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What is your definition of religion?

Augustus

Augustus

…
Secret Chief said:
Religion appears to be....a fairly recent* and Western concept.

*17th century.
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And very much in a Christian context.

All definitions of religion will therefore be based on how much a belief system resembles Christianity.

Hence people will use terms like worship, god, supernatural, belief, etc. in their definitions which exclude many other religions.

Not similar enough to Christianity, not a religion.

There is no meaningful way to differentiate religions from non-religious belief systems that is not culturally or historically biased (towards Christianity as a normative religion).

Religion is a useful shorthand in conversation, but as a meaningful category it's somewhat useless and confuses more than it enlightens.
 
mikkel_the_dane

mikkel_the_dane

My own religion
KenS said:
yes... because you can only say that based on faith. You don't know all that there is to know in all of creation.

You can disbelieve there is a person on a mountain but it would be a statement of faith (of belief or non "belief) - it still is a statement of faith.
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Correct as a consequence of skepticism about what knowledge is. But in practice in ends in that we can get away with believing in apparent contradictions and still both be in the everyday world.
 
Kenny

Kenny

Face to face with my Father
Premium Member
mikkel_the_dane said:
Correct as a consequence of skepticism about what knowledge is. But in practice in ends in that we can get away with believing in apparent contradictions and still both be in the everyday world.
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True... but all I said was that asking "what is your faith" means "this is what I believe" - which you just did even if you can't say "this is true because I know all things"
 
mikkel_the_dane

mikkel_the_dane

My own religion
Augustus said:
And very much in a Christian context.

All definitions of religion will therefore be based on how much a belief system resembles Christianity.

Hence people will use terms like worship, god, supernatural, belief, etc. in their definitions which exclude many other religions.

Not similar enough to Christianity, not a religion.

There is no meaningful way to differentiate religions from non-religious belief systems that is not culturally or historically biased (towards Christianity as a normative religion).

Religion is a useful shorthand in conversation, but as a meaningful category it's somewhat useless and confuses more than it enlightens.
Click to expand...

Yeah, you end up in sociology in a sense and off course I am not really that, because I am special and you are wrong. ;) :D
 
ChristineM

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
It's My Birthday!
KenS said:
yes... because you can only say that based on faith. You don't know all that there is to know in all of creation.

You can disbelieve there is a person on a mountain but it would be a statement of faith (of belief or non "belief) - it still is a statement of faith.
Click to expand...

True, i have no faith that pink unicorns exist or leprechauns either

So is no faith a faith?
 
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Kenny

Kenny

Face to face with my Father
Premium Member
RayofLight said:
Inspired by @Conscious thoughts 's thread. Mine? I'm not even gonna touch a definition. Too hard to come up with one that encompasses all religions. If you say your belief system is a religion then it is one. I'm not gonna argue. Most atheists don't say they are a religion. Thus I don't believe they are a religion. Some Satanists say they are others say they are just a philosophy rather then a religion. I consider my beliefs religious tho some dont. I might have a definition but I find it hard to word it.
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the bible simple said this about religion:
James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

An act rather than a belief
 
mikkel_the_dane

mikkel_the_dane

My own religion
KenS said:
True... but all I said was that asking "what is your faith" means "this is what I believe" - which you just did even if you can't say "this is true because I know all things"
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Yes, I don't believe in truth or know in the standard western sense. I am a skeptic. So I use an understanding of truth and knowledge that in all likelihood contradicts yours. :)
 
mikkel_the_dane

mikkel_the_dane

My own religion
ChristineM said:
True, i have no faith that pink unicorns exist or leprechauns either
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Yeah, but as always it ends here. I have a perfect methodology that itself is without positive beliefs, because I can do everything with evidence and even give evidence for evidence and thus I Know and you don't.

I have tried that and looked at a lot of attempts and I have found no one, that can do that. And that is not limited to religion.
 
