religion

Religion is a system of beliefs, practices, and communities that relate humans to what is sacred, divine, or ultimate in meaning. It encompasses worldviews about existence and reality, as well as rituals, moral codes, and social life organized around shared convictions. While many religions are theistic, others are non-theistic or secular, and some emphasize personal spirituality without centralized doctrine.

Core elements include beliefs about the sacred or transcendent, rituals and rites of passage, ethical prescriptions, sacred texts or oral traditions, places of worship, and religious authorities. Practices commonly involve prayer, meditation, pilgrimage, festivals, and moral decisions guided by scripture or doctrine. Communities gather for worship, education, charity, and mutual support.

Historically, religion arose in diverse contexts and has taken many forms. Major world traditions include Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, each with multiple streams. Other influential traditions include Confucianism, Daoism, Shinto, Sikhism, and numerous indigenous beliefs. Religions have interacted with philosophy, art, and politics, shaping and being shaped by history, while also inspiring both reform and conflict.

Religion provides meaning, identity, and moral frameworks, and supports community through rites of passage, education, and charity. It can influence laws and governance, though many societies separate religious and state authority to varying degrees. Interfaith dialogue and secular critique have shaped modern pluralism and debates about religious freedom and the role of faith in public life.

In the modern era, globalization and migration increase religious pluralism and interfaith contact. New movements and reformulations of belief have emerged, alongside growing numbers of people who identify as non-religious. The study of religion spans anthropology, sociology, history, philosophy, and theology, focusing on description, comparison, and respectful understanding of diverse beliefs.