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| Religion Explained |
A description of 'Religion' in general is shown below.
For a description of the Christian Religion, click here.
| Why & How? | Physical & Spiritual | Religion | God | The Soul | Faith |
| Worship | Denominations & Sects | Scripture | Priests | Symbols | Prayer |
| Why and How? | |||||
 Since humanity has been able to think, people have asked fundamental questions, "Where did the world come from?" "Who are we?" "Why are we here?" Generally, science answers the questions of 'how?' - the 'Big Bang', atoms, molecules and evolution - but religion answers the questions of 'why?' - God made us to be in relationship with him. (Return to top)
Different religions answer the 'why' in different ways, but most say the idea that the universe came about merely because of chance is unlikely. Most religions accept the concept of evolution, but accept that a 'Supreme Being' caused it all to start. Even if it did happen by chance, we're still left with the question, "Where did matter come from in the first place - and why? (Return to top) |
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| Physical and Spiritual | |||||
 Many people suggest that as well as the physical aspects of existence - space, time, matter - there's a spiritual aspect that can't be described but its presence can be felt. It's what gives us our innermost and distinctive being - it's what makes us, us. It gives us consciousness and intelligence. (Return to top)
Many also argue that this spiritual aspect is eternal - it lasts forever, unlike our physical body which has a limited life, then dies. Some think that on the death of the physical body, this spiritual aspect returns to where it came from (heaven?), others think that it's reincarnated in another body (human or animal) to begin the cycle of life and death again (reincarnation). (Return to top) |
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| Religion | |||||
 The word 'Religion' comes from the Latin 'Religio' which means 'obligation or reverence'. Those who follow a particular religion do so because they hold beliefs which help them answer the fundamental questions above, and which oblige them to offer reverence to some power outside themselves - this may be a supreme being (eg: a god) or some other thing (eg: a rock) or some force (eg: nature). (Return to top) |
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| A Supreme Power - God | |||||
 Most religions acknowledge an unseen power greater than humanity which is responsible for the creation and maintenance of the universe and all that's in it, including humanity. Such a supreme power is sometimes called the 'absolute' but more usually 'God'. Some religions acknowledge only one God (eg: Judaism, Christianity and Islam), whilst others see the supreme power as taking several different forms - that is, several gods (eg: Hinduism). (Return to top) |
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| The Soul | |||||
| Many religions teach that people have a spiritual aspect which is separate from the body and mind, and call this the 'Soul'. This is usually considered the most important part of a person as it's usually considered to have a direct connection with the 'absolute'. In many religions, the Soul is considered as immortal (it never dies). (Return to top) | |||||
| Faith | |||||
| No-one can prove the existence of any supreme being, but equally no one can disprove it either. People believe in a particular religion because they were bought up under its influence, or because they've thought about the fundamental questions above and concluded that the religion provides answers that are meaningful, or a combination of both - people often come to these conclusions as they get older and think it through for themselves. Still others experience a spiritual presence, which they accept is related to a supreme being. (Return to top)
Belief in something that can't be proved but is based on conviction is described as 'faith' from the Latin word 'fides'. The word 'faith' is sometimes used to mean religion in general or a specific religion in particular (eg "they have faith" or "they believe in the Christian faith"). (Return to top) |
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| Worship | |||||
 Worship involves showing respect to the supreme being. Believers usually gather together, often in a special place with a name such as church, temple, mosque or synagogue and perform set actions or repeat set words, or both. These set actions are called 'ritual' and may involve activities not aimed directly at the supreme being but intended to show respect for them, such as washing the hands and feet or removing one's shoes before entering the special place of worship. Some religions teach that you can only worship in the special place, whilst others teach that you can worship anywhere, including in the open air. (Return to top)
In some religions the place of worship is ornately decorated to reflect giving the best to the god or to reflect the supposed grandeur of their 'home', whilst in other religions the place of worship is kept deliberately simple to reflect humility, or some similar characteristic. (Return to top) In some religions, 'worship' is seen as giving the supreme being his or her worth ('worth-ship'), whilst in others it's also seen as a way in which the supreme being in some way supports their followers. (Return to top) |
