Broadening our Definition of Religion




Religion in terms are defined as “the service and worship of God or the supernatural”. While its definition can vary over time and by people, not all beliefs and worship of God are recognized as a religion throughout history. 


Photo 1: Getty Images on UnsplashPhoto 2: Robbie Herrera on Unsplash
Photo 3,4,5: Personal Photos

The beliefs that society accepts as religion are often very minimal, relative to its large spectrum around the world: almost 75 percent of the religious believers follow one of the five main beliefs which include Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam (CNBC, 2023). 

Photo 6: Lukas Meier on Unsplash


The seclusion of certain faiths derives a key question: 

Who defines religion and what is religion?

These fundamental questions are dealt with in my research paper “What Distinguishes a Small Religion and Large Cult?”. 


The research paper states that the distinction between cults and religion is rooted in moral hysteria. 
 

Photo 7: Laura Labrie on Unsplash


The difference between large cults and small religions comes from the degree of their deviant behaviors—if a mystical group’s actions challenge a leading ideology, it becomes a “cult.” 

The fear of novelty and perceiving difference directly as inferiority leads to seclusion of many religions. Hence, in the modern world, the definition and category of religion must be reexamined.

Photo 8: Frederick Kiesler. Totem for All Religions. 1947Photo 9: Hassan Saleh on Unsplash

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