Religions, or spiritual systems, are complex institutions that organize a person’s values and goals in one or more ways. Religions may be based on beliefs in the one or more gods, in an afterlife, or in a system of human-kind’s relationships to each other and to the universe at large. Religions provide a community of people, with a shared purpose and a code of behavior, that gives their lives meaning and structure. They provide guidance in a number of important life areas, such as health, work, relationships, and family. They help people to recognize and cope with life’s limitations, and often provide comfort in the face of death.
Theories about the origin of religions vary. Anthropologists, scientists who study human cultures and humans’ origins, tend to believe that religion developed in response to a biological or a cultural need. Those who hold this view believe that human curiosity about the big questions of life and death, as well as a fear of uncontrollable forces, grew into hope that there was a good reason to exist and that humans could achieve a satisfying spiritual experience after they died. This hope was based on a belief in a creator who would watch out for humankind, and in the existence of rewards and punishments that would help to ensure an afterlife.
Psychologists and neuroscientists, who are interested in the human brain and nervous system, have also contributed theories about why humans need religion. They say that humans have a natural need for the sacred and a desire to communicate with the divine, which is why they see religion as a way to satisfy these needs. Some anthropologists, social psychologists and other scientists who have studied religions, have defined religion as the set of beliefs that form a person’s most dominant concerns. Others have taken a functional approach to the idea of religion, like Paul Tillich, who argued that religion is any set of beliefs that organizes a person’s values and provides orientation for a person’s life.
Regardless of what definition is used, research shows that there are many benefits to religious practice. It is associated with greater educational achievement, health and well-being, economic success, self-control, and empathy. It is also associated with lower levels of crime, delinquency, addictions, and mental illness.
The word religion is often misused, especially in the context of political arguments and debates. Some scholars argue that it is useful to have a clear definition of religion, in order to avoid misusing the term to criticize other societies or to claim that a certain concept has an ahistorical essence. However, a lexical definition, such as that offered by Merriam-Webster, is not likely to be very helpful in this endeavor. Polythetic approaches have become increasingly popular as a way to avoid monothetic definitions that fasten on just one property as the essence of religion. But these approaches may be just as ethnocentric as monothetic ones.