# religion

> social-cultural system

**Wikidata**: [Q9174](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9174)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/religion

## Summary
Religion is a social-cultural system defined as a set of mutually supportive beliefs, encompassing the entirety of a society's knowledge and point of view. It serves as a fundamental cognitive orientation for individuals and societies, often involving rituals, traditions, and spiritual practices. With over 298 sitelinks across various languages, religion is a globally recognized concept with diverse manifestations.

## Key Facts
- **Definition**: A social-cultural system and belief system involving rituals, traditions, and spiritual practices.
- **Related Concepts**: Includes world view, paganism, idolatry, and spiritual practices like dhikr.
- **Historical Religions**: Encompasses ancient practices such as Sumerian religion, Celtic polytheism, and Mesoamerican religion.
- **Modern Movements**: Includes New Age, UFO religions, and parody religions like the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
- **Key Figures**: Associated with figures like B.R. Ambedkar, Swami Vivekananda, and historical prophets such as Buddha and Krishna.
- **Classifications**: Divided into categories like Abrahamic, Eastern, and indigenous religions, with subgroups such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam.
- **Practices**: Involves worship, prayer, asceticism, and sacraments, with structures like churches, temples, and mosques.
- **Demographics**: Estimated 4,200 religions globally, with major world religions including Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism.
- **Impact**: Influences art, ethics, culture, and politics, with historical events like the Protestant Reformation and the spread of Buddhism.

## FAQs
- **Q: What defines a religion?**  
  A: A religion is a social-cultural system of beliefs, practices, and rituals that address fundamental questions about existence, morality, and the supernatural.

- **Q: How many religions exist globally?**  
  A: Estimates suggest over 4,200 distinct religions worldwide, though many are variations of major traditions like Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism.

- **Q: What are the major world religions?**  
  A: The five most widespread religions are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism, collectively accounting for the majority of global adherents.

- **Q: How do religions influence culture?**  
  A: Religions shape art, ethics, laws, and social norms, as seen in the impact of Christianity on Western art or Islam on Islamic architecture.

- **Q: What is the difference between religion and spirituality?**  
  A: Religion typically involves organized doctrines and communal practices, while spirituality focuses on personal growth and direct experience of the divine.

## Why It Matters
Religion plays a pivotal role in shaping human history, culture, and ethics. It provides frameworks for understanding the world, addressing existential questions, and fostering community cohesion. From ancient civilizations to modern societies, religion has influenced art, politics, and moral values, serving as both a unifying force and a source of conflict. Its impact is evident in the development of calendars, legal systems, and educational institutions, making it a cornerstone of human civilization.

## Notable For
- **Diversity**: Encompasses thousands of traditions, from indigenous animism to global monotheistic faiths.
- **Cultural Influence**: Shaped iconic landmarks like the Taj Mahal (Islam) and the Sistine Chapel (Christianity).
- **Ethical Frameworks**: Provides moral guidelines, such as the Ten Commandments in Judaism and the Eightfold Path in Buddhism.
- **Historical Events**: Played central roles in events like the Crusades, the Reformation, and the spread of Buddhism along the Silk Road.
- **Modern Relevance**: Continues to influence contemporary issues, including politics, gender roles, and environmental ethics.

## Body

### Core Concepts
Religion is fundamentally a **belief system** that addresses humanity's relationship with the sacred or supernatural. It often involves **rituals** (e.g., prayer, sacraments) and **moral codes** (e.g., the Ten Commandments, the Eightfold Path). Key components include **mythology**, **doctrine**, and **community practices**, as seen in traditions like Hinduism's caste system or Islam's Five Pillars.

### Historical Development
- **Ancient Religions**: Early practices like **Sumerian religion** (c. 4500–1900 BCE) and **Ancient Egyptian religion** (c. 3000 BCE) laid foundations for later monotheistic traditions.
- **Axial Age**: The period 800–200 BCE saw the rise of **Judaism**, **Buddhism**, **Confucianism**, and **Zoroastrianism**, emphasizing ethical living and transcendence.
- **Medieval to Modern**: The spread of **Islam** (7th century CE) and the **Protestant Reformation** (16th century CE) reshaped global religious landscapes.

