What is Religion?

This question is a prompt that was presented in my religion class I am taking. I think my faith has helped me to be able to answer this question, at least to some extent. Here was my response:


To me, religion was once the legalism and law that people get caught up in rather than the joy and love of God and His people that I see now.  Religion was the set of rules that people scoffed at and ran from when confronted with the decision of going to church.  SO many people are under the belief that religion is like a cage, confining us from being free, and that's what I once believed.  I thought that's all there was to Christianity and other religions. I went to a church where we recited the same things mindlessly and word for word week after week.  One of the quotes I read which I used to resonate with was:

Emile Durkheim, c. 1915 

 " . . . is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to 

say, things set apart and forbidden--beliefs and practices which unite into one single 

moral community called a Church, all those who adhere to them."  

 Note the first few words: "a unifed system of beliefs." To me, this definition religion does not and cannot encompass the fullness of God and the Christian faith.  I'm sure that many people would agree this cannot confine any faith.  If people view religion as a mere set of beliefs, they cannot have the whole story.  There is nothing about faith in this definition. It gives religion a bad reputation- words like "moral community" are reminiscent of rules and moral code, which is enough to scare anyone away.  I think this is how many people sometimes view religion, however, as we see from the many definitions from both sources we have read, there is SO MUCH more to it, and there are so many different definitions to different people.  One thing I do like in this quote the part where the author states that sacred things are "set apart and forbidden." That is a phrase that I think I would not have understood before I became more invested in my faith.  In the Bible, God is described so many times as "set apart," which is interchangeable with "holy."  I think for so many people it is so hard to grasp that there is a being that is so set apart from us who actually gives a crap about our existence.

In my experience, the way I view my religion is that it far more than rules and a fight for morality, which was my former view of religion.  Religion and faith go hand in hand, and I have noticed that the word faith has been used more and more in the place of the word "religion" because I think it gives people a better idea about what religion is. To me, my faith, is about love, joy, sacrifice, and a firm belief that God is an omniscient and omnipotent being. Yes, it has a set of "beliefs," but in reading the bible, it is by Faith in God and Christ's resurrection,  understanding of the Grace of God, and the Word of God that a believer can truly experience the fullness of God.  Regardless of what "religion" you believe in, true faith is something you die for.  You can believe something is true, but can you have strong faith in it even in the face of death??  It think that sticking by faith and fighting through doubt and struggles is the real battle...which is more than just performing good works to get into heaven.  Good works are merely the natural product of a strong faith.  A quote that I felt better embodied my idea of religion is:

8.  Bronislaw Malinowski, 1931 

 " . . . is not born out of speculation or reflection, still less out of illusion or 

misapprehension, but rather out of the real tragedies of human life, out of the conflict 

between human plans and realities. . . . . Every important crisis of human life implies a 

strong emotional upheaval, mental conflict and possible disintegration.  . . . .  Religious 

belief consists in the traditional standardization of the positive side in the mental conflict 

and therefore satisfies a definite individual need . . .  . On the other hand, religious belief 

and ritual, by making the critical acts and the social contracts of human life public, 

traditionally standardized, and subject to supernatural sanctions, strengthen the bonds of 

human cohesion. 

I think from what I have learned about God so far is that so often our own selfish motives and plans in life conflict with the reality of the world.  I think this holds true to people whether it is referring to the reality some believe God has created and allowed, or whether it is a reality that people who do not have faith in a supreme being see.  Religion and faith, above all, really can "strengthen the bonds of human cohesion." I think if corrupted or pursued wrongly, religion can also break down bonds. 

Also, although in many countries religion is based in the culture, I feel as though in some instances, especially in this country, religion can also be countercultural.  I know that many of my beliefs about God, faith, and just general ways of living are in many ways countercultural.  I think that there is always something inside of us that wants to go against the norm.  I feel like showing the nature and love of God through my faith is a major way that I can counter the hate that exists in our culture, especially the hatred so wrongly expressed against groups of people by misled people from a multitude of religious groups.