a Roman Catholic. The family I came from, they are Catholic. Ever since I was a child, they made me understand the importance of having faith in God. I learned that 7- sacraments and 10-Commandments are significant. They are the ways to become closer to God. My family also taught me how to pray fervently every time. When I feel blissful about something that happened to me, I pray and tell God how grateful I am. If I know that I'm wrong, I will ask for forgiveness. When I feel so alone, burden, and weary, seek God; he will always listen. As I grow up, my understanding of the Catholic faith becomes deep.  I learned that as we love ourselves, we should also love others. We should also care about the creations of God. And always be humble and respectful. They are some of the values and guiding principles that my family and environment instilled in me. 

Religion means a lot to me. Having faith makes me feel even stronger, regardless of being tired physically and emotionally. It is one of the reasons why I always choose to stay in this world, no matter how chaotic it is. It made me believe in things that I am not aware of before. And we might experience trials that can hinder us from being happy and triumphant. But knowing that God is always here with us, I know that we will overcome them. It changed me into a better version of myself. Religion is about how we embrace and accept it in our hearts. It is an understanding that we openly and warmly welcome in ourselves. It should not be the reason for misunderstanding. Instead, it should be the instrument of loving and connecting. For me, that's religion.

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Essays About Religion: Top 5 Examples and 7 Writing Prompts

Essays about religion include delicate issues and tricky subtopics. See our top essay examples and prompts to guide you in your essay writing.

With over 4,000 religions worldwide, it’s no wonder religion influences everything. It involves faith, lessons on humanity, spirituality, and moral values that span thousands of years. For some, it’s both a belief and a cultural system. As it often clashes with science, laws, and modern philosophies, it’s also a hot debate topic. Religion is a broad subject encompassing various elements of life, so you may find it a challenging topic to write an essay about it.

1. Wisdom and Longing in Islam’s Religion by Anonymous on Ivypanda.com

2. consequences of following religion blindly essay by anonymous on ivypanda.com, 3. religion: christians’ belief in god by anonymous on ivypanda.com, 4. mecca’s influence on today’s religion essay by anonymous on ivypanda.com, 5. religion: how buddhism views the world by anonymous on ivypanda.com , 1. the importance of religion, 2. pros and cons of having a religion, 3. religions across the world, 4. religion and its influence on laws, 5. religion: then and now, 6. religion vs. science, 7. my religion.

“Portraying Muslims as radical religious fanatics who deny other religions and violently fight dissent has nothing to do with true Islamic ideology. The knowledge that is presented in Islam and used by Muslims to build their worldview system is exploited in a misinterpreted form. This is transforming the perception of Islam around the world as a radical religious system that supports intolerance and conflicts.”

The author discusses their opinion on how Islam becomes involved with violence or terrorism in the Islamic states. Throughout the essay, the writer mentions the massive difference between Islam’s central teachings and the terrorist groups’ dogma. The piece also includes a list of groups, their disobediences, and punishments.

This essay looks at how these brutalities have nothing to do with Islam’s fundamental ideologies. However, the context of Islam’s creeds is distorted by rebel groups like The Afghan mujahideen, Jihadis, and Al-Qa’ida. Furthermore, their activities push dangerous narratives that others use to make generalized assumptions about the entire religion. These misleading generalizations lead to misunderstandings amongst other communities, particularly in the western world. However, the truth is that these terrorist groups are violating Islamic doctrine.

“Following religion blindly can hinder one’s self-actualization and interfere with self-development due to numerous constraints and restrictions… Blind adherence to religion is a factor that does not allow receiving flexible education and adapting knowledge to different areas.”

The author discusses the effects of blindly following a religion and mentions that it can lead to difficulties in self-development and the inability to live independently. These limitations affect a person’s opportunity to grow and discover oneself.  Movies like “ The Da Vinci Code ” show how fanatical devotion influences perception and creates constant doubt. 

“…there are many religions through which various cultures attain their spiritual and moral bearings to bring themselves closer to a higher power (deity). Different religions are differentiated in terms of beliefs, customs, and purpose and are similar in one way or the other.”

The author discusses how religion affects its followers’ spiritual and moral values and mentions how deities work in mysterious ways. The essay includes situations that show how these supreme beings test their followers’ faith through various life challenges. Overall, the writer believes that when people fully believe in God, they can be stronger and more capable of coping with the difficulties they may encounter.

“Mecca represents a holy ground that the majority of the Muslims visit; and is only supposed to be visited by Muslims. The popularity of Mecca has increased the scope of its effects, showing that it has an influence on tourism, the financial aspects of the region and lastly religion today.”

The essay delves into Mecca’s contributions to Saudi Arabia’s tourism and religion. It mentions tourism rates peaking during Hajj, a 5-day Muslim pilgrimage, and visitors’ sense of spiritual relief and peace after the voyage. Aside from its tremendous touristic benefits, it also brings people together to worship Allah. You can also check out these essays about values and articles about beliefs .

“Buddhism is seen as one of the most popular and widespread religions on the earth the reason of its pragmatic and attractive philosophies which are so appealing for people of the most diversified backgrounds and ways of thinking .”

To help readers understand the topic, the author explains Buddhism’s worldviews and how Siddhatta Gotama established the religion that’s now one of the most recognized on Earth. It includes teachings about the gift of life, novel thinking, and philosophies based on his observations. Conclusively, the author believes that Buddhism deals with the world as Gotama sees it.

Check out our guide packed full of transition words for essays .

7 Prompts on Essays About Religion

Essays About Religion: The importance of religion

Religion’s importance is embedded in an individual or group’s interpretation of it. They hold on to their faith for various reasons, such as having an idea of the real meaning of life and offering them a purpose to exist. Use this prompt to identify and explain what makes religion a necessity. Make your essay interesting by adding real-life stories of how faith changed someone’s life.

Although religion offers benefits such as positivity and a sense of structure, there are also disadvantages that come with it. Discuss what’s considered healthy and destructive when people follow their religion’s gospels and why. You can also connect it to current issues. Include any personal experience you have.

Religion’s prevalence exhibits how it can significantly affect one’s daily living. Use this prompt to discuss how religions across the world differ from one another when it comes to beliefs and if traditions or customs influence them. It’s essential to use relevant statistical data or surveys in this prompt to support your claims and encourage your readers to trust your piece.

There are various ways religion affects countries’ laws as they adhere to moral and often humanitarian values. Identify each and discuss how faith takes part in a nation’s decision-making regarding pressing matters. You can focus on one religion in a specific location to let the readers concentrate on the case. A good example is the latest abortion issue in the US, the overturning of “Wade vs. Roe.” Include people’s mixed reactions to this subject and their justifications.

Religion: then and now

In this essay, talk about how the most widespread religions’ principles or rituals changed over time. Then, expound on what inspired these changes.  Add the religion’s history, its current situation in the country, and its old and new beliefs. Elaborate on how its members clash over these old and new principles. Conclude by sharing your opinion on whether the changes are beneficial or not.

There’s a never-ending debate between religion and science. List the most controversial arguments in your essay and add which side you support and why. Then, open discourse about how these groups can avoid quarreling. You can also discuss instances when religion and science agreed or worked together to achieve great results. 

Use this prompt if you’re a part of a particular religion. Even if you don’t believe in faith, you can still take this prompt and pick a church you’ll consider joining. Share your personal experiences about your religion. Add how you became a follower, the beliefs that helped you through tough times, and why you’re staying as an active member in it. You can also speak about miraculous events that strengthen your faith. Or you can include teachings that you disagree with and think needs to be changed or updated.

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Home Essay Samples

Essay Samples on Religion

Composing your student essay about religion, it’s essential to research your subject first and avoid controversial subjects. The trick is to provide a clear structure that will focus on theological aspects of things. When you strive to compare different religions, do not write in a biased tone and work on your compare-and-contrast essay. The body parts of your religion essay must start with a good topic sentence as you address a particular concept or the roots of some religious notions. It’s always good if you can find reliable sources to support the facts. If you are not sure about some source or an idea that must be explored, you can either talk to an academic advisor or focus on a good religion essay example that we have prepared for you. These will help you get a basic idea of how such essays must be written. See the introduction part in every essay sample provided and don’t forget to stay respectful as you work on the differences and similarities. Check your grading rubric requirements twice. Regarding a good thesis statement, religious essays should only pose assumptions or compose specific claims that are supported with another sentence to avoid misreading or confusion.

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Essay on What is Religion for Students and Children

500+ words essay on what is religion.

Religion refers to a belief in a divine entity or deity. Moreover, religion is about the presence of God who is controlling the entire world. Different people have different beliefs. And due to this belief, many different cultures exist.

