Answering Basic Questions

What are the defining characteristics of a religion?

When looking for the distinguishing marks of what makes something a religion many things come to mind. A popular view is to define religion as the worship of a supernatural being or beings. However among the religions of the world there are some that disregard the idea of the supernatural and focus solely on the natural realm. For example Zen Buddhism exhorts its disciples to take their focus off the supernatural as this is a stumbling block to enlightenment. For the Zen Buddhist one must take life as it is, disconnected from words, symbols or explanations. It is only then that one can rightly pursue the path to enlightenment. Further, proponents of Secular Humanism, a worldview considered to be a religion by its founders (Humanist Manifesto I) denies the supernatural. One of these “religious humanists” states, “There is no place in the Humanist worldview for either immortality or God in the valid meaning of those terms. Humanism contends that instead of the gods creating the cosmos, the cosmos, in the individualized form of human beings giving rein to their imagination, created the gods” (V. I. Lenin, Complete Collected Works, forty-five volumes, vol.10, p.86). So a proper definition of religion would somehow have to include such worldviews that exclude the supernatural.

Winfried Corduan points out two characteristics that compose the general nature of religion. The first is that religion “unifies our existence by providing the core values from which we derive meaning and goals”. The second is that religion, “directs us beyond the mundane routine of everyday life” (Neighboring Faiths, p.21). According to Corduan that which brings us out of the everyday routine of life is known as transcendence. The overall definition of religion that he offers is that, “A religion is a system of beliefs and practices that provides values to give life meaning and coherence by directing a person toward transcendence” (Neighboring Faiths, p.21). Another definition provided by Dean C. Halverson claims, “A religion is a set of beliefs that answers the ultimate questions: What is ultimate reality? What is the nature of the world? What is the nature of humanity? What is humanity’s primary problem? What happens after death?” (The Compact Guide to World Religions, p.13). The commonality and benefit of these definitions is that both define religion without restricting it to the belief and worship of a god or gods. Equally important is the attention given to the fact that man does not find satisfaction in the act of living alone, but by finding meaning in life.

A religion, then, can be defined not in terms of deities but in terms of transcendence or worship. It is universally the case that men worship something, whether gods, men, the state, or the universe itself. This instinctive act points to an inner need to find transcendence and is evidenced throughout the history of mankind. Christians recognize this universal trait as being instilled in the hearts of men by their Creator (Eccl. 3) for the purpose of drawing them to Himself (Acts 17:26-27).