Religion is a cultural system of beliefs, practices and ethics that aims to explain human existence. Most of the world’s 6.5 billion people identify with one of the more than 20 major religions. Religions typically deal with a belief in a god or gods, a spiritual life, some form of divinity, salvation or immortality and the afterlife. They also have a common set of practices such as rituals, sacred texts, ceremonies, rites and symbols. In addition, they generally have some sort of organized structure with a clergy or priesthood and a particular way to worship. In many cases, religions are a source of community and support for those who follow them.
Anthropologists believe that religion evolved in part from early humans’ attempts to control uncontrollable parts of their environment, such as the weather or success in hunting. They would try to do this by manipulation, such as painting animals on cave walls in the hope of assuring a successful hunt, or by supplication, such as prayers to a god or gods. These efforts led to a variety of beliefs and practices, including the idea that some gods were guardian or protective of humans. Myths, or stories of the creation and tales of individual gods and goddesses, would also become a key component of religion.
The earliest historical religions, for which there is a written record, began to appear along the Nile River in Egypt and in Mesopotamia around 5,000 years ago. These religions were polytheistic, or they believed in many gods and goddesses. Later, monotheistic religions emerged, such as Christianity and Judaism. Some monotheistic religions developed into abrahamic religions, such as Islam and Hinduism. Other religious traditions developed, such as Shinto in Japan and hockey in Canada, which are often considered to be religions even though they are not monotheistic.
Sociologists study religion to understand its effects on society. These include its role in bringing communities together, the power it can exert over people’s lives, and the inequality that it can reinforce and perpetuate. Others take a more theoretical approach and look at the nature of religion itself. One such theory is the Religionsgeschichtliche Schule, a 19th century German school that studied religion as a sociocultural phenomenon. It depicted religion as evolving with culture, from primitive polytheism to ethical monotheism.
Philosophers who have taken a philosophical approach to religion have included Martin Heidegger and Jean-Paul Sartre, among others. More recently, a number of Continental philosophers have dealt with religious topics, such as Simone de Beauvoir, Gabriel Marcel and Franz Rosenzweig. Other scholars have used the concept of religion to analyze political systems and societies, such as theorists Max Weber, Emile Durkheim and Franz von Baader. They have sought to analyze the functions of religion and how it can be a catalyst for positive or negative social change. Whether or not religion is understood in this way, it is clear that it has profound effects on the world and should be treated seriously.