What Is Religion Essay

Further, there are a series of rituals performed by each religion. This is done to please Gods of their particular religion. Religion creates an emotional factor in our country. The Constitution of our country is secular . This means that we have the freedom of following any religion. As our country is the most diverse in religions, religion has two main sub broad categories:

Monotheistic Religion

Monotheistic religions believe in the existence of one God. Some of the monotheistic religions are:

Islam: The people who follow are Muslims . Moreover, Islam means to ‘ surrender’ and the people who follow this religion surrender themselves to ‘Allah’.

Furthermore, the holy book of Islam is ‘ QURAN’, Muslims believe that Allah revealed this book to Muhammad. Muhammad was the last prophet. Above all, Islam has the second most popular religion in the entire world. The most important festivals in this religion are Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.

Christianity: Christian also believes in the existence of only one God. Moreover, the Christians believe that God sent his only Jesus Christ for our Salvation. The Holy book of Christians is the Bible .

Furthermore, the bible is subdivided into the Old Testament and the New Testament. Most Importantly, Jesus Christ died on the cross to free us from our sins. The people celebrate Easter on the third day. Because Jesus Christ resurrected on the third day of his death.

However, the celebration of Christmas signifies the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Above all Christianity has the most following in the entire world.

Judaism: Judaism also believes in the existence of one God. Who revealed himself to Abraham, Moses and the Hebrew prophets. Furthermore, Abraham is the father of the Jewish Faith. Most Noteworthy the holy book of the Jewish people is Torah.

Above all, some of the festivals that Jewish celebrate are Passover, Rosh Hashanah – Jewish New Year, Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement, Hanukkah, etc.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Polytheistic Religion

Polytheistic religions are those that believe in the worship of many gods. One of the most believed polytheistic religion is:

Hinduism: Hinduism has the most popularity in India and South-east Asian sub-continent. Moreover, Hindus believe that our rewards in the present life are the result of our deeds in previous lives. This signifies their belief in Karma. Above all the holy book of Hindus is ‘Geeta’. Also, Hindus celebrate many festivals. Some of the important ones are Holi-The festival of colors and Diwali- the festival of lights.

Last, there is one religion that is neither monotheistic nor polytheistic.

Buddhism: Buddhism religion followers do not believe in the existence of God. However, that does not mean that they are an atheist. Moreover, Buddhism believes that God is not at all the one who controls the masses. Also, Buddhism is much different from many other religions. Above all, Gautam Buddha founded Buddhism.

Some FAQs for You

Q1. How many types of religions are there in the entire world?

A1. There are two types of religion in the entire world. And they are Monotheistic religions and Polytheistic religions.

Q2. What is a Polytheistic religion? Give an example

A2. Polytheistic religion area those that follow and worship any Gods. Hinduism is one of the examples of polytheistic religion. Hindus believe in almost 330 million Gods. Furthermore, they have great faith in all and perform many rituals to please them.

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Religion in the Modern World Analytical Essay

Introduction, the relevance of religion in the modern world, perception towards religion and modernity, works cited.

Religion is a set of cultural and belief system and practices that relate humanity to spirituality and are relative to sacred things (Heilman 25). It is a common term used to elect all concepts regarding the belief in the so called the god(s) or goddess as well as other divine beings concerns.

Religion has everything to do with the faith. Tony Blair speaking at a faith foundation said “It is impossible to understand the modern world unless you understand the importance of the religious faith. That faith motivates, galvanizes, organizes and integrates millions upon millions of people”

There are so many religions in the world and here we discuss only but a few who have the most following which include but not limited to Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Judaism (Heilman 30). Each of these religions has a set of practices and beliefs which their faith is based, most of the beliefs are aimed to answer fundamental questions about the nature of a supernatural power and how it relates to the humanity.

In ancient times, most religions served to answer mysteries of the universe, such as the question of creation, existence of the sun and the moon, meaning of life, and myriad other phenomena that could not be explained. There has been prolonged conflict between science and religion, in which science has come out strongly to oppose the authority of the various kinds of religions in the world.

It has opposed the sanctity of the creeds and the authority of the religious institutions. This was recognized after the industrial revolution and the publication of the Darwin’s Theory of evolution. The creeds and the religious dogmas were greatly challanged. People today have a feeling that the old religion would die and the only religion of science would dominate their life.

The simplistic view of religion is that it is no longer needed in the modern world because science now explains all these mysteries. For this reason, it has become very easy for us to dismiss most religions of the past as mere myths that served a purpose for the ancient days (Harris 40). “There were monumental losses in science. The Christians in some churches went ahead to burn books. “This led to a repression in the intellectual pursuit. This had set humanity to become outdated for over two millennia in the study of understanding scientific works”. This was said by Helen Ellerbe.

“Science is a discipline that is always ready to abandoning a given thought for a better one, this is its essence. On the other hand, the essence of theology is in the fact that it holds its truths in eternal and immutable manner” as said by H. L. Mencken. He also added that “For one to be sure, theology is unique in the sense that it will always yield a little to the development of knowledge.

One of the most striking ideas he gave on religion was on preaching part. He said that “The only preaching that would be captivating is of the Holy Roller on the mountains of Tennessee”. He related the preaching to popes thirteen century preaching’s

Yet a few religions have dominated the globe, and they are still revered as the ultimate truth for possibly the majority of the world population (Harris 45).

Why is religion still relevant in the lives of modern people when there are far more logical and provable explanation for the mysteries of the universe? In fact, a scholar of religion understands that the role of religion in society involves far more than just belief in a deity or sacred texts. Those religions that have endured provide social and psychological benefits that people find indispensable even in a civilized society.

One rather cynical explanation for the popularity of religion is that the great majority of human population simply does not understand science and refuses to learn it. It is far easier for the average person to attribute all difficult issues to a deity rather than to try to learn the subtleties of evolution, genetics, or laws of physics. In the infamous OJ Simpson murder trial of the 90’s, for example, a jury of twelve average citizens needed a rudimentary biology lecture on DNA and genetics just to understand the validity of forensic DNA evidence.

In the United States, fundamentalist Christian groups are still trying to include the theory of Intelligent Design in science classes as a legitimate alternative to the theory of evolution. It is simply easier for these people to assign an ultimate creator by default than to pursue intellectual evidence. In effect, these people are intellectually as primitive as the people of Biblical times or the many “uncivilized” populations who worshipped the sun, moon, the trees, or the moons.

Yet, as abhorrent as it may seem intellectually, we must also recognize that such irrational and unfounded faith still serves an important social value. When we consider the History of Yacub, for example, the notion of an evil scientist’s breeding a wicked race of light-skinned humans over many centuries sounds as far-fetched and fantastic as Athena springing to life from Zeus’s head. Yet thousands of modern Americans took faith in the story because it relieved their psychological yearning for answers to their condition.

Humans simply need to fill this emotional void in their lives even if it means to lend legitimacy to unfounded beliefs. Black Elk’s faith in his childhood vision reveals how this type of faith can guide a person’s life at the personal level (Neihardt 207-210). These visions or narratives are not explicit directives; more often they serve as additional sources for psychologically legitimizing the existing social concerns of the interpreter.

There are other, more legitimate, reasons for the perpetual dependence on religion. One is the sense of community and identity that is created by sharing a faith. For example, in the anatomy of the sacred the phenomenological issue of a supernatural existence is discussed, the writer Livingston puts across a phenomenon that creates questionable actions like he says the question people should ask themselves is “How is God present in human consciousness” rather than “Is God really existing?”

In addition he say people should also ask themselves the following question as I quote “What form of characteristics does God exhibit?” This would help them learn more about the supernatural existence (200). Through ritualistic behavior, such at church attendance, ceremonies, and prayer, the people of the same faith feel a psychological connection to others.

It is a bond of loyalty and commitment to each other that may be just a bit weaker than the bond of a family, but still stronger than the typical loyalties to country or local community (Neihardt 215). The Hasidic Jews reveal their commitment to God and their community by creating an anachronistic microcosm. Their appearance and lifestyle announces to the world that they are one unique group, to be distinguished from all others no matter where they reside.

On a bigger scale, the Christians and Muslims have extended their membership globally by uniting people under the same ritual behavior (Livingstone 295-300). When a Christian drinks the wine at communion service, or when a Muslim prays toward Mecca at the designated time, they each feel a psychological and emotional connection to all others who are sharing the same experience. There is emotional comfort in knowing that a community exist that shares one’s same values.

Also common to many of the popular religion is the promise of an afterlife. For millions of people around the world, this promise of a better afterlife makes the present conditions more bearable. Historically, Europeans have used the Bible to convince the conquered natives that their enslavement was justified in the eyes of God. Those who accepted the new faith took comfort in believing that God still favors them as He did the Jews enslaved in Egypt during the time of Moses (Livingstone 300-312).

Black Elk also believed in supernatural power on earth, this is depicted when he said that “Great spirit, once more behold me on earth and lean to hear my feeble voice” This shows that he believed in some spirits that took care of him on earth. The dominant religions of the world now preach to the common people, and offer them hope of a better life after death.

