Concept in Definition ABC

The religion it is a human practice of existential, moral and supernatural beliefs. When speaking of religion, reference is made to the social bodies that deal with the systematization of this practice, as we know today Catholicism, Judaism, Islam and many others.

All the cultures and civilizations described in the history of mankind have been characterized by religious practice, and even some experts have warned that the search for higher instances than material existence is a unique characteristic of the human being, which distinguishes it from the rest of the beings living. Even formally atheistic societies are based on a kind of religious order, by excluding the existence of a god from their conception.

Religion understand teachings about life

While there are structurally organized religions, others are tied to the traditions and cultures of a particular society. In any case, a religion encompasses teachings, rites, and practices. The study of religions classifies them by theological conception, by revelation, by origin or sectarian order. In addition, different societies can be monotheistic (that support the existence of a single god) or polytheistic (that support the existence of multiple gods, as were the ancient Greeks).

Followers in different religions

The different religions that are practiced in the world usually have a high number of followers, the main ones being Christianity, with around 2 billion, Islam with 1,500, Hinduism with 900, traditional Chinese religion with almost 400, and religion bean. Christianity can in turn be subdivided into the Catholic religion, which recognizes the Pope (Bishop of Rome) as the maximum authority, the Orthodox Christian religion (predominant in the Balkans, Eastern Europe and North Africa) and the different Protestant confessions, of which the Anglican church and the creed stand out Lutheran.

Agnostics and Atheists

On the other hand, secularism or the non-practice of any religion, which includes both agnostics (those who believe that our character as human beings prevents us from determine the existence or not of a superior god) as well as atheists (those who deny the existence of a superior god), counts around 1,100 million in the whole planet. These facts are more accentuated in those regions of the planet in which the governmental structure is formally non-religious, as in the communist nations.

It should be noted that some states are governed by structures called theocracies, in which religious leaders are in turn political and state referents. Although in ancient times these forms of fusion of government and worship characterized the great Egyptian and Inca empires (in which the sovereign was considered a divinity), in modern times this system continues in force, as happens with some nations that profess the Islam.

Theology: Studying Religion

The study of religion is known as the theology, but, to tell the truth, science and religion have their meeting points in disciplines such as comparative religion, organology, psychology of religion, history of religion and other examples. The metaphysics and the philosophy are also elements of contact between science and religion, with different variants, but with numerous factors in common even within the framework of different cults. Likewise, civil life is interwoven with religious practices, which is why different national holidays are directly related to religious practices. traditions linked to faith (Christmas and Easter in Christian nations, Ramadan in Muslim countries, among others).

Philosophical doctrines, moreover, seek to reconcile religious doctrine with human reason. For example, pantheism postulates that all reality has a divine nature, or else, monism maintains the unity of everything that exists. It is noted that, although there is no consensus to define it as a religion, Satanism is a practice of rites, sometimes systematized, destined to worship supernatural beings linked to the wrong. In general, these customs are rejected by most of the great religions throughout the world.

Being able to choose your own path

In another order, it is important to state that freedom of religion is a paradigm fundamental of the human rights; the free practice of religion for every citizen is on the list of achievements of modern democracies. However, respect for religious practices can be obscured by fanaticism, whereby the imposition of a certain religion over the others is attempted in the sphere of a group population.