Religion is a unified system of thoughts, feelings and actions that is shared by a group and includes trust in supernatural powers and beings, ceremonious rites, rituals, sacred places and symbols, a code of moral conduct and spiritual concepts. Most religions encourage people to choose right over wrong, good over evil and truth over falsehood, thus contributing to social harmony.
There are many religions in the world today. Some of them are universal, such as Christianity, Islam and Judaism, but most of them are specific to a particular region or a particular group of people, such as the Jews, the Yoruba or the Cherokee. Some of them have a clear founder, such as Jesus or Muhammad or Baha
A key function of religion is to create a sense of meaning and purpose in people’s lives. It also provides a source of comfort in times of distress and may help people cope with illnesses and death. Studies show that religious people are happier and healthier than those who do not belong to any religion.
Many critics of religion argue that it is nothing more than a form of opium, which relieves people’s suffering by giving them positive illusions. These critics often believe that the concept of religion is a Western invention and should be rejected. Others go further and argue that there is no such thing as a religion.