For the economically disadvantaged commoners of capitalistic nations or third world countries, the promise of the better future is more realistic in the afterlife than in the current one. This is a source of psychological coping mechanism that probably cannot be found in other sources.

The better future, however, is only rewarded for living an exemplary life in this world. This is the crucial incentive for conformity that political leaders seemed to have appreciated. For the political conservatives in power, conformity of the people means stability of the status quo. This is made possible because people believe that religion is necessary to serve as a source of moral guidance.

God has set a guideline for people to follow, and this guideline becomes the moral code by which the followers must live their lives. Most Americans believe firmly that the society would crumble if they stopped adhering to the Ten Commandments. Atheism is thought of as living without any moral codes. Just like children, adults also need simple guiding principles to behave properly. Religion provides the ultimate principles since they are the mandates of their God.

“In the mid-1800’s there were reports that indicated that about 225,000 slaves that were owned by Baptists, about 80,000 slaves owned by Presbyterians and about 250,000 by Methodists. At the outbreak of the civil war it was noted that Anglican church owned the greatest number of slaves. This was about 4 million slaves who were majorly blacks that were held in the United States.” Anne Gaylor

While we can appreciate all these significant social impact that religions have on the modern world, the need for religion is still debatable because so much of the benefits are counterbalanced by evils committed in the name of religion (Haley 50). Religion has been the root of countless atrocities in history in the form of wars, genocides, and terrorism. As much as religion unifies a group, it is also a divisive force in the bigger community.

Even in current news, we see stability being hampered by religious differences and intolerance in transitional governments like Iraq, Egypt, and Syria. Yet it is impossible to dismiss religion simply as an evil because of the subtle and unnoticed benefits it bestows on humanity.

Religion clearly is relevant in the modern society as it has been throughout history, and it is unlikely that people will abandon religion unless modern philosophy and science invents suitable substitutes for all the social, psychological, and emotional benefits of religion (Haley 58).

Religious principles have been relevant in the various areas that concern human today, and includes the elimination of discrimination for example, Black Elk said “And while I stood there I saw more than I can tell and understood more than I saw; for I was seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things in the spirit, and the shape of all shapes as they must live together like one being”.

We find that modernity has been built with factors that that encompass rationalism. Some people have defined it to be “The people’s opium”. There are opinions on the reality of God existing which is very complicated. Some philosophers have settled on the fact that the world does not exist and the only thing that is real is in the issue of inverted illusion that “The heaven and the god’s are real”. Faith is the most important aspect to go by.

There has been series of revolution day by day. This can be depicted in the different forms of translation of the key book, the bible. Some of the translations are Good News, King James, New King James and so many more. One can be right if he argues that the essence of the “Word” which is God’s word has been distorted. The ancient written bible was very categorical on the words used. Although these words can be found to mean the same in grammar, they should not be changed at any given instance.

The words in many religious literatures has very significant and should be retained as they are. For instance, the Muslim brethren argue that Christians will not enter heaven due to the fact that their Christian literature which is the bible has undergone tremendous changes since time immemorial. This could be both true and not true. One will find out that at times translations have been embraced due to versatility in dialects.

At times no one should be blamed because in the event of translating a book back to the most common universal language, English, there occurs nullification and addition of different wordings. This can be described by use of Syntax in grammar. As a Christian there are fundamental issues that are agreed on universally.

Protestants who are a very radical group of people believe in God and His son Jesus Christ. Other groups do not believe in this. By default when one is born in a particular belief he or she will defend that belief because that is what he or she knows. As one grows old, a little bit of soul searching can help shed more light on the issue of belief.

Modernity gives various hues on the definition of religion from different perspectives. The issue of truth is always nullified in the event of discussing modernity. Due to changes over time, people have come to invent new way some groups emerging as cults and occults. A very interesting observation is in the issue of how different regions observe other religion and perspective. Every group believes that there is the best and the other groups are cults or occults.

It is okay to do this but one evident thing is that any bad thing is identified by its fruits. When the fruits are negative then, it is not right. Psychologically we can affect what we believe in. Therefore it is very important to be sober in understanding what path we take. One thing I know is that faith is great and seeking divine power from the highest power, that is God’s power.

This can give answers to all questions that we have. One should always remain sound in the search of truth. This is very important as it act as a guide. We can hear all things but there is that specific part for us which are very uplifting.

In summary it is evident that religion is still found the most relevant in the modern world today. Religion is relevantly important to different people in the world. That is the reason why as much as religion faces so much criticism from disciplines like science and theories as evolution it will stand the test of time. Religion deals with the bigger criticism but some people have proved to stand the tests.

Haley, Alex. Malcolm X Autobiography. Secaucus: Chartwell Books Inc., 1992.

Harris, Lis. Holy Days: World Hasidic Family. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995.

Heilman, Samuel. Defenders of Faith: In Ultraorthodox Jewry. London: University of California Press, 2000.

Livingstone, James. Anatomy of the Sacred: Introduction to Religion. New York: Prentice Hall, 2004.

Neihardt, John. Black Elk Speaks: The Life Story of a Holy Man of the Ogola Sioux. University of Nebraska Press, 2000.

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What Religion Means To Me Essay Example

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Holiness , God , Muslim , Belief , Religion , Society , Life , Islam

Words: 1700

Published: 01/18/2020

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1. In the wake of this class, I find my own Muslim faith strengthened significantly, while now learning to understand and respect the perspectives of others much more. I believe in "Allah" the Arabic name of god. All Muslims believe in one God, and we believe that he has no partners or sons, which is little bit different than what Christians believe in. We believe in all the Messengers and Prophets that had been sent to earth, including Moses and Jesus. We believe in all the holy books that had been sent by god to his Prophets. Prophet Muhammad was the last Prophet and Messenger that god sent to earth. Prophet Muhammad sent the same message as all other Prophets before him did, which is to worship only god. God gave him the Holy Quran as he gave Jesus the Holy Bible and Moses the Torah. As a Muslim practicing the Islamic faith I believe in everything that I mentioned above. Islamic faith got 5 pillars that every Muslim have to believe and do as a part of being a Muslim. Those 5 pillars are: The Creed, which is there is only one god to worship and Muhammad is his Prophet; The Prayers, praying five times a day; Donation to the poor; Fasting Ramadan (a holy Islamic month); and the fifth one is Pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a life time. I still believe all of these things and more are true; the strength of my faith has not wavered. However, I am very glad I know more about other religions, as it helps to place my own in the proper context. Why do we exist? What is our purpose in life? In the Holy Quran God says "Ina lilah wa ina ilaih rajeoon", which means that we belong to god and to him alone is our return. I believe that life is a journey, and god gave us our freedom to decide how we want to live it. We got our own choices to make and how we want to spend our time on earth. Not believing in God and living without a religion, we will just get lost on this journey. God is our guide in this journey, and he gave us the free well to choose whether to follow him or not. I also believe that God gave us two paths to choose from, he gave a choice to take the path to Heaven or to take the path to Hell. It is our choice to decide where we want to go, walking through the right path and making the right decisions in life will lead us to Heaven. At the same time, I have opened my eyes to religious pluralism somewhat; the philosophies of Durkheim and Geertz, in particular, have shown me that religion has a similarly important role in many cultures, and plays a vital societal role. With this in mind, I find myself very comforted, as my faith has a fairly important purpose in my interaction with others in society. 2. If I were to choose what two philosophers I appreciated the most I would say that Durkheim and Geertz may look at the concept of religion with the highest level of respect. According to them, religion is an intensely multifaceted and useful way to examine cultures and societies, and very effective in providing a positive framework for a society. By both identifying symbols and determining their use, Durkheim and Geertz see religion and the sacred as an inexorable part of society. Geertz' adherence to Parson's method of analyzing a society places religion on individual, social and cultural levels, allowing for the system of religion to affect different people in different ways (Pals). By taking this functionalist approach, Durkheim-Geertz notes that religion is a way to deal with concerns a society has, and this has a very real value in creating a civilization. I very much appreciate the teachings of Durkheim and Geertz; without infringing on the validity of the religion itself, they manage to explain perfectly that religion goes hand in hand with the way we interact with each other. As my own religion guides me through my life, I understand their perspective that this is what helps me to integrate myself into society; these teachings make me part of a community, and one I am proud of. In terms of my own views on religion, I would have to say the most objectionable approach lies with Marx-Freud. Their perspectives distinctly favor religion as the aforementioned "opium of the people," acting almost purely as a system to help mask systemic problems within a society or an individual's life. Marx believes that religion is a tool used by the elite to fool the poor into thinking their lives are valuable and well cared for, when the opposite is often true (Pals). Freud, at the same time, believes that religion is often used by people to mask uncomfortable truths that they are not ready to face yet (e.g. the inevitability of death, the lack of divine purpose) (Pals). According to them, while religion can be a welcome comfort, it should not be used to mask hard truths in both individual and communal life that must be dealt with. Because my Muslim faith is very close to my heart, I cannot in good conscience endorse those views; I find them extremely cynical and dismissive to those who have deeply-held beliefs to, effectively, mask them as coping mechanisms for a depressed mind. The notion of religion being an inherently negative thing does not sit well with me at all; despite the fact that many bad things have been done in the name of religion, religion also has the potential to heal and help many people in need of salvation and direction. To paint religion as merely a delusion is extremely disrespectful, and I cannot in good conscience endorse that viewpoint. Furthermore, I find the alternative (that religion is hopeless) very cynical and negative, as otherwise life would be purposeless, and society might simply fall apart if we do not have at least something to hold on to. 3. One way in which this class has helped me to understand the greater role of religion in my society has been the concepts of religious pluralism that our discussions and readings have instilled in me. Others may fully believe in the truth of two or more religions; these people fully embrace the mutually exclusive ideas of each religion and consider them valid. Regardless of where one falls in the spectrum, there are many fundamental questions that are asked of religious pluralists - the most important of these being: How does one cope with religious pluralism given the inherent fallacy that no two religions can both be correct? In Kuwait, where I am from, religious pluralism is something that is not very prevalent; we more or less all follow the teachings of Allah. At the same time, people are much more willing to be lenient about Muslim customs, such as the "hijab" for women (which is optional). People's comfort level with religious pluralism deals heavily with their willingness to accept conflicting truth-claims; this is evidenced through the interpretation of their own religion. One of the biggest difficulties with reconciling religious pluralism for some is the terminology of each religion; many different religions have similar or differing concepts, all given different labels and sometimes analogous to one another. With this phenomenon, a divide occurs that makes it difficult for some to relate to the traditions of others, making religious pluralism a complex status to achieve in most. People in Kuwait can be very fanatical about their religion; religion hugely dictates all aspects of politics, art and music. When I was growing up, I did understand the importance of religion in my country's way of life, but I did not fully understand until this class what it is like for people to create their own ways of life and culture without religion or God as the basis. In Kuwait, it would take a dramatic change for a religiously plural society to happen; Allah is far too deeply ingrained in our society for that to change without major upheavals. At the same time, I do not strictly feel that it is necessary for us to change; we are proud of our heritage, and our relationship with God, and so we are comfortable with our government and our culture helping to serve those ends and enhance that relationship. This class has helped me understand religious pluralism a lot more, mostly due to the exposure I have had to other philosophers and religions. The fact that we have philosophers who view religions as social constructs helps me, at the very least, to more easily recognize the role religion takes in my own culture and country. In Kuwait, we basically take Muslim practice as a given in daily life; government policies and the way we conduct ourselves are done with a serious attempt to abide by the Holy Quran. I also learned the importance of tolerance; recognizing that most religions have had periods of their history that are rife with violence makes me more fully understand the motivations behind my own people's beliefs, and that many religions and philosophies fight for dominance. This realization is why I now carry a greater appreciation for religious pluralism. My country is Muslim and proud of it; there is no reason that should change. That being said, all people need to be more tolerant of others; they must tolerate us, and vice versa. While we form the basis of our lives on the teachings of the Holy Quran, that would be no reason to confront others who do not have the same beliefs, and merely wish to live in peace.