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| Prayer and Meditation | |||||
 Prayer consists of giving praise and thanks to the supreme being and/or asking for things which the believer wants and which they believe the supreme being can provide. Different religions pray in different ways - some teach that you must sit or kneel to pray, others teach that you must stand up, still others believe that you should cover yourself with a shawl or scarf. (Return to top)
Some teach that prayer is mainly a formal process using prescribed words and procedures which must be said by the priest, others that it can be informal too, so allow for the believer to say their own words either in 'private' prayer on their own or when gathered together for 'public' prayer in the place of worship. Some pray by closing their eyes and cupping their hands, others by prostrating themselves on the ground, and yet others accept any time or position is appropriate and the posture is irrelevant as it's the intention of the person praying that matters. (Return to top) Meditation and contemplation are sometimes seen as special forms of prayer. Meditation involves creating an aura of stillness to remove any barrier between yourself and the supreme being, allowing the person praying to concentrate more intently on that being. Contemplation is like meditation, but the mind is cleared of all thought to allow focus on the supreme being. (Return to top) |
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| Scripture | |||||
 'Scripture' is derived from the Latin word 'scriptura' and just means 'writings' and is the name given to the text of a religion's Holy Book. In some religions the Holy Book is a collection of thoughts or teaching from the founder, in others its a collection of accounts said to have been dictated by the supreme being or through their messenger, whilst for others its thought to have been written by humans but under the influence of the supreme being, so it reflects that being's wishes or commands. (Return to top) |
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| Priests | |||||
 In some religions the priest is seen as a necessary intermediary between the supreme being and 'ordinary' people, whilst in others 'ordinary' people have direct access to the supreme being themselves. (Return to top)
Priests are usually people 'set apart' for religious duties. Many religions have priests who have public duties such as leading worship and teaching about the religion as well as providing care for the followers. Most religions provide their priests with a special form of dress to help identify them as such. (Return to top) In some religions priests are only selected from certain social classes or groups, in some they may be only male or only female, whilst in some religions they can be from any group or any gender. (Return to top) |
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| Symbols & Signs | |||||
| Many religions have one or more symbols that are used to depict the religion itself, or some particular aspect of it. The symbol has sometimes come about by common usage or sometimes been carefully thought out, usually based on some aspect of that religion's belief or teaching. The principal symbols for three main religions are: (Return to top)
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| Denominations & Sects | |||||
| Many religions have divided over the centuries into different sub-groups, usually where one or more aspect of that religion has come to be regarded by some of the followers as more or less important, eg: Orthodox and Liberal Jews, Catholic and Protestant Christians, Shia and Sunni Muslims. In some cases the sub-group has divided still further, such as Protestant Christians into Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, etc. (Return to top)
A division that remains true to generally accepted beliefs, but puts one aspect ahead of others, is termed a ‘Denomination’. If the division adopts beliefs or practices which are contrary to generally held or 'orthodox' beliefs, then it's known as a ‘Sect’. (Return to top) |
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Judaism: An early symbol is a candelabra or lampstand called a 'Menorah' with 7 arms (9 arms for special festivals). In the early Hebrew scriptures, God is said to have instructed the prophet Moses to make such a lampstand for his sanctuary. 
English, they represent the first letter of the Greek words "Iēsous Khristos Theou Huios, Sōtēr" which mean "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Saviour". However, the most common symbol quickly became the Latin cross, because it was on that shape that Jesus was thought to have been crucified - a very important element in Christian belief.
Islam: Many associate the crescent moon and star with Islam, indeed many Islamic States have this symbol on their flag. In fact it's much older than Islam and comes from the pagan world before Islam was created. It was the symbol on the flag of the city of Byzantium