Religion is an organized group of beliefs, practices, and symbols. Usually, it reflects an attempt to understand life in terms of the existence of a transcendent spiritual reality (God, angels, and spirits); or at least in terms of some kind of cosmic order; and provides a way of understanding the relationship between human beings. Historically, religions have also provided means to help people recognize and deal with the many different kinds of limitations that are imposed on the project of human life.
One major theory about the origin of religion is that it grew out of human curiosity about big questions like life and death, and out of fear of uncontrollable forces. Eventually, these impulses became hope—a desire for immortality or life after death; for a loving creator who would watch over humanity; and for some ultimate purpose or meaning in the universe.
Religious beliefs and activities vary greatly from culture to culture, but some of the basic characteristics are similar. Some of these include worship; prayer; rituals and ceremonies; the use of icons, images, and symbols; sacred texts; rites of passage; sacred kingship; and a belief that there is a divine hierarchy.
Most religions offer a variety of goals that can be attained within this life, such as the promotion of a wiser and more fulfilling, charitable, and successful way of living. For some, however, the more important goals are ultimate, and have to do with the fate of the individual, the human race, and perhaps even the cosmos itself. These goals can be proximate, having to do with a life well lived; or they can be remote, and involve rebirth, resurrection, or the ultimate judgment by God.
Throughout history, religions have been both instruments of liberation and tools of coercion. They have helped people define their identities and reaffirm their values; they have served as sources of moral guidance and ethical codes; and they have influenced art, science, technology, and social organization.
In the nineteenth century, three influential European social theorists studied the impact of religion on society: Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber. Each of these scholars, in his or her own way, analyzed how religion reflected and reinforced social stratification. Marx, for example, argued that religion was a false remedy that prolongs and exacerbates working-class economic suffering, and that it sustains an unequal and unfair status quo.
More recently, it has become common to describe the nature of religion in a number of ways. Some authors have used metaphors and analogies such as the “three Cs” of the truth, beauty, and goodness. Others have emphasized the importance of community, or what is sometimes called the fourth C. This dimension focuses on the idea that the nature of religion is not simply an internal and psychological system, but involves a complex interaction with its environment. This has led to descriptions of religion as an assemblage, network, or system that is simultaneously holistic and pragmatic. These approaches suggest that it is useful to treat religion as a four-dimensional complex.