Daniel Pals, Eight Theories of Religion (Oxford, 2006).

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13.1 What Is Religion?

Learning outcomes.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

  • Distinguish between religion, spirituality, and worldview.
  • Describe the connections between witchcraft, sorcery, and magic.
  • Identify differences between deities and spirits.
  • Identify shamanism.
  • Describe the institutionalization of religion in state societies.

Defining Religion, Spirituality, and Worldview

An anthropological inquiry into religion can easily become muddled and hazy because religion encompasses intangible things such as values, ideas, beliefs, and norms. It can be helpful to establish some shared signposts. Two researchers whose work has focused on religion offer definitions that point to diverse poles of thought about the subject. Frequently, anthropologists bookend their understanding of religion by citing these well-known definitions.

French sociologist Émile Durkheim (1858–1917) utilized an anthropological approach to religion in his study of totemism among Indigenous Australian peoples in the early 20th century. In his work The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life (1915), he argues that social scientists should begin with what he calls “simple religions” in their attempts to understand the structure and function of belief systems in general. His definition of religion takes an empirical approach and identifies key elements of a religion: “A religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden—beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community called a Church, all those who adhere to them” (47). This definition breaks down religion into the components of beliefs, practices, and a social organization—what a shared group of people believe and do.

The other signpost used within anthropology to make sense of religion was crafted by American anthropologist Clifford Geertz (1926–2006) in his work The Interpretation of Cultures (1973). Geertz’s definition takes a very different approach: “A religion is: (1) a system of symbols which acts to (2) establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by (3) formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and (4) clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that (5) the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic” (90). Geertz’s definition, which is complex and holistic and addresses intangibles such as emotions and feelings, presents religion as a different paradigm , or overall model, for how we see systems of belief. Geertz views religion as an impetus to view and act upon the world in a certain manner. While still acknowledging that religion is a shared endeavor, Geertz focuses on religion’s role as a potent cultural symbol. Elusive, ambiguous, and hard to define, religion in Geertz’s conception is primarily a feeling that motivates and unites groups of people with shared beliefs. In the next section, we will examine the meanings of symbols and how they function within cultures, which will deepen your understanding of Geertz’s definition. For Geertz, religion is intensely symbolic.

When anthropologists study religion, it can be helpful to consider both of these definitions because religion includes such varied human constructs and experiences as social structures, sets of beliefs, a feeling of awe, and an aura of mystery. While different religious groups and practices sometimes extend beyond what can be covered by a simple definition, we can broadly define religion as a shared system of beliefs and practices regarding the interaction of natural and supernatural phenomena. And yet as soon as we ascribe a meaning to religion, we must distinguish some related concepts, such as spirituality and worldview.

Over the last few years, a growing number of Americans have been choosing to define themselves as spiritual rather than religious. A 2017 Pew Research Center study found that 27 percent of Americans identify as “spiritual but not religious,” which is 8 percentage points higher than it was in 2012 (Lipka and Gecewicz 2017). There are different factors that can distinguish religion and spirituality, and individuals will define and use these terms in specific ways; however, in general, while religion usually refers to shared affiliation with a particular structure or organization, spirituality normally refers to loosely structured beliefs and feelings about relationships between the natural and supernatural worlds. Spirituality can be very adaptable to changing circumstances and is often built upon an individual’s perception of the surrounding environment.

Many Americans with religious affiliation also use the term spirituality and distinguish it from their religion. Pew found in 2017 that 48 percent of respondents said they were both religious and spiritual. Pew also found that 27 percent of people say religion is very important to them (Lipka and Gecewicz 2017).

Another trend pertaining to religion in the United States is the growth of those defining themselves as nones , or people with no religious affiliation. In a 2014 survey of 35,000 Americans from 50 states, Pew found that nearly a quarter of Americans assigned themselves to this category (Pew Research Center 2015). The percentage of adults assigning themselves to the “none” category had grown substantially, from 16 percent in 2007 to 23 percent in 2014; among millennials, the percentage of nones was even higher, at 35 percent (Lipka 2015). In a follow-up survey, participants were asked to identity their major reasons for choosing to be nonaffiliated; the most common responses pointed to the growing politicization of American churches and a more critical and questioning stance toward the institutional structure of all religions (Pew Research Center 2018). It is important, however, to point out that nones are not the same as agnostics or atheists. Nones may hold traditional and/or nontraditional religious beliefs outside of membership in a religious institution. Agnosticism is the belief that God or the divine is unknowable and therefore skepticism of belief is appropriate, and atheism is a stance that denies the existence of a god or collection of gods. Nones, agnostics, and atheists can hold spiritual beliefs, however. When anthropologists study religion, it is very important for them to define the terms they are using because these terms can have different meanings when used outside of academic studies. In addition, the meaning of terms may change. As the social and political landscape in a society changes, it affects all social institutions, including religion.

Even those who consider themselves neither spiritual nor religious hold secular, or nonreligious, beliefs that structure how they view themselves and the world they live in. The term worldview refers to a person’s outlook or orientation; it is a learned perspective, which has both individual and collective components, on the nature of life itself. Individuals frequently conflate and intermingle their religious and spiritual beliefs and their worldviews as they experience change within their lives. When studying religion, anthropologists need to remain aware of these various dimensions of belief. The word religion is not always adequate to identify an individual’s belief systems.

Like all social institutions, religion evolves within and across time and cultures—even across early human species! Adapting to changes in population size and the reality of people’s daily lives, religions and religious/spiritual practices reflect life on the ground . Interestingly, though, while some institutions (such as economics) tend to change radically from one era to another, often because of technological changes, religion tends to be more viscous , meaning it tends to change at a much slower pace and mix together various beliefs and practices. While religion can be a factor in promoting rapid social change, it more commonly changes slowly and retains older features while adding new ones. In effect, religion contains within it many of its earlier iterations and can thus be quite complex.

