Religion and other life views

So what is religion really? The word means something like showing respect to something. When something is that special that it stands out from ordinary life and so becomes worthy of respect, we say that this thing is holy. But maybe someone feels a football team is so fantastic, or that a famous person is so wonderful that they are worthy of our special respect. Is that religion?

Or maybe a political idea feels so right and true that it feels holy. Is that religion? For something to be considered a religion some other things are needed. A personal faith in what is holy. That which one feels to be true within oneself about one or several gods, spirits, or similar.

A group to meet with, a congregation with similar faith - a community. In the community one does things with others, and for others, and can feel happy to be with others who share one’s view of the sacred. Together with this community one also celebrates, worships, or prays to something. This follows a certain order of actions - magical or holy - that have been decided upon and set - rites or rituals. One example of this is communion in a Christian Church.

One also shares the idea that some ways of behaving are more righteous than others - this is called ethics or morality. All the religions also have one or several important stories about how this religion came into existence, and how the world and humans were created. The great world religions also have one or several books that explain their faith. For instance the Bible, the Quran, or the Veda. This kind of book is not found in the older, indigenous peoples’ religions.

Instead, the stories have been told orally for many generations. Our society today is very different from the societies that existed when the religions were founded. In our time many have turned their backs on organised religion, and may have more of a personal faith. Many say that they don’t believe in God but in “something” - though they are not quite sure what. A force perhaps, or some purpose, or destiny.

Or they don’t believe in anything at all. A society where religion doesn’t matter very much is called a secular society. There are also secular views of life that some people hold strongly: Humanism and feminism for example. Humanism focuses on the view that every human is valuable, and responsible for their own life, and the lives of others. This responsibility is not to be handed over to any god.

Modern humanists say that there is no god; they are atheists. Feminism is built on the idea that women should be equal to men, in terms of their value and their rights. Many feminists see this as a struggle between the genders and against an oppression of women. Not only society, but also the religions change and develop. So today, religious and secular life views don’t need to oppose one another.

You can be a Christian, or a Muslim, and at the same time be a feminist. And if you consider the things that define a religion, you might see that many of these also apply to secular views of life. Humanists and feminists might find community in meetings with like-minded people. The meetings may follow a certain order of actions. Both groups hold views about the correct - ethical - ways of behaving.

What do you think? What distinguishes a religion from a secular world view? Do you believe in any god, or is there something else that feels sacred to you?