Religion is human beings’ relation to that which they deem to be holy, sacred, absolute, spiritual, divine or worthy of especial reverence. Traditionally, it has also included people’s attitudes and concerns about their lives after death. In more traditional forms of religion, these relations and concerns are expressed in terms of one’s relationship with gods or spirits; in more humanistic or naturalistic forms, they are expressed as one’s attitude toward the broader community or the natural world.
Many sociologists have used the term religion to refer to a variety of social phenomena. This reflects the fact that it is often difficult to define what counts as religion in particular contexts, and this has led to different approaches to analyzing religion. Early approaches were monothetic, in which the concept of religion was defined by a single defining property that could be used to differentiate it from other social phenomena. Edward Tylor, Paul Tillich and Emile Durkheim all used this approach to define religion.
More recently, a number of scholars have moved away from this substantive definition and adopted a functional approach to the concept of religion. The goal of a functional analysis is to identify the specific role that a form of life can play in a society and what it contributes to that society.
In this context, religion is seen as an important factor in establishing moral beliefs and behaviors, in helping people cope with tragedy and loss, and in fostering community cohesion. It has also been linked to healthy behaviours and to increased life expectancy.