Witchcraft, Sorcery, and Magic

People in Western cultures too often think of religion as a belief system associated with a church, temple, or mosque, but religion is much more diverse. In the 1960s, anthropologists typically used an evolutionary model for religion that associated less structured religious systems with simple societies and more complex forms of religion with more complex political systems. Anthropologists noticed that as populations grew, all forms of organization—political, economic, social, and religious—became more complex as well. For example, with the emergence of tribal societies, religion expanded to become not only a system of healing and connection with both animate and inanimate things in the environment but also a mechanism for addressing desire and conflict. Witchcraft and sorcery, both forms of magic, are more visible in larger-scale, more complex societies.

The terms witchcraft and sorcery are variously defined across disciplines and from one researcher to another, yet there is some agreement about common elements associated with each. Witchcraft involves the use of intangible (not material) means to cause a change in circumstances to another person. It is normally associated with practices such as incantations, spells, blessings, and other types of formulaic language that, when pronounced, causes a transformation. Sorcery is similar to witchcraft but involves the use of material elements to cause a change in circumstances to another person. It is normally associated with such practices as magical bundles, love potions, and any specific action that uses another person’s personal leavings (such as their hair, nails, or even excreta). While some scholars argue that witchcraft and sorcery are “dark,” negative, antisocial actions that seek to punish others, ethnographic research is filled with examples of more ambiguous or even positive uses as well. Cultural anthropologist Alma Gottlieb , who did fieldwork among the Beng people of Côte d’Ivoire in Africa, describes how the king that the Beng choose as their leader must always be a witch himself, not because of his ability to harm others but because his mystical powers allow him to protect the Beng people that he rules (2008). His knowledge and abilities allow him to be a capable ruler.

Some scholars argue that witchcraft and sorcery may be later developments in religion and not part of the earliest rituals because they can be used to express social conflict. What is the relationship between conflict, religion, and political organization? Consider what you learned in Social Inequalities . As a society’s population rises, individuals within that society have less familiarity and personal experience with each other and must instead rely on family reputation or rank as the basis for establishing trust. Also, as social diversity increases, people find themselves interacting with those who have different behaviors and beliefs from their own. Frequently, we trust those who are most like ourselves, and diversity can create a sense of mistrust. This sense of not knowing or understanding the people one lives, works, and trades with creates social stress and forces people to put themselves into what can feel like risky situations when interacting with one another. In such a setting, witchcraft and sorcery provide a feeling of security and control over other people. Historically, as populations increased and sociocultural institutions became larger and more complex, religion evolved to provide mechanisms such as witchcraft and sorcery that helped individuals establish a sense of social control over their lives.

Magic is essential to both witchcraft and sorcery, and the principles of magic are part of every religion. The anthropological study of magic is considered to have begun in the late 19th century with the 1890 publication of The Golden Bough , by Scottish social anthropologist Sir James G. Frazer . This work, published in several volumes, details the rituals and beliefs of a diverse range of societies, all collected by Frazer from the accounts of missionaries and travelers. Frazer was an armchair anthropologist, meaning that he did not practice fieldwork. In his work, he provided one of the earliest definitions of magic, describing it as “a spurious system of natural law as well as a fallacious guide of conduct” (Frazer [1922] 1925, 11). A more precise and neutral definition depicts magic as a supposed system of natural law whose practice causes a transformation to occur. In the natural world—the world of our senses and the things we hear, see, smell, taste, and touch—we operate with evidence of observable cause and effect. Magic is a system in which the actions or causes are not always empirical. Speaking a spell or other magical formula does not provide observable (empirical) effects. For practitioners of magic, however, this abstract cause and effect is just as consequential and just as true.

Frazer refers to magic as “sympathetic magic” because it is based on the idea of sympathy, or common feeling, and he argued that there are two principles of sympathetic magic: the law of similarity and the law of contagion. The law of similarity is the belief that a magician can create a desired change by imitating that change. This is associated with actions or charms that mimic or look like the effects one desires, such as the use of an effigy that looks like another person or even the Venus figurine associated with the Upper Paleolithic period, whose voluptuous female body parts may have been used as part of a fertility ritual. By taking actions on the stand-in figure, the magician is able to cause an effect on the person believed to be represented by this figure. The law of contagion is the belief that things that have once been in contact with each other remain connected always, such as a piece of jewelry owned by someone you love, a locket of hair or baby tooth kept as a keepsake, or personal leavings to be used in acts of sorcery.

This classification of magic broadens our understanding of how magic can be used and how common it is across all religions. Prayers and special mortuary artifacts ( grave goods ) indicate that the concept of magic is an innately human practice and not associated solely with tribal societies. In most cultures and across religious traditions, people bury or cremate loved ones with meaningful clothing, jewelry, or even a photo. These practices and sentimental acts are magical bonds and connections among acts, artifacts, and people. Even prayers and shamanic journeying (a form of metaphysical travel) to spirits and deities, practiced in almost all religious traditions, are magical contracts within people’s belief systems that strengthen practitioners’ faith. Instead of seeing magic as something outside of religion that diminishes seriousness, anthropologists see magic as a profound human act of faith.

Supernatural Forces and Beings

As stated earlier, religion typically regards the interaction of natural and supernatural phenomena. Put simply, a supernatural force is a figure or energy that does not follow natural law. In other words, it is nonempirical and cannot be measured or observed by normal means. Religious practices rely on contact and interaction with a wide range of supernatural forces of varying degrees of complexity and specificity.

In many religious traditions, there are both supernatural deities, or gods who are named and have the ability to change human fortunes, and spirits, who are less powerful and not always identified by name. Spirit or spirits can be diffuse and perceived as a field of energy or an unnamed force.

Practitioners of witchcraft and sorcery manipulate a supposed supernatural force that is often referred to by the term mana , first identified in Polynesia among the Maori of New Zealand ( mana is a Maori word). Anthropologists see a similar supposed sacred energy field in many different religious traditions and now use this word to refer to that energy force. Mana is an impersonal (unnamed and unidentified) force that can adhere for varying periods of time to people or animate and inanimate objects to make them sacred. One example is in the biblical story that appears in Mark 5:25–30, in which a woman suffering an illness simply touches Jesus’s cloak and is healed. Jesus asks, “Who touched my clothes?” because he recognizes that some of this force has passed from him to the woman who was ill in order to heal her. Many Christians see the person of Jesus as sacred and holy from the time of his baptism by the Holy Spirit. Christian baptism in many traditions is meant as a duplication or repetition of Christ’s baptism.

There are also named and known supernatural deities. A deity is a god or goddess. Most often conceived as humanlike, gods (male) and goddesses (female) are typically named beings with individual personalities and interests. Monotheistic religions focus on a single named god or goddess, and polytheistic religions are built around a pantheon, or group, of gods and/or goddesses, each usually specializing in a specific sort of behavior or action. And there are spirits , which tend to be associated with very specific (and narrower) activities, such as earth spirits or guardian spirits (or angels). Some spirits emanate from or are connected directly to humans, such as ghosts and ancestor spirits , which may be attached to specific individuals, families, or places. In some patrilineal societies, ancestor spirits require a great deal of sacrifice from the living. This veneration of the dead can consume large quantities of resources. In the Philippines, the practice of venerating the ancestor spirits involves elaborate house shrines, altars, and food offerings. In central Madagascar, the Merino people practice a regular “turning of the bones,” called famidihana . Every five to seven years, a family will disinter some of their deceased family members and replace their burial clothing with new, expensive silk garments as a form of remembrance and to honor all of their ancestors. In both of these cases, ancestor spirits are believed to continue to have an effect on their living relatives, and failure to carry out these rituals is believed to put the living at risk of harm from the dead.

Religious Specialists

Religious groups typically have some type of leadership, whether formal or informal. Some religious leaders occupy a specific role or status within a larger organization, representing the rules and regulations of the institution, including norms of behavior. In anthropology, these individuals are called priests , even though they may have other titles within their religious groups. Anthropology defines priests as full-time practitioners, meaning they occupy a religious rank at all times, whether or not they are officiating at rituals or ceremonies, and they have leadership over groups of people. They serve as mediators or guides between individuals or groups of people and the deity or deities. In religion-specific terms, anthropological priests may be called by various names, including titles such as priest, pastor, preacher, teacher, imam (Islam), and rabbi (Judaism).