### Major Traditions
1. **Abrahamic Faiths**: 
   - **Judaism** (c. 1500 BCE): Monotheistic tradition emphasizing covenant with God.
   - **Christianity** (1st century CE): Focuses on Jesus Christ as savior, with denominations like Catholicism and Protestantism.
   - **Islam** (7th century CE): Stresses submission to Allah, with practices like the Hajj pilgrimage.
2. **Eastern Religions**:
   - **Hinduism** (c. 1500 BCE): Polytheistic tradition with concepts like karma and reincarnation.
   - **Buddhism** (c. 500 BCE): Non-theistic path to enlightenment, practiced in East and Southeast Asia.
   - **Taoism** (c. 500 BCE): Emphasizes harmony with the Tao, or "Way," through simplicity and meditation.
3. **Indigenous and Folk Religions**:
   - **Animism**: Belief in spirits inhabiting natural phenomena, common in indigenous cultures.
   - **Shamanism**: Practice of communicating with spirits, found in Siberian, Native American, and Australian Aboriginal traditions.

### Practices and Rituals
- **Worship**: Ranges from collective rituals in **churches** or **mosques** to individual practices like **meditation**.
- **Sacraments**: Symbolic acts like baptism (Christianity) or puja (Hinduism) mark life transitions and spiritual commitments.
- **Pilgrimage**: Journeys to sacred sites, such as Mecca (Islam) or Varanasi (Hinduism), reinforce communal identity.

### Social and Cultural Impact
- **Art and Architecture**: Religions inspire iconic structures like **St. Peter's Basilica** (Christianity) and **Angkor Wat** (Hinduism/Buddhism).
- **Ethics and Law**: Many legal systems, including **Sharia** (Islam) and **Halakha** (Judaism), derive from religious teachings.
- **Science and Conflict**: Historical tensions, such as the **Galileo affair**, contrast with modern efforts to reconcile faith and science.

### Challenges and Criticisms
- **Secularization**: Modernization has led to declining religious affiliation in some regions, though religiosity persists globally.
- **Fundamentalism**: Literal interpretations of scriptures have fueled extremism in various traditions.
- **Secular Critiques**: Philosophers like **Bertrand Russell** and **Richard Dawkins** argue against religious dogma, advocating for atheism or agnosticism.

### Contemporary Trends
- **New Religious Movements**: Groups like **Scientology** and **Wicca** reflect modern spiritual seeking.
- **Interfaith Dialogue**: Initiatives like the **Parliament of the World's Religions** promote cooperation amid diversity.
- **Digital Religion**: Online platforms transform worship and community-building, from virtual churches to social media evangelism.

### Related Entities
- **Key Figures**: Prophets (e.g., **Muhammad**, **Moses**), reformers (e.g., **Martin Luther**), and philosophers (e.g., **Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel**).
- **Sacred Texts**: Include the **Bible** (Christianity), **Quran** (Islam), **Bhagavad Gita** (Hinduism), and **Tripitaka** (Buddhism).
- **Denominations**: Subgroups like **Lutheranism** (Christianity) and **Theravada** (Buddhism) reflect doctrinal variations.

### Academic Study
- **Disciplines**: **Theology**, **religious studies**, and **anthropology** examine religion's role in society.
- **Theorists**: Scholars like **James George Frazer** and **Mircea Eliade** pioneered comparative studies of myth and ritual.
- **Psychology of Religion**: Explores faith's psychological impact, as studied by **William James** and **Sigmund Freud**.

## References

1. Iowa State University Library Vocabularies
2. Library of Congress Authorities
3. IdRef
4. Nuovo soggettario
5. [Nuovo soggettario](https://thes.bncf.firenze.sbn.it/termine.php?id=1500)
6. [Registros de autoridad de "Materia" de la Biblioteca Nacional de España. Spain open data portal](https://www.bne.es/media/datosgob/catalogo-autoridades/materia/materia-UTF8.zip)
7. BBC Things
8. National Agricultural Library Thesaurus
9. [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/religion/)
10. BabelNet
11. WikiUMLS: Aligning UMLS to Wikipedia via Cross-lingual Neural Ranking
12. ASC Leiden Thesaurus dataset of 5 June 2018
13. National Library of Israel
14. KBpedia
15. [Best Religion Posts - Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/t/religion/)
16. [Source](https://wellcomecollection.org/concepts/wmurzwwx)
17. Know Your Meme