Religion is a complex phenomenon that affects the lives of people in many ways. It can bring people together, but it also can cause stress and violence among individuals and within communities and nations. In addition, religion can give meaning and purpose to life, reinforce social stability and control, promote psychological and physical well-being, and motivate efforts for social change. Because of its many functions, some people find it difficult to define religion.
A basic definition focuses on behaviors, such as prayers or church attendance. Others focus on beliefs, such as a belief in one god or the creation of a moral code. A third approach views religion as a system of rules and rituals for dealing with the problems of daily life. A fourth view emphasizes the importance of the spiritual, which may include religious experiences or a desire for enlightenment or immortality.
The most widely accepted definition of religion, however, combines both beliefs and behaviors. It is commonly referred to as a “functional” or “non-essentialist” definition. This approach treats religion as a human social genus that appears in every culture. This type of definition is used in sociology, history, and anthropology.
Many scholars have rejected the idea that there is a single, essential definition of religion. Instead, they have sought to establish a category of human phenomena with features that distinguish it from all other phenomena. One common way of doing this is to look for a structure that resembles known cases. For example, Jung viewed the archetypal images that appear in dreams and myths as symbols that a group shares. He argued that the irruption of these symbols into consciousness is an important element of religion.
Another approach is to use a formal strategy. Some scholars have analyzed the structures of religions and worldviews and looked for common elements. For instance, Zeldin (1969) used a narrative structure of a fall from and return to an ideal state as a way to describe religion. Lemert and Blasi took a similar approach, looking for a pattern of related discontinuity between an empirical, mundane order and a superempirical, cosmic-level order.
Finally, a number of scholars have used a polythetic approach to the concept of religion. This involves identifying a class of properties that are characteristic of religions and then examining the occurrence of those characteristics. The goal is to identify patterns that can help explain religions.
A key feature of this approach is to recognize that religion is an evolving social category. Attempts to fasten onto a monothetic identification of the essence of religion inevitably reflect an ethnocentrism. Likewise, attempts to identify a prototypical religion are equally ethnocentric. This problem is not limited to studies of religion; it applies to many social phenomena, including economics, biology, and psychology.