Another category of specialists is prophets . These individuals are associated with religious change and transformation, calling for a renewal of beliefs or a restructuring of the status quo. Their leadership is usually temporary or indirect, and sometimes the prophet is on the margins of a larger religious organization. German sociologist Max Weber (1947) identified prophets as having charisma , a personality trait that conveys authority:

Charisma is a certain quality of an individual personality by virtue of which he is set apart from ordinary men and treated as endowed with supernatural, superhuman, or at least specifically exceptional powers or qualities. These as such are not accessible to the ordinary person, but are regarded as of divine origin or as exemplary, and on the basis of them the individual concerned is treated as a leader. (358–359)

A third type of specialist is shamans . Shamans are part-time religious specialists who work with clients to address very specific and individual needs by making direct contact with deities or supernatural forces. While priests will officiate at recurring ritual events, a shaman, much like a medical psychologist, addresses each individual need. One exception to this is the shaman’s role in subsistence, usually hunting. In societies where the shaman is responsible for “calling up the animals” so that hunters will have success, the ritual may be calendrical , or occurring on a cyclical basis. While shamans are medical and religious specialists within shamanic societies, there are other religions that practice forms of shamanism as part of their own belief systems. Sometimes, these shamanic practitioners will be known by terms such as pastor or preacher , or even layperson . And some religious specialists serve as both part-time priests and part-time shamans, occupying more than one role as needed within a group of practitioners. You will read more about shamanism in the next section.

One early form of religion is shamanism , a practice of divination and healing that involves soul travel, also called shamanic journeying, to connect natural and supernatural realms in nonlinear time. Associated initially with small-scale societies, shamanic practices are now known to be embedded in many of the world’s religions. In some cultures, shamans are part-time specialists, usually drawn into the practice by a “calling” and trained in the necessary skills and rituals though an apprenticeship. In other cultures, all individuals are believed to be capable of shamanic journeying if properly trained. By journeying—an act frequently initiated by dance, trance, drumbeat, song, or hallucinogenic substances—the shaman is able to consult with a spiritual world populated by supernatural figures and deceased ancestors. The term itself, šamán , meaning “one who knows,” is an Evenki word, originating among the Evenk people of northern Siberia. Shamanism, found all over the world, was first studied by anthropologists in Siberia.

While shamanism is a healing practice, it conforms to the anthropological definition of religion as a shared set of beliefs and practices pertaining to the natural and supernatural. Cultures and societies that publicly affirm shamanism as a predominant and generally accepted practice often are referred to as shamanic cultures . Shamanism and shamanic activity, however, are found within most religions. The world’s two dominant mainstream religions both contain a type of shamanistic practice: the laying on of hands in Christianity, in which a mystical healing and blessing is passed from one person to another, and the mystical Islamic practice of Sufism, in which the practitioner, called a dervish, dances by whirling faster and faster in order to reach a trance state of communing with the divine. There are numerous other shared religious beliefs and practices among different religions besides shamanism. Given the physical and social evolution of our species, it is likely that we all share aspects of a fundamental religious orientation and that religious changes are added on to, rather than used to replace, earlier practices such as shamanism.

Indigenous shamanism continues to be a significant force for healing and prophecy today and is the predominant religious mode in small-scale, subsistence-based societies, such as bands of gatherers and hunters. Shamanism is valued by hunters as an intuitive way to locate wild animals, often depicted as “getting into the mind of the animal.” Shamanism is also valued as a means of healing, allowing individuals to discern and address sources of physical and social illness that may be affecting their health. One of the best-studied shamanic healing practices is that of the !Kung San in Central Africa. When individuals in that society suffer physical or socioemotional distress, they practice n/um tchai , a medicine dance, to draw up spiritual forces within themselves that can be used for shamanic self-healing (Marshall [1969] 2009).

Shamanistic practices remain an important part of the culture of modern Inuit people in the Canadian Arctic, particularly their practices pertaining to whale hunting. Although these traditional hunts were prohibited for a time, Inuit people were able to legally resume them in 1994. In a recent study of Inuit whaling communities in the Canadian territory of Nunavut, cultural anthropologists Frédéric Laugrand and Jarich Oosten (2013) found that although hunting technology has changed—whaling spears now include a grenade that, when aimed properly, allows for a quick and more humane death—many shamanistic beliefs and social practices pertaining to the hunt endure. The sharing of maktak or muktuk (whale skin and blubber) with elders is believed to lift their spirits and prolong their lives by connecting them to their ancestors and memories of their youth, the communal sharing of whale meat connects families to each other, and the relationship between hunter and hunted mystically sustains the populations of both. Inuit hunters believe that the whale “gives itself” to the hunter in order to establish this relationship, and when the hunter and community gratefully and humbly consume the catch, this ties the whales to the people and preserves them both. While Laugrand and Oosten found that most Inuit communities practice modern-day Christianity, the shamanistic values of their ancestors continue to play a major role in their understanding of both the whale hunt and what it means to be Inuit today. Their practice and understanding of religion incorporate both the church and their ancestral beliefs.

Above all, shamanism reflects the principles and practice of mutuality and balance, the belief that all living things are connected to each other and can have an effect on each other. This is a value that reverberates through almost all other religious systems as well. Concepts such as stewardship (caring for and nurturing resources), charity (providing for the needs of others), and justice (concern and respect for others and their rights) are all valued in shamanism.

The Institutionalization of Religion

Shamanism is classified as animism , a worldview in which spiritual agency is assigned to all things, including natural elements such as rocks and trees. Sometimes associated with the idea of dual souls—a day soul and a night soul, the latter of which can wander in dreams—and sometimes with unnamed and disembodied spirits believed to be associated with living and nonliving things, animism was at first understood by anthropologists as a primitive step toward more complex religions. In his work Primitive Culture (1871), British anthropologist Sir Edward Tylor , considered the first academic anthropologist, identified animism as a proto-religion, an evolutionary beginning point for all religions. As population densities increased and societies developed more complex forms of social organization, religion mirrored many of these changes.

With the advent of state societies, religion became institutionalized. As population densities increased and urban areas emerged, the structure and function of religion shifted into a bureaucracy, known as a state religion . State religions are formal institutions with full-time administrators (e.g., priests, pastors, rabbis, imams), a set doctrine of beliefs and regulations, and a policy of growth by seeking new practitioners through conversion. While state religions continued to exhibit characteristics of earlier forms, they were now structured as organizations with a hierarchy, including functionaries at different levels with different specializations. Religion was now administered as well as practiced. Similar to the use of mercenaries as paid soldiers in a state army, bureaucratic religions include paid positions that may not require subscribing to the belief system itself. Examples of early state religions include the pantheons of Egypt and Greece. Today, the most common state religions are Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism.

Rather than part-time shamans, tribal and state religions are often headed by full-time religious leaders who administer higher levels within the religious bureaucracy. With institutionalization, religion began to develop formalized doctrines , or sets of specific and usually rigid principles or teachings, that would be applied through the codification of a formal system of laws. And, unlike earlier religious forms, state religions are usually defined not by birthright but by conversion. Using proselytization , a recruitment practice in which members actively seek converts to the group, state religions are powerful institutions in society. They bring diverse groups of people together and establish common value systems.

There are two common arrangements between political states and state religions. In some instances, such as contemporary Iran, the religious institution and the state are one, and religious leaders head the political structure. In other societies, there is an explicit separation between religion and state. The separation has been handled differently across nation-states. In some states, the political government supports a state religion (or several) as the official religion(s). In some of these cases, the religious institution will play a role in political decision-making from local to national levels. In other state societies with a separation between religion and state, religious institutions will receive favors, such as subsidies, from state governments. This may include tax or military exemptions and privileged access to resources. It is this latter arrangement that we see in the United States, where institutions such as the Department of Defense and the IRS keep lists of officially recognized religions with political and tax-exempt status.

Among the approximately 200 sovereign nation-states worldwide, there are many variations in the relationship between state and religion, including societies that have political religions, where the state or state rulers are considered divine and holy. In North Korea today, people practice an official policy of juche , which means self-reliance and independence. A highly nationalist policy, it has religious overtones, including reverence and obeisance to the state leader (Kim Jong Un) and unquestioning allegiance to the North Korean state. An extreme form of nationalism, juche functions as a political religion with the government and leader seen as deity and divine. Unlike in a theocracy, where the religious structure has political power, in North Korea, the political structure is the practiced religion.

Historically, relationships between religious institution and state have been extremely complex, with power arrangements shifting and changing over time. Today, Christian fundamentalism is playing an increasingly political role in U.S. society. Since its bureaucratization, religion has had a political role in almost every nation-state. In many state societies, religious institutions serve as charity organizations to meet the basic needs of many citizens, as educational institutions offering both mainstream and alternative pedagogies, and as community organizations to help mobilize groups of people for specific actions. Although some states—such as Cuba, China, Cambodia, North Korea, and the former Soviet Union—have declared atheism as their official policy during certain historical periods, religion has never fully disappeared in any of them. Religious groups, however, may face varying levels of oppression within state societies. The Uighurs are a mostly Muslim ethnic group of some 10 million people in northwestern China. Since 2017, when Chinese president Xi Jinping issued an order that all religions in China should be Chinese in their orientation, the Uighurs have faced mounting levels of oppression, including discrimination in state services. There have been recent accusations of mass sterilizations and genocide by the Chinese government against this ethnic minority (see BBC News 2021). During periods of state oppression, religion tends to break up into smaller units practiced at a local or even household level.

