For most of history the term “religion” has been defined in terms of belief in a distinctive kind of reality. This approach is still widely prevalent, even though many scholars have dropped the idea of a substantive definition in favor of one that defines religion as whatever system of practices unites people into a moral community (that is, a religious group). Such an approach is known as functional.
Whether such an approach is used or not, the essential characteristics of religion are that it involves human beings in the process of learning to live with what they recognize as an inevitable limit on their lives. This is done in a wide variety of ways, including prayer, ritual, the worship of a God or a Goddess, and ethical conduct. It is also accomplished in the assembly of human beings to share religious information, which happens primarily in groups called church, synagogue, mosque, or gurdwara.
Religion rests on a recognition of man’s helplessness and need of Divine aid, and on the conviction that he can obtain happiness, relief from suffering, and salvation in friendly communion with the Deity. This communion engenders hope, and it is sustained by the recognition of Divine providence, which inspires confidence and devotion.
In most religions the Divine is conceived as a personality that is one and indivisible, present everywhere in nature but distinct from it; this omnipresence is a source of worship and reverence. The obtaining of benefits in answer to prayer prompts gratitude. The immensity of the Divine power and wisdom calls up feelings of awe; and the consciousness that one has offended and estranged the Divine leads to fear, sorrow, and the desire for reconciliation.