Religions shape who people are and what they do, influencing everything from the naming of children to the ways people understand their environment. This broad influence is what makes the study of religion such a fascinating subject. But it is also what makes defining religion so difficult. The word itself has multiple meanings, which can muddy the waters and confuse newcomers to the subject.
Most attempts to define the term “religion” have been based on formal definitions, whereby one seeks to group facts in order to determine whether they share certain defining properties—or, more accurately, that all members of a given category will be able to be correctly identified by a particular name (for a discussion of this, see “definition” below). These types of definitions operate with the classical assumption that every instance of a given concept has a unique identifying property that sets it apart from all other concepts.
The problem with this approach is that it can create artificial categories and exclude phenomena that would otherwise fit comfortably within them. This can be seen in some of the early definitions of religion, such as that of Karl Marx, who believed that religious beliefs were a false remedy for working-class economic suffering and helped to perpetuate the status quo.
Other definitions have attempted to deal with this problem by focusing on the social impact of religion. Emile Durkheim, the first sociologist to analyze religion, defined it as whatever system of practices unite a number of people into a single moral community (whether or not these systems involve belief in unusual realities). Durkheim’s definition is an example of a functional approach to the phenomenon of religion.
In the 20th century, functionalist approaches to religion grew more popular, and many academics began using them as the basis for their research. This type of analysis is based on the idea that a religion’s goal is to provide an orientation in life, and that it achieves this by creating maps of time and space that give people a sense of purpose, identity, and direction.
Another function of religion is to support social groups and encourage a sense of belonging. Religions often do this by providing opportunities for social interaction, allowing people to find common ground with others through shared interests and experiences. In this way, they help to promote good health and well-being, learning, economic success, self-control, and empathy.
The fact that religions are so widespread and have been for millennia suggests that they do play a vital role in society. The trouble with this is that, when they are poorly designed or used, they can cause much harm as well as good. This is why it is important to examine the social and cultural effects of religion, as well as to make efforts towards reforming those aspects of religious organizations that need to be improved. This is a vital task, especially in a world that is increasingly religiously diverse. A new generation of scholars is beginning to explore these issues with fresh eyes.