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100+ Religion Essay Topics

RELIGION ESSAY TOPICS

The realm of religion has always been a deeply fascinating and, at times, contentious area of study. The possibilities for exploration are vast, from theological doctrines to the impact of religion on societies. If you are a student or an enthusiast looking to delve into religious studies through essays, you’ve come to the right place.

Table of Contents

What is a Religion Essay?

A religion essay is a piece of writing that explores topics related to spirituality, theological doctrines, the historical evolution of religions, religious practices, and the impact of religion on various facets of society. It provides an avenue for individuals to critically examine and articulate their understanding of a religious subject, fostering both introspection and academic analysis.

Guide on Choosing a Religion Essay Topic

In 100-150 words? Here goes: Choosing a topic for a religion essay can be overwhelming, given the vastness of the subject. Start by narrowing your focus. Are you more interested in theological concepts, historical events, or social impacts? Research current events related to religion, as contemporary issues can provide fresh perspectives. Reflect on personal experiences or curiosities. It’s always easier to write on topics you’re passionate about. Lastly, ensure your chosen topic has enough credible sources available for a well-researched essay.

Religion Essay Topics Lists

Theological concepts.

  • The Concept of God in Abrahamic Religions
  • Karma and Reincarnation in Hinduism
  • The Significance of Nirvana in Buddhism
  • Sufism: The Mystical Dimension of Islam
  • The Holy Trinity in Christianity: Interpretations and Beliefs

Historical Events

  • The Crusades: Religious Zeal or Political Conquest?
  • The Reformation and its Impact on Christianity
  • Spread of Islam: Historical Perspectives and Causes
  • Ancient Egyptian Religion and its Influence on Society
  • The Role of the Vatican during World War II

Social Impacts

  • Religion and its Role in Shaping Moral Values
  • The Influence of Religion on Art and Architecture
  • Religion and Politics: A Dangerous Liaison?
  • Impact of Secularism on Modern Societies
  • Feminism and Religion: Points of Convergence and Divergence

Contemporary Issues

  • The Rise of Atheism in the 21st Century
  • Religion and LGBTQ+ Rights: Conflicts and Resolutions
  • Modern Religious Movements and Cults: A Study
  • Religion in the Age of Technology: Evolution or Dissolution?
  • Climate Change: Religious Perspectives and Responsibilities

Personal Reflections

  • My Spiritual Journey: Discoveries and Challenges
  • Religion in My Family: Traditions and Changes
  • The Role of Prayer in My Life
  • Personal Experiences with Religious Tolerance and Intolerance
  • Finding Peace: A Personal Encounter with Meditation

Historical Contexts

  • The Fall of Constantinople: Religious Implications
  • The Establishment of the Church of England
  • Comparative Analysis: Spread of Christianity and Islam in Africa
  • The Dead Sea Scrolls: Relevance and Discoveries
  • Influence of the Byzantine Church on Orthodox Christianity

Theological Doctrines

  • Comparative Analysis of Heaven in Different Religions
  • The Role of Angels and Demons across Religions
  • Salvation in Christian Theology
  • Islamic Views on Predestination
  • Hindu Views on Creation and Cosmos

Philosophical Questions

  • The Problem of Evil in Religious Thought
  • The Existence of God: Arguments For and Against
  • Morality: Divine Command Theory vs. Secular Ethics
  • Free Will vs. Divine Determinism
  • The Concept of Soul in Various Religions

Modern Interpretations and Movements

  • Progressive Christianity: A New Age Movement?
  • Jihad: Misunderstandings and Clarifications
  • Spiritual but Not Religious: The Rise of Secular Spirituality
  • Neo-Paganism and Modern Witchcraft
  • The Baha’i Faith and Its Universal Message

Religious Practices and Rituals

  • The Significance of Hajj in Islam
  • Christian Sacraments: Symbols and Meanings
  • Hindu Festivals and Their Socio-religious Importance
  • Jewish Dietary Laws: Significance and Practice
  • Zen Buddhism: Practices and Philosophies

Religion and Society

  • The Role of Religion in Contemporary Politics
  • Religion and Education: Benefits and Drawbacks
  • Religious Perspectives on Healthcare Ethics
  • The Impact of Religion on Family Structures
  • Religion in Media: Representation and Bias

Interfaith and Comparative Studies

  • Comparative Study of Abrahamic Religions
  • Eastern vs. Western Spiritual Practices
  • Similarities in Creation Myths Across Religions
  • Comparative Study of Ascetic Practices in Religions
  • Rituals of Death and Afterlife Across Cultures

Gender and Religion

  • Female Figures in Christianity: Beyond Mary
  • The Role of Women in Islamic Societies
  • Feminine Divinities in Hinduism
  • Gender Roles in Traditional and Modern Jewish Practices
  • The Evolution of Gender Norms in Buddhist Traditions

Religion and Science

  • Religious Perspectives on Evolution
  • The Vatican and Astronomy: A Historic Relationship
  • Islamic Contributions to Science and Mathematics
  • Hindu Cosmology and Modern Astrophysics
  • Buddhism and Psychology: Overlaps and Insights

Mysticism and Esoteric Beliefs

  • Kabbalah: Jewish Mysticism Explored
  • Christian Gnostic Traditions
  • Sufism: The Heart of Islamic Mysticism
  • Tantra in Hinduism and Buddhism: Misunderstandings and Realities
  • The Rosicrucians: History and Beliefs of a Mysterious Order

Sacred Texts and Their Interpretations

  • The Bhagavad Gita: A Philosophical Analysis
  • Parables in the New Testament: Meanings and Implications
  • The Talmud and Its Relevance in Contemporary Judaism
  • The Tao Te Ching: Exploring Daoist Philosophy
  • Themes of Justice and Mercy in the Qur’an

Religion and Art

  • Depictions of Buddha in Art: Evolution and Significance
  • Christian Iconography: Symbols and Their Origins
  • Islamic Calligraphy: Beauty in Sacred Texts
  • Religious Themes in Renaissance Art
  • The Influence of Hindu Mythology on Classical Dance Forms

Faith and Modern Challenges

  • Addressing Climate Change: Religious Responses and Responsibilities
  • Religion in the Digital Age: New Forms of Worship and Community
  • The Ethics of Genetic Engineering from Religious Perspectives
  • Faith Healing vs. Modern Medicine: A Comparative Analysis
  • The Role of Religion in Modern Mental Health Practices

Minor Religions and Sects

  • Jainism: Principles of Non-Violence and Asceticism
  • The Yoruba Religion: Understanding Orishas and Rituals
  • The Alevi Community: Beliefs and Practices
  • Zoroastrianism: History and Current Status
  • The Raelian Movement: Extraterrestrial Beliefs and Controversies

Call to Action

Overwhelmed by the vastness of religious topics or unsure how to articulate your thoughts cohesively? Let WriteOnDeadline help! Our expert essay writers are well-versed in diverse religious subjects and can craft an impeccable essay tailored to your needs. Don’t hesitate – reach out to us today!

Useful References

  • BBC Religions – Comprehensive information on a wide array of religions.
  • Religion Online – Full texts by recognized religious scholars.
  • Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project – Offers statistical research and reports on religion’s role in society.

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Essays on Religion

A religion essay is focused on an eternal topic, as religion has existed throughout many centuries for as long as humanity. Religion is also one of the oldest manifestations of culture. Religion essays define religion as a set of certain spiritual views and ideas, as well as corresponding rituals and cults. Nowadays, world religions are most prominent, so essays on religion focus primarily on them. There are only three such religions: Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism. There are also national religions, but few of them have survived: Taoism and Confucianism in China, Shintoism in Japan, Hinduism in India, Zoroastrianism among the descendants of the ancient Iranians, Judaism among the Jews, and some others. If you have unanswered questions about religion, view our religion essay samples. We put together a list of the best essay samples you can follow in order to create superb essays.

Social work is perceived as a holistic subject focusing on an individual in their environment and acknowledges the psychological emotional, physical and social facets of a person. Even so, such a definition neglects the spiritual well-being of humanity, which is a fundamental element. Oxhandler and Pargament (2014, p. 272) state...

Words: 4666

Pluralism is a concept that encompasses diversity in different perspectives. Religion pluralism is the most common type since people have the innate desire in believing the existence of a higher power. Due to varying ideologies, several religion practices have emerged where some have similar principals while others are contrasting. Therefore,...

Religion entails a set of individual beliefs and cultural systems regarding practices and behaviors such as sacred issues, supernatural being and divine nature of a particular human culture. Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam are some of the most common forms of religion in the folk. Growth, on the other hand,...

Religion and Personal Growth Religion is at the forefront of many debates in subjects such as parental duties, moral aberrations, the rights of church-affiliated schools, and the loss of personal identity. Similarly, religion has a profound effect on the personal growth of an individual. For a majority of the people, religion...