Mock Turtle

Mock Turtle

Oh my, did I say that!
Premium Member
I'm not sure I could have a definition of religion, apart from recognising it when I see it (as per Art - but I'm mostly wrong there), and often as to the fruits of such. I'm sure many will not see any differences between ideologies and religions, but perhaps for me it tends to mean one has a reliance on personal experiences and/or a trust/faith in many things that others might not have. Often this does involve a belief in more than WYSIWYG, and for which I can sympathise, given that humans might not ever have all the answers. For me though, religions are things that tend to divide us, and as such, they often line up with the usual suspects. :oops:
 
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blü 2

blü 2

Veteran Member
Premium Member
RayofLight said:
Inspired by @Conscious thoughts 's thread. Mine? I'm not even gonna touch a definition. Too hard to come up with one that encompasses all religions. If you say your belief system is a religion then it is one. I'm not gonna argue. Most atheists don't say they are a religion. Thus I don't believe they are a religion. Some Satanists say they are others say they are just a philosophy rather then a religion. I consider my beliefs religious tho some dont. I might have a definition but I find it hard to word it.
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Hmm. Let me try this:

The most basic level of a religion is a teaching (with followers) whose central theses are supernatural.

The more general level is a community of such followers who take some part of their identity from belonging to that community, even though many may regard the supernatural elements ─ or in some cases all the elements ─ as secondary, ceremonial, social or incidental.
 
Secret Chief

Secret Chief

nirvana is samsara
blü 2 said:
The most basic level of a religion is a teaching (with followers) whose central theses are supernatural.
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I think "supernatural" does not universally apply, but then isolating any one aspect as defining is likely to be problematical.
 
crossfire

crossfire

LHP Mercuræn Feminist Heretic ☿
Premium Member
What is religion? It starts with the separation of the sacred from the secular and the profane. Some may consider the sacred to be profane, while others may consider the secular to be profane, and some may be more selective in their consideration of the profane. Since there are a myriad of ways some may apply this separation, there is also a myriad of possible religious expressions.
 
R

rational experiences

Veteran Member
A thesis of human science and it's group support.

Rituals involved lived in the advice need to heal from Satanism life sacrifice.

Mind imbalance to meditate prayer as a constant. Brain entrainment. Smell associated to healing smokes into oxygen such as myrrh frankincense.

Gold used as a supplement also a body cover against irradiation. Covering body with oils balms. Aloe for body cleansing of toxins.

Belief if God owning everything as title a God not man. Versus scientific satanisms.

Belief of anti Christ.

Christ CH earth gases that arise out of planet earth never owned any anti state.

The sun burning light. Earths heavens burning light. Holy.

The sun burning out cools is pressurized in space. Residue body of Satan. Turns back into ashes and dusts and falls away into heat deep space pit.

Darkness and Infinity forever.

Versus earth dusts. Consumed dusts water cooled owning a sludge. Man's caused Satan body.

Religion a human learnt status science was wrong. Human chosen.
 
firedragon

firedragon

Veteran Member
RayofLight said:
Inspired by @Conscious thoughts 's thread. Mine? I'm not even gonna touch a definition. Too hard to come up with one that encompasses all religions. If you say your belief system is a religion then it is one. I'm not gonna argue. Most atheists don't say they are a religion. Thus I don't believe they are a religion. Some Satanists say they are others say they are just a philosophy rather then a religion. I consider my beliefs religious tho some dont. I might have a definition but I find it hard to word it.
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The word religion comes from Religare. It means "a binding". Only a few centuries ago some people started using this word for their theology.

Roman soldiers used to use this word for their connection with the roman state. Nothing to do with God, book or theology.
 
Azrael Antilla

Azrael Antilla

Active Member
RayofLight said:
Inspired by @Conscious thoughts 's thread. Mine? I'm not even gonna touch a definition. Too hard to come up with one that encompasses all religions. If you say your belief system is a religion then it is one. I'm not gonna argue. Most atheists don't say they are a religion. Thus I don't believe they are a religion. Some Satanists say they are others say they are just a philosophy rather then a religion. I consider my beliefs religious tho some dont. I might have a definition but I find it hard to word it.
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I would suggest that in general a religion is first and foremost a belief system that is not constructed upon empirically derived data and instead based upon articles of faith. Or 'facts' that cannot be tested due to their metaphysical or otherwise untestable tenets. That's not all there is to religion and faith of course. It's just the above seems pretty fundamental or universally applicable. To me.
 
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