Religion is a system of beliefs and values that people hold sacred or consider spiritually significant. It is often a source of strength, courage and identity for individuals and communities, and it can help to bring people together. However, religion can also be a source of conflict and stress, particularly when there are differences between members of the same religious community.
Scholars who study religion have various theories on the origin of religion. One theory is that it developed as a response to humankind’s need to deal with the fact of death and the prospect of a future life. Other scholars, especially anthropologists (scientists who study human societies and human origins), have suggested that religion evolved as a result of the need to give meaning and purpose to life.
Almost all religions contain elements that are both practical and speculative. The practical side of religion includes ritual practices, laws governing social and domestic activity, and the texts regulating the exact performance of sacred rites. Speculations on the nature of the Deity, the soul and retribution may also be found in religious literature.
The academic study of religion requires that students compare a wide range of historical material. To do so they must create and revise conceptual categories. A univocal notion of religion, which seeks to rank different religions as so many species of a social genus, is clearly inadequate. It is better to use the dialectical concept that emerges from a comparison of specific, historically creative religious materials.