Definition Of Religion Essay

A common definition of religion is a set of beliefs that is held by a group of people. A primary definition of religious which is available in standard dictionaries reads something like “of, concerned with, or teaching religion,” and this is what people normally mean when they say things like “Christianity is a religious belief system”. The terms religion and religious clearly originate from a similar root and one would think that it means the same, one as a thing and other as a descriptive word. This may not always be true. The term religious has a broader usage than the term religion. When one is acting religiously, he or she is performing religion in a specific manner, in a socially decided manner. A sociologist makes sense of religious life while a theologist studies religion. A sociologist focuses on what constitutes the religious life and lays emphasis on the …show more content…
This divides the world into two domains- one containing all that is sacred and the other all that is profane, this is a characteristic of religious thought as it is a social idea rather than a natural one. It is believed that there is no culture without this distinction. Beliefs, myths, dogmas, and legends are representations that describe the sacred. Sacred things are not simply things that are called gods or spirit, a rock or a tree can be sacred, a rite can have sacredness. Sacred is set apart and is forbidden and profane is whatever is left behind. There is complete prohibition on the mixing of sacred and profane, if the profane enters the sacred the sacred is of no use. Sacred is kept in isolation by prohibitions and profane is to which prohibitions are applied. The idea of sacred and profane can apply over a collective, which is a collective