Religion is the human response to ultimate concerns, which are commonly expressed in terms of one’s relationship with or attitude toward what is regarded as holy, sacred, absolute, spiritual, divine, or worthy of especial reverence. In more modern or naturalistic forms of religion these concerns may be expressed in terms of one’s relationship with the broader social community or the natural world. Often, religions teach an ethic of reciprocity underlined by compassion and a faith in a higher power.
The nature and origin of the concept of religion is complex, and there are many different theories of religion. However, most of the analyses that have been made so far are “monothetic” in nature, that is they take for granted that every instance of a particular religious phenomenon will share one or more of the same defining characteristics.
For example, the sociologist Emile Durkheim defined religion as whatever dominant concern serves to generate social solidarity, and a philosopher named Max Scheler argued that religion is a force in human life that gives meaning and purpose to living. These views, which all assume that the characteristics that define religion are universal, have been challenged by more reflexive scholars who have pulled back the camera to examine the constructed nature of the concept of religion.
A more recent, arguably more accurate and useful definition of religion has been proposed by anthropologists and sociologists who use the term to describe human beings’ responses to life’s most profound questions. The basic concepts that all religions share are belief in a higher power, reverence for an authority figure or group of figures who are believed to be in charge, and a system of values that is based on love and compassion for others.