How would one define religion? How do you define "being religious?" (Jesus, ritual)

[science_is_my_god]

I started this thread because in another thread, there was a hodgepodge of ideas of what religion and being religious actually means. I would argue that to be religious, one would have to have belief in religion. Any thoughts?

[Storm]

I think you're misunderstanding me in the other thread, but I do agree with you here.

[science_is_my_god]

Originally Posted by Storm

I think you're misunderstanding me in the other thread, but I do agree with you here.

Yesssss we finally agree on something. Who-who, who'd of thought?

[Sunstone]

I think it's just a Western cultural prejudice that one has to believe in something to be religious. We in the West tend to think of religion as a set of beliefs. This is not true of, say, the typical Japanese attitude towards Shinto.

[Storm]

Could you elaborate, Phil?

[science_is_my_god]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

I think it's just a Western cultural prejudice that one has to believe in something to be religious. We in the West tend to think of religion as a set of beliefs. This is not true of, say, the typical Japanese attitude towards Shinto.

If you go to Japan, (i have been there twice, I studied Japanese in high school and speak the language), Most of them will tell you that they don't have a religion. They don't see Shinto as a religion, they see it as thier culture. There is a difference. I asked a japanese person what there religion was, and they looked at me funny and said "Japanese?"

[ChristineES]

I think there is a difference to being religious and being faithful. Religious, in my view, are the ones who follow the rules of their religions- sometimes with and other times without any real conviction. The faithful follow God and His rules with conviction but following God is more important to the faithful than rules.
Those people we see on TBN at times appear religious but not very sincere to me. Those are the ones that really bother me. It seems they care more about appearing pious than truly following God. Even Jesus Himself talked against those types. You know the type- they pray real loud and long, they sing songs so wonderfully, but leave you wondering if they truly follow God or not.

[GiantHouseKey]

Greetings

I'm pretty sure i haven't participated in the other thread that you talk about, but as this is a brand new thread, I hope you'll let me have my say without assumed knowledge of what went on in the other one...

Would you say that to be religious you have to believe in God? Or Gods?
For example, could you be a religious atheist? I hope so, because that's what I am. For me, religion is not necessarily about following a deity, or even believing that one exists.

I define religion as a set of beliefs (Usually theistic, supernatural and philosophical) and practices that revolve around those beliefs. My religion is atheistic, but I have a lot of beliefs about philosophy, the supernatural, ritual and magic that are not usually associated with 'atheism'.

As for being religious, I guess you just have to believe in the religion you're professing to follow. However, if you do not agree with EVERYTHING that religion states then you do not follow it. I'm personally sick of people that:
Don't go to church, Don't pray, Don't read the bible, Haven't read all of the bible, Don't believe in creation, Believe that homosexuality is ok, Believe that sex before marriage is ok, Believe that they should be able to read the bible in english, Doesn't care about anything the pope says
...And then still claims to be a catholic. If you don't adhere to every philosophy, every scripture (However you interpret it) and every theological belief then you don't believe in that religion. That could mean the difference between a Baptist and a Methodist or the difference between a Monotheist and an Atheist.

That's my definition, not that it's set in stone and will probably change at some point.

GhK.

[MoonWater]

I see religion as a philosophy that one lives as a way of life. As an example, to me Christianity would be a philosophy, because I do not follow the Christian path, but for those who follow the Christian path it IS a religion. Thus even Confucianism, which is normally considered a philosophy, could be called a religion by someone who is a "Confucinaist", someone who follows Confucianism as a way of life. This is why I consider myself a religious person even though I don't follow any preset religion. I've created my own philosophy by pulling threads from other philosophies but I call it my religion because it is my way of life, or at least I'm trying to incorporate it as my way of life.

[J Bryson]

Well, let's see: I've started attending my local church, I believe in the seven principles of my religion and follow them to the best of my ability, and I attempt to show love and compassion in my day to day life (with mixed success and results, obviously). By that standard, I am religious. By the standards of some others, I am not, as I do not see the need to believe in God as a prerequisite for salvation (though I do tend to believe), and I do not follow a single specific traditional structure beyond the aforementioned principles, at least not to the exclusion of other sources of inspiration and enlightenment.

To me, I am religious. To others? Can't say.