Religious people explore the meaning and value of much that is important to them. Religions protect and transmit a great deal of information which is so indispensable to human life that it necessarily invokes a distinctive word (religion).
In addition, religious systems provide an organizational framework within which sanctions and rewards, approval and disapproval, inspiration and ideation are held in common and transmitted from person to person and generation to generation. Those who practice any of the major religions of the world, or even a small subset, find this context to be incredibly reassuring and empowering.
This is one of the reasons that it is so hard for secular thinkers to understand religions and their practices, or to criticize them. It is also why the President should appoint, and the Senate should confirm, judges who are sensitive to the role that religion plays in American life. This is an area in which the entire nation needs help.
Most religions have developed their own organizational structures, and sociologists use a variety of terms to describe them—sect, cult, denomination, and ecclesia, for example. They all differ in the way they define their institutions and how they manage them, but scholars recognize that these differences are a result of a dynamic process, and that religions tend to move through different organizational phases, just as societies do.
For many religious people, the most important function of religion is its capacity to make life as project a little easier. This is because most religions offer a set of means to attain the most important goals that can be imagined. Some of these are proximate and can be accomplished in this lifetime (a wiser, more fruitful, charitable, and successful life); others are ultimate and have to do with the final condition of this or any other human being, and indeed of the cosmos itself.
Religions also offer a sense of security which can diminish anxiety and stabilize emotional variability. Practicing religion can also increase the sense of connection to tradition, and to a higher power that is understood as benevolent or loving. It can also give individuals a sense of purpose and direction.
Moreover, there is some evidence that being religious may promote health, though it has been difficult to isolate the cause from other factors such as social connections and coping skills. Nevertheless, it is often true that those who are religious seem to live longer than those who are not.
In addition, regular practice of certain religions can lead to the experience of awe and reverence that reduces stress and blood pressure. This is especially true for those who are ‘intrinsically religious,’ those who consider their faith to be central to their lives and who feel that their behavior is guided by their beliefs. However, these benefits can be obtained without belonging to a religion—by regularly pursuing healthy behaviors, forming strong relationships with other people, and developing a solid coping skill set.