So far, the best definition of religion I have seen
is in The Encyclopedia of Philosophy. It lists traits
of religions rather than declaring religion to be one thing
or another, arguing that the more markers present in a belief
system, the more”religious like” it is:
- Belief in supernatural beings (gods).
- A distinction between sacred and profane objects.
- Ritual acts focused on sacred objects.
- A moral code believed to be sanctioned by the gods.
- Characteristically religious feelings (awe, sense of
mystery, sense of guilt, adoration), which tend to be aroused
in the presence of sacred objects and during the practice of
ritual, and which are connected in idea with the gods.
- Prayer and other forms of communication with gods.
- A world view, or a general picture of the world as a
whole and the place of the individual therein. This picture
contains some specification of an over-all purpose or point
of the world and an indication of how the individual fits
into it.
- A more or less total organization of one’s life
based on the world view.
- A social group bound together by the above.
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