First line on link; “a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe”
would be better if it went; ‘a set of philosophies concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe’
but its the belief thing that’s subjective and interpretive, then in contradiction, historically [and with some even today] the believers are told that that is THE truth.
Subjects might not fit into the class of objective,
but as i said elsewhere, subjects are naturally occuring.
Our human nature comes from Nature herself.
And subjects are expressions of human natures.
It has to be “a set of beliefs” because the collective noun must include all kinds. Reasoned convictions, philosophical systems, general superstition and unquestioning faith.
As long as the practice continues - as long as there are churches and canons, icons and ordained clergy, rituals and holy scriptures - we need a word to describe it. Once organized religion is no longer a significant factor in the world, that word will not figure much in ordinary conversations (will still be required for historical and sociological documents).
If organized religion should dissipate and be replaced by individual spirituality, or animism, or the awe of the universe, or meditation or contemplation… well, we already have words for all those things, ready to be applied as appropriate.
Religion certainly doesn’t equal importance in my vocabulary. While I do have a system of priorities - a ranking of important subjects - my immediate reaction to a church is something like : That would make a really good concert hall, or I could subdivide that into a dozen apartments for medical students, or whatever use the building suggests. Importance, for humans, ought to taking care of our environment and one another in practical ways, not collecting heaven-miles.
True … to “retain/restrain the legion/gathering”.
And thus hated today so as to allow for a much more extreme global union/restraint/binding in their place.
Religion is the kindergarten of spirituality. It can bind like minded people together or it can be seen as bondage to oppressive, outdated views on the nature of human reality.
IMHO, any religion worth its salt would instruct one on the divinity of ecosystems–on the need to see human variety of expression as integral parts of plenitude–as necessary parts of the Whole.
Religion (or the phenomenon wherefore that word is used) should not be underestimated. It seems to be everywhere - unfortunately or fortunately, whether one likes it or not.