Religion is a social phenomenon based on beliefs and practices that give people hope, comfort and guidance in difficult times. It also brings communities together and provides a sense of purpose. Many studies show that having a religion can make it easier to cope with the difficulties of life. It is important to understand the role that religion plays in people’s lives so that we can work with them to provide the best support and care possible.
The field of study that studies the religions of humankind has roots that go back several centuries. However, it became a formal academic discipline in the 20th century with the recognition that the world’s religions are cultural phenomena.
This new field has developed a range of theories and methodologies to better understand religion as a complex social phenomenon. Unlike the theological, philosophical and other earlier approaches that focused on the meaning of religious beliefs and behaviors, these modern methodologies use empirical data to explore the social contexts in which religion takes place.
Beliefs and practices vary widely across religions, but all of them rely on a foundation of values. These values can be openly stated or may not be clear at all. They can be ranked in importance with some values holding more weight than others. This ranked order is called the “hierarchy of values”. Values are typically derived from experiences, beliefs and traditions that are handed down through generations.
One of the earliest definitions of religion came from the German theologian Emil Durkheim who defined it as whatever dominant concern organizes a person’s values, whether or not it involves belief in any unusual realities. This functional approach is still a common view in the social sciences.
Other scholars have argued that the notion of religion as a collection of beliefs and practices is a Western concept that doesn’t make much sense in non-Western cultures. These scholars call for a reflexive turn in the social sciences and humanities, pulling the camera back to examine the construction of concepts previously taken as unproblematically “there”.
The disparate nature of practices now said to be part of the religion category raises questions about how we should classify them. Some scholars prefer a polythetic approach to the concept of religion that treats it as a family resemblance concept. This is similar to the way scientists categorize bacterial strains by analyzing their properties.
This method of analysis has yielded a number of new insights into the nature of religion, including its relationship to health and well-being. It also helps explain why the most beneficial form of religion appears to be that of individuals who are ‘intrinsically religious’ and whose faith alters their thinking, behaviour and relationships. It is these people who are most able to help others in times of need. The less ‘intrinsically religious’, by contrast, are more likely to be motivated by the desire for status and respectability. These ‘extrinsically religious’ individuals are more likely to be a source of conflict and tension in society.