Religion – A Major Source Of Necessity And Culture In Modern Society

Religion is a human need for meaning, a set of ideas about how to live in a world that has no certain patterns and rules, as well as an obligation to care for the world. It is not a set of ideas but a body of knowledge, shared by human beings from time to time through art, literature, education, authority, ritual, and experience. Religion is a socio cultural system of specified behaviors and norms, moral values, beliefs, scriptures, moral codes, holy places, prophecy, ethical principles, and organizations, which relates humanity to a divine principle or higher power.

The basic defining characteristics of religion are its definition and the affiliation to a particular set of ideas. According to the sociologist Frank Jackson, religion is “the sum of human experience and thought, the totality of what people at a given time regard as significant.” Similarly, in his book World Without End, the thinker Kurt Goldstein claims that religion is the meaning generator in the mind of man. The religious organization is the living organism within a people’s life, contributing to their values, beliefs, customs, and practices. This contribution is known as the life-generating force, and it is this force that determines the level and quality of religious life and its effects on the individual and society.

The major religions have been in existence for many centuries now. Some of these have been able to survive and endure even after having experienced violent transitions and upheavals. The examples of some of the religions that have been able to overcome the test of time are Confucianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam. Among the ancient vestiges of religion are vestiges of such religions as the Stoics, the Christians, and the pagans.