Religion is a cultural system of beliefs, values, morals and practices, involving a sense of belonging to a group. It focuses on a transcendent reality, or god(s), and may include worship of that entity, ritual, sacred text and symbols, and theology. Religious beliefs, theories, and experiences vary widely across cultures. They can be based on the esoteric and mystical teachings of the Bible or the Quran, but also entail the exploration of inner peace, zen and enlightenment, karma, the soul, and life after death, among other topics.
A key point is that religion has a profound impact on society. It binds people together, provides a framework for social organization and control, promotes morality, and offers strength for people during life’s transitions and tragedies. It may even inspire people to work for social change. The sociologist Emile Durkheim is regarded as the first sociologist to analyze religion in terms of its societal impact.
Some philosophers, such as Hegel, argued that religion is just an attempt to understand the world, and that there is no real God or spirit. Others, including William James, argue that religion is a powerful source of charity, devotion, trust, and bravery.
A more recent approach argues that religion is a complex. While it seems avant-garde to treat religion as a constellation, assemblage, network or system, this view is actually quite old, dating back to the early nineteenth century. It was pioneered by Lucien Febvre and Marcel Bloch, whose journal Annales Histoires sociales et politiques (originally called Sociétés, histoires, sciences sociales) broke with the politico-historiographical tradition.