What is religion?
Religion is a sociocultural system of designated patterns of behavior and customs, morality, beliefs, worldviews, texts, consecrated places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations that connects humanity with the supernatural, transcendental and spiritual elements. Still, there is no scientific consensus about it. what exactly constitutes a religion.
Different religions may or may not contain various elements, ranging from divine, sacred, faith, a supernatural being or supernatural beings, or "some kind of extreme and superiority that will provide norms and strength for the rest of your life." Religious practices may include rituals, sermons, commemoration or veneration (of deities and / or saints), sacrifices, festivals, celebrations, trance, initiations, funeral services, conjugal services, meditation, prayer, music, art, dance, community services, or other aspects human culture. Religions have sacred stories and narratives that can be preserved in scriptures, symbols, and holy places, which mainly aim to give meaning to life. Religions can contain symbolic stories that followers sometimes call truth, trying to explain the origin of life, the universe, and other phenomena. Traditionally, faith, in addition to reason, has been considered the source of religious beliefs.
It is estimated that there are about 10,000 different religions around the world. About 84% of the world's population is of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, or some form of folk religion. The non-religious demographic includes those who do not identify with any particular religion, atheists, and agnostics. While religiously unaffiliated individuals have grown up worldwide, many of them still hold different religious beliefs.
The study of religion encompasses many academic disciplines, including theology, comparative religion, and social sciences. Theories of religion offer various explanations for the origin and operation of religion, including the ontological foundations of religious being and belief.