The religion (du Latin, religio , initially care, scruple , then with the derived direction practical pertaining to worship - to see the etymological discussion ci-dessous) indicates with the direction the first Culte socially returned with the Divinité (form of Piété concerning field of the practice Communautaire). In the theological context, the term religion indicates the Doctrine (compounds of Croyance S or Dogme S) attached to a given worship (concerning the field of the speech). In more abstracted way, the term religion indicates it with what a man adheres beliefs Morale, on the base of what dictates to him its Raison and its Sentiment (what comes under the field of the Foi). Lastly, for the believer, the religion provides the methods and keys of access which make it possible the Homme to reach the Divin or with a reality Transcendant E (what comes under the field of the Métaphysique).

The religion is not necessarily in connection with a concept of divinity. The term natural Religion indicates doctrines which are based on the only inspirations of the reason and the heart; and more generally, one often indicates by " religion" in the broad sense dogmas and beliefs of a social community, even simply its practices tending to being ritual.

Roots of the religious fact

Etymology

The word religion comes from Latin religio , onis , whose semantic cloud is very rich: with the clean direction scruple, conscience, engagement, obligation, then by derived direction: fear of the gods, religious feelings, beliefs, superstitions, religious practices; finally crowned character, object or holy thing (or of worship), crowned sign, holiness. The Latin direction of the term religio is included/understood better when it is pointed out that the public Roman religious practice very ritualistic, was made Rituel S which were to be scrupulously carried out, and started again since the departure in the event of error.

The etymology remains however dubious, and is discussed since the Antiquité. That the word comes from the Latin Re-ligare , " is readily said; Re-joindre" or " Re-lier" , generally included/understood like indicating the relation of the human to the Divine , but also of human the ones to the others, bond at the same time in the field of social cohesion and that of the emotional attachment. This étymon is proposed by Lactance and Tertullien, but it is about a late significance probably founded on confusion between religo (of religio , to have regard to something) and religo (of ligo , to bind). Another way is indicated by Augustin d' Hippone, which suggests the following antiquated etymology: relegere , " to read again, reprendre" , in opposition to neglegentia , " négligence". At Cicéron ( Of will natura deorum , II, 10) one finds religio , " scrupule" , which evokes the respect and fear vis-a-vis the supernatural forces and the concern of being scrupulous in the observation of the rites.

In China and with the Japan, the word religion is the combination of two Sinogramme S:

  • shû (Japanese) or zōng (Chinese), indicating in the beginning the temple (, the roof, the house) from which the spirit comes (, monition, spiritual influence), and by extension a group linked by the worship of the same ancestors,
  • kyô (Japanese) or jiào (Chinese), meaning " enseignement" , " école"
The term shûkyô was first of all used by the Japanese; the Chinese borrowed it from the whole beginning of the 20th century ( zōngjiào ).

It evokes the transmission ( kyô/jiào ) of a To know, of a Tradition, Rite S, legends constituting a kind of Catéchisme, within a group ( shû/zōng ). The genealogical bond (lines Master-disciples) which implies the original direction of zōng remains important in China, where it plays a part more determinant that true nature of the ideology for fastening with a religious denomination. In the Zen Japanese