What is a Religion? A dictionary definition of religion looks something like:
Religion, n.; An organized system of beliefs and/or rituals, centering on a supernatural being or beings.
Everyone with me so far? Good. I think we can all agree on definitions for "Beliefs" and "Supernatural", so the only sub-definition will be "Ritual": any ordered sequence of events or actions, including directed thoughts, especially one that is repeated in the 'same' manner each time, and that is designed to produce a predictable altered state of consciousness, within which certain magical or religious results may be obtained.
Now, by using these definitions, the astute reader may realize that one need not "believe" in anything in order to belong to a religion, although most 'established' churches do require that one has conforming beliefs in order to become 'accepted into' that Religion. One of the beauties of the Pagan/NeoPagan/Wiccan Religion is that the majority of the sects do not require one to have 'conforming' beliefs. One need not believe in the God/dess in order to worship them, and this is the key to being a New Age type religion.
New Age religions acknowledge that there are many paths to Godhood, and that each person should find his/her own way. Thus, while there is communication and discussion between the diverse ways of Wicca, there is generally no cause for religious persecution or Holy Wars. Also, there are very little 'missionary' type efforts, since there is no Prime Directive stating that everyone who does not believe a certain piece of dogma is wrong, and will burn in hell forever, unless saved, or made to see the light.
Contrary to most religions, it is not the shared set of beliefs, or similar dogma which holds the Wiccan religions together. Rather, it is the attitudes of the people involved, and their common heritage which provide the bonds of cooperation among the Pagan peoples.
In April 1974, the Council of American Witches adopted a set of Principles which we personally believe in:
1) We practice rites to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the Moon and the seasonal Quarters and Cross Quarters.
2) We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility toward our environment. We seek to live in harmony with Nature, in ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness within an evolutionary concept.
3) We acknowledge a depth of power far greater that that apparent to the average person. Because it it far greater than ordinary it is sometimes called "supernatural", but we see it as lying within that which is naturally potential to all.
4) We conceive of the Creative Power in the universe as manifesting through polarity--as masculine and feminine--and that this same Creative Power lies in all people, and functions through the interaction of the masculine and feminine. We value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive of the other. We value sex as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of life, and as one of the sources of energies used in magickal practice and religious worship.
5) We recognize both outer worlds and inner, or psychological, worlds sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconscious, Inner Planes, etc.--and we see in the inter-action of these two dimensions the
Jessica Augustine Religion 100-001 Dr. Curtis 20 September 2011 What is Religion? What is religion? Is it a coping mechanism? Is it a person’s set of beliefs? Is it a life style or a state of mind? For hundreds, maybe even thousands of years, people have tried to define religion. Rather than people trying to define religion, I believe that religion defines people. Religion is a way for humans to fulfill their innermost desires. If you look through history, what is it that people are always…
“Supposing there is no life everlasting. Think what it means if death is really the end of all things. They've given up all for nothing.” In my opinion, this quote questions what the world would be like if there was no such thing as religion. If people were just born, existed, and died with no real motivation for living each day. So much of our world is surrounded by religion, which is both a positive and negative; for example, without religion, there would be no people such as Mother Theresa…
What is religion? Is it a set of guidelines that must follow to please god (s)? Piscine a character in the motion picture, The Life of Pi, is the sole survivor of a ship wreck in the Pacific Ocean. Looking death in the face Piscine is accompanied by doubt and faith along his journey, doubt taking the shape of a ferocious tiger, Richard Parker. Being a Hindu, Muslim, Christian this young Indian boy fights to hold onto his faith despite his setting. Piscine's choice of religions is unsettling to Appa…
What is True Freedom of Religion? Religion influences people all over the world. Religion is a center piece of some people’s lives. Some people in the world have the freedom to follow who and what they want while others are force to a religion or standard they didn’t choose. Where ever around the globe, religion has touched ever part of the world in different ways. Although the constitution states freedom of religion for every U.S. citizen, government and society creates laws and regulations that…
Political Science 1020E Professor Nigmendra Narain Term 1 Essay: What role should religion play in government policies? By Nivedita Sen Student Number: 250589199…
or not religion makes the world a better place. Religion is what is said to be the cause of people doing many good and many terrible things. Does religion cause good people to do bad things? Or is religion just used as an excuse to do something bad? Religions have been one of the large factors throughout history causing suffering of humans. People would be killed because they did not carry the same beliefs as others. Many people say that when they do something, good or bad, that religion caused them…
Could one religion be better than another? Thousands of barrels of blood have been shed over the idea that “my religion is better than yours” and until these days still, not only academic, but armed conflicts are being fought about the question. The comparison of religions is therefore of great importance and one ought not to tell it off too quickly. For a person to judge something, he first needs a certain standard to judge that something accordingly. Because of this, before I start answering the…
Common Practices in Religion REL 133 Calvin Habig Keinesha Predium April 20, 2015 What is Religion? The term religion comes from the Latin word ‘religare’ which means to bind. In the world today, there are different forms of religious groups and followings that have unique beliefs and practices depending on their history. It is estimated that there are thousands of religions in the world, including the mainstream religious groups and others that are not known. One of the common characteristics…
doctrine, stories, myths, and others, and What a religious tradition does - worship, prayer, pilgrimage, ritual, and so forth. What actually religion traditions are and how it affects people’s life on daily basis. I will also discuss what people do believe differently from each other to keep their faith and relationship stronger with their God, and how they preform rituals of their religion. It will also include what are some conflicts in and out due to religion on each individual’s life. As suggested…
Anthropology ANT 101 Fae Goodman 07/01/2015 Religion Crapo, 2013 defines cultural relativism as “the idea that the significance of an act is best understood by the standards of the across own culture”. This means that you should not ethnocentrically judge a certain cultures beliefs by the standards of your own culture. Religion in our world today and they come in many different forms. Learning about other religions in this class has helped me understand so much…