RELIGION

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ReligionFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to: navigation, search This article is about a general set of beliefs about life, purpose, etc.. For other uses, see Religion (disambiguation).

"Religious" redirects here. For a member of a Catholic religious institute, see Religious (Catholicism).

Symbols from twelve world religious movements.

Row 1: Bahá'í Faith, Buddhism

Row 2: Christianity, Chinese folk religion, Hinduism, Islam

Row 3: Jainism, Judaism, Paganism, Shinto

Row 4: Sikhism, TaoismReligions by country

North America[show] Canada · United States · Mexico

Cuba · Haiti · Dominican Republic

Trinidad and Tobago · Nicaragua

South America[show]Uruguay · Argentina · Chile · Colombia · Peru

Bolivia · Brazil · Paraguay

Europe[show]Iceland · Ireland · United Kingdom

Portugal · Spain · Italy · France

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Switzerland · Luxembourg · Austria

Denmark · Sweden · Norway · Finland

Poland · Latvia · Lithuania · Moldova · Russia

Albania · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Croatia

F.Y.R.O.M. · Montenegro · Serbia · Slovenia

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Malta

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Jordan · Armenia · Azerbaijan

Iran · Iraq · Syria · Cyprus · Turkey

Africa[show]Algeria · Nigeria · Sudan · Ethiopia · Seychelles

Uganda · Zambia · Kenya · South Africa

Asia[show]Afghanistan · Pakistan · India

Nepal · Sri Lanka · Vietnam

China · Hong Kong · Macau · Taiwan

North Korea · South Korea · Japan

Malaysia · Singapore · Philippines · Thailand

Oceania[show]Indonesia · Papua New Guinea

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Religion Portal v ·t ·e

Religion is a collection of belief systems, cultural systems, and world views that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values.[note 1] Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to explain the origin of life or the Universe. They tend to derive morality, ethics, religious laws or a preferred lifestyle from their ideas about the cosmos and human nature. According to some estimates, there are roughly 4,200 religions in the world.[1]

Many religions may have organized behaviors, clergy, a definition of what constitutes adherence or membership, holy places, and scriptures. The practice of a religion may also include rituals, sermons, commemoration or veneration of a god, gods or goddesses, sacrifices, festivals, feasts, trance, initiations, funerary services, matrimonial services, meditation, prayer, music, art, dance, public service or other aspects of human culture. Religions may also contain mythology.[2]

The word religion is sometimes used interchangeably with faith or belief system; however, in the words of Émile Durkheim, religion differs from private belief in that it is "something eminently social".[3] A global 2012 poll reports that 59% of the world's population is religious, 23% are not religious, and 13% are atheists.[4]

Contents [hide]

1 Etymology

2 Definitions

3 Origins and development

4 Types of religion

4.1 Categories

4.2 Interfaith cooperation

5 Religious groups

5.1 Abrahamic religions

5.2 Indian religions

5.3 Iranian religions

5.4 Folk religions

5.5 New religions

6 Issues in religion

6.1 Religion and economics

6.2 Religion and health

6.3 Religion and violence

6.4 Religion and the law

6.5 Religion and science

6.6 Religion and social constructionists

6.6.1 Other writers

7 Related forms of thought

7.1 Religion and superstition

7.2 Myth

8 Secularism and irreligion

8.1 Parody religions

9 Criticism

10 See also

11 References

12 Notes

13 Bibliography

14 External links

EtymologyMain article: Glossary of ancient Roman religion#religio

Religion (from O.Fr. religion "religious community," from L. religionem (nom.

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