World Religion

As Saint Augustine once said of time, most of us know perfectly well what religion is, until we are asked to define it. The general population of the world has grown up with what they consider to be their “religion” without actually understanding the meaning of the word, much less the impact behind the idea. Many of the groups, practices, and systems that we identify as "religions" in modern times are so diverse, varying in worship styles, idols, as not all religions refer to God or gods, beliefs, as not all religions are concerned with morals, and views on eternity, as not all religions have beliefs about the afterlife. Therefore, it is not easy task bringing them all under one universal definition.

Of course, this difficulty has not stopped people from attempting to define the daunting idea of religion. “The definitions most find are quite wide-ranging not only from text but sources as well. Some emphasize the personal, others the social; some the beliefs, others the uses; some the structures, others the functions; some the private, others the public; some the mundane, others the transcendent; some the truth, others the illusion”. In many cases, a person's definition of religion is actually a definition of his or her own religion, without taking into consideration the vast acknowledgment of religion across the global spectrum.

Published in 1997, the Penguin Dictionary of Religions states that, “Religion is a general term used to designate all concepts concerning the belief in god(s) and goddess(es) as well as other spiritual beings or transcendental ultimate concerns." As one can see, in just a decade religion has evolved in to a much broader based definition with multiple translations depending on one’s views and beliefs. For example, a modern definition states, “Religion is a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices; a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to