Religion and Personal Growth Religion is at the forefront of many debates in subjects such as parental duties, moral aberrations, the rights of church-affiliated schools, and the loss of personal identity. Similarly, religion has had a significant effect on personal growth. For a majority of the people, religion is the only...

Religion entails a set of individual beliefs and cultural systems regarding practices and behaviors that ranges from sacred things, supernatural being and divine nature of a particular human culture. Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, forms of folk region as well as Buddhism are all popular and largest religions existing in the world....

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Undoubtedly, religion guides us towards the right direction in our lives. It outlines what we should or should not do to grow. Even though some people tend to criticize religions, every person belongs to one. As long as a person has a set of beliefs, a world view, then they...

Various aspects of life define the universe and practices of people from place to place. The diverse definitive perspectives of life range from science, non-science, Protoscience and pseudoscience. The focus of this essay is to define and highlight instances of the aspects above. Science, Pseudoscience, Protoscience and Non-Science              Science refers to...

Sire gives the primary answers to this question as matter and God. He states that, if one chooses God to be the answer, then he should answer further questions: is the basic character of God impersonal or personal, indifferent or good, limited or omnipotent,...

Words: 1147

In the view of the existence of God There is the consideration of various things that tell the information. In this light, the presence of God shows the possibility of infinite power that is undeniable by any individual of sane mind. As God, is the superior being, all individuals and things...

Words: 1409

I am on a spiritual journey characterized by experiences that have taught me what life really is about especially when you are the subject of a Superior being, God. From when I was young, I have had a journey that has deepened and widened my understanding of the Christian tradition,...

Spinoza argues that God exists in own nature and acts alone from the requirements of his personal necessity and everything happening has a predetermination from God. I concur with his philosophy concerning the problems of desire and human servitude or freedom. Humans have anchored their actions with a view to...

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essay on the topic religion what does it mean to me

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COMMENTS

  1. Personal Narrative Essay: What Does Religion Mean to Me

    It changed me into a better version of myself. Religion is about how we embrace and accept it in our hearts. It is an understanding that we openly and warmly welcome in ourselves. It should not be the reason for misunderstanding. Instead, it should be the instrument of loving and connecting. For me, that's religion.

  2. What Does Religion Mean To Me Essay

    What Does Religion Mean To Me Essay. My parents have always strongly believed in religion, responsibility, and integrity. At a young age they put these values into action. We always attend church on Sunday's and make God our number one priority. My parents always give me responsibility, even as simple as making my bed, doing the dishes, or ...

  3. What Does Religion Mean To Me Essay

    What Does Religion Mean To Me Essay. The thing that strikes me the most is the fact that Jesus would have become man even if Original Sin didn't enter our lives (Benedict XVI). It makes me feel really loved when I think about the fact that God wanted to come to us even if we didn't fall. It shows that he loves us when we are good and bad.

  4. What Does Religion Mean To Me Essay

    What Does Religion Mean To Me Essay. Decent Essays. 589 Words. 3 Pages. Open Document. Growing up, church was never a huge aspect of my life, but it was always around me. My grandmother was a deeply religious Catholic, and many of the kids on my street went to the church around the corner. Despite this, my mother never forced my sisters and I ...

  5. Essays About Religion: Top 5 Examples and 7 Writing Prompts

    A good example is the latest abortion issue in the US, the overturning of "Wade vs. Roe." Include people's mixed reactions to this subject and their justifications. 5. Religion: Then and Now. On your essay, ddd the religion's history, its current situation in the country, and its old and new beliefs.

  6. My Personal Beliefs on Religion: Exploring Faith and Spirituality

    To continue essay about religion what does it mean to me, when I first heard the song "To Zion" by Ms. Lauryn Hill, the perfect blend of instrumentation, the powerful use of poetic elements, and her ability to depict the rawness of her story using language completely changed my view on sexuality and religion.

  7. Religion Essay Examples for College Students

    The body parts of your religion essay must start with a good topic sentence as you address a particular concept or the roots of some religious notions. It's always good if you can find reliable sources to support the facts. ... What Does Respect Mean to You: Christian Explanation. 13. Implementing the Four Noble Truths in Everyday Life. 14.

  8. What Religion Means to Me

    What Religion Means to Me. It is generally conceded that in a world where material values seem to be dropping out of sight further and further day by day, there is a growing realization that something else is needed. Some of us even feel that amidst the many evils and sorrows and injustices which are the fruit of what we call the depression ...

  9. My Idea of Religion and Faith: Personal Reflection

    My faith does encompass a faith in God and the notion of God is that he is the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. He is the ultimate healer and provider. During the route of this class, I have learned a lot about unique religions. I nevertheless have an unprejudiced view of religion. However, I did now not suspend my belief to have an grasp of ...

  10. Essay on What is Religion for Students and Children

    Religion refers to a belief in a divine entity or deity. Moreover, religion is about the presence of God who is controlling the entire world. Different people have different beliefs. And due to this belief, many different cultures exist. Further, there are a series of rituals performed by each religion. This is done to please Gods of their ...

  11. What Does Religion Mean To Me Essay

    1. Define religion. Religion is the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods, a particular system of faith and worship, and a pursuit or interest to which someone ascribes supreme importance.…. 457 Words. 2 Pages.

  12. What Does Religion Mean To Me

    714 Words. 3 Pages. Open Document. Following and respecting my religion is one of the most important commitment in my life. My religion helped me in any way to help myself become a better man.However, I did not always have the same type of commitment to my religion when I was younger.When I was younger I did not believe that my religion was ...

  13. Religion in the Modern World

    Religion is a set of cultural and belief system and practices that relate humanity to spirituality and are relative to sacred things (Heilman 25). It is a common term used to elect all concepts regarding the belief in the so called the god (s) or goddess as well as other divine beings concerns. Religion has everything to do with the faith.

  14. What Religion Means To Me Essays

    What Religion Means To Me Essay Example. Type of paper: Essay. Topic: Holiness, God, Muslim, Belief, Religion, Society, Life, Islam. Pages: 6. Words: 1700. Published: 01/18/2020. ORDER PAPER LIKE THIS. 1. In the wake of this class, I find my own Muslim faith strengthened significantly, while now learning to understand and respect the ...

  15. The Importance of Religion to Humanity

    This is why humanity needs healthy religious principles. A large part of humanity believes in the existence of gods and follow their norms religion. Believing in God and consequently in a religion would work. For example, as a comfort in the face of the inevitability of death. Thus, giving a purpose to existence for their passage through the ...

  16. 13.1 What Is Religion?

    The other signpost used within anthropology to make sense of religion was crafted by American anthropologist Clifford Geertz (1926-2006) in his work The Interpretation of Cultures (1973). Geertz's definition takes a very different approach: "A religion is: (1) a system of symbols which acts to (2) establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by (3 ...

  17. What Does Religion Mean To Me Essay

    What Does Religion Mean To Me Essay. Having reread my original autobiography I have realized how different my view on religion was then in comparison to now. Although I have never been extremely active in my religion I have gained a deeper understanding as to what it means to be Catholic. I had once thought that Catholicism was not a big part ...

  18. What Does Religion Mean To Me Essay

    That doesn't mean that we don't believe in God, we do, we just don't go to church. However, now as an adult my boyfriend's family is a very strong practicing catholic family. They go to church every weekend and they have many beliefs that they enforce strongly. I'm not saying that religion just means you have to go to church.

  19. 100+ Religion Essay Topics and Ideas

    The Fall of Constantinople: Religious Implications. The Establishment of the Church of England. Comparative Analysis: Spread of Christianity and Islam in Africa. The Dead Sea Scrolls: Relevance and Discoveries. Influence of the Byzantine Church on Orthodox Christianity.

  20. Free Essays on Religion, Examples, Topics, Outlines

    Essays on Religion. A religion essay is focused on an eternal topic, as religion has existed throughout many centuries for as long as humanity. Religion is also one of the oldest manifestations of culture. Religion essays define religion as a set of certain spiritual views and ideas, as well as corresponding rituals and cults.

  21. essay on the topic religion what does it mean to me

    Personal Narrative Essay: What Does Religion Mean to Me. We may be aware that religion refers to the cultural and belief system. It is also about how values, humanity, and spirituality relate to religion itself. However, have we already asked ourselves if what religion means to us? I am a Roman Catholic. The family I came from, they are Catholic.

  22. What Religion Means To Me Research Paper

    A religion is defined by Richard Schaefer as a unified system of beliefs and practices that relate to what is believed to be sacred (Schaefer, Richard T, 2009, pg 323). There are many world religions, such as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hindu, and so forth, and while all of these different religions are. 1158 Words.

  23. Exploring the Evolving Meanings of 'Religion': [Essay Example], 1124

    Definition of "Religion" is the action of attending to religious services Furthermore, in the word, there are many people that have strong believe in supernatural, whether it is about ghosts, the afterlife, a God, and many more, complicated the meaning of specific terms such as; Religion. As previously said, some views being religious by ...