Religion is a socially complex phenomenon, a taxon of beliefs and practices that are generally agreed upon by people who consider themselves religious. The concept of religion has been the subject of considerable philosophical debate because it is so central to the human project and so complicated to describe. Ordinary language usage is inadequate to the task and oftentimes contradictory, as illustrated by the way in which people use the term “religion” to mean both a belief in God and a set of rules for living life.
The word “religion” is derived from the Latin ligare, meaning to bind together. This is a good description of what religions do, at their best, when they function as a bonding agent for a group of believers who share the same world view. The resulting unified faith community provides a structure that is both cohesive and flexible, allowing the religion to evolve with the changing needs of its members and the surrounding culture.
In addition to providing a framework for community, religions offer means for the attainment of some of the most important goals that are imaginable. Some of these are proximate, aimed at making life as a project a little bit easier (for example, by offering a wiser, more fruitful, more charitable, and more successful way of living). Others are ultimate in scope, having to do with the final condition of this or any other person or of the cosmos itself.
Among philosophers, there has been an increasing awareness of the ways in which the concepts we choose to use create and reinforce boundaries. For this reason, many scholars have developed definitions of religion that seek to make it possible to analyze its nature in a theoretically rigorous manner. These “monothetic” or “functional” definitions operate on the classical assumption that every instance that accurately belongs to a particular concept will share some of its defining properties.
In the last few decades, however, there has been a movement among philosophers who are inspired by Continental philosophy (see Nietzsche and Foucault) to recognize that concepts like “religion” can be used in a variety of ways that undermine their analytical value. In this article, we will take a look at some of the most common, and problematic, definitions of religion.
It is not necessary that the first step in any conversation about religion begin with a condemnation of its rules, structures, offenses, history or limitations. There are much more interesting things to talk about. However, a careful discussion of the concept of religion must include an examination of how it is used to construct and define our worldviews. It must also examine the ways in which the concept of religion has evolved over time and how its senses have shifted. This will help to clarify the distinction between a monotheistic version of the concept and the polytheistic versions, as well as the functional definitions that shift the meaning in a different direction. It will also consider the way that our notions of what counts as religion are influenced by the cultures in which we live.