What is religion?

I think this one is close, but I sense some deficiencies. I'd like to hear your thoughts first, though.

How do you mean?

"Religion is any set of teachings and traditions that include myth and ritual, understood by the adherents to provide guidance in the interpretation of their existence and how they ought to live."

That is easily the best definition I've heard so far! I throw my previous definition out the window in favor of this one. What is it, a dictionary definition?

"Religion is any set of teachings and traditions that include myth and ritual, understood by the adherents to provide guidance in the interpretation of their existence and how they ought to live."

I really can't think of a way I would revise it. What do you have in mind? Too broad? Too narrow?

Too narrow. I'm not sure the above definition can account for the appearance of new religion due to the reliance upon tradition. Of course, religion typically does rely upon tradition, but what happens when a teacher comes along who's message does not rely upon some tradition?

Is the above definition too broad?

For example, Arthur Schopenhauer provided teachings and practices that provide insight into the meaning of existence, guidance on how to live.

It reminds me of a question that I often ponder. Why did not a religion grow out of the teachings and practices of Socrates? He even had a supernatural endorsement from the oracle at Delphi, and he died a martyr. My hypothesis is that the Socratic approach never became popular, perhaps because it requires too much mental discipline and/or creates a frame of mind that conflicts with one's day to day responsibilities.

So, maybe the teachings and practices have to rise to some level of popularity before we begin to think of them as belonging to a religion.

Let's try this:

"Religion is any more or less popular and enduring set of teachings and practices understood by the adherents to provide insight concerning the ultimate meaning of existence and guidance concerning how they ought to live."

I do not think the Socratic method can accurately be said to require any more mental discipline than any other related practice. Monks, in every tradition, often develop rigorous mental practices.

The problem here is that we would then have to admit that Christianity is a religion, but would not be a religion if it never gained popularity. Maybe that is accurate considering the way we use the word, if we are to include Buddhism in the category 'religion'.

I am beginning to wonder if this term religion really does not mean very much at all...

I'm not sure if we are looking for a description to religion, or we try to understand it's purpose and how humans need it. Because it needs to have a purpose. Only those who are believers in a religion can say that: "it doesn't have a purpose, nor does God has a purpose, it's just there." But the non-believers must have explanations to what it is.

As far as I know, religion (and I'm talking about all the "religions" from shamanism in the tribes to christianity) is an always changing explanation for the natural laws and the universe' mechanics which, we cannot explain any other way. Ancient tribes and countries believed in "natural gods" because they couldn't understand it nor the creation of life, aka "the beginning", nor the end and death. They believed for example: water is a god, because they couldn't explain why it's changing. And as humans understood the nature's laws more and more old religions started to disappear, and new religions have evolved. The human mind cannot accept that it's limited, in addition we fear that we don't know. Religion gives explanations to the things we don't know, so we won't fear them anymore. As long as the human mind cannot accept that there is no beginning, and no end to the universe, and that the universe and time is limitless, we will need religions (If we believe or say that we don't, we will believe in something). I've read an other topic wich caught my eye the other day. It was about how man will always ask the question: why? / what is the cause?. I think it's much about the same here. We'll always ask why, no matter what is the answer, we believe that everything has a cause, our minds cannot accept that the things are just there (only a few of us can accept that, those who accept the teachings of a religion). So, final conclusion of mine: religion is a couple of answers for humans about all the stuff that we don't understand or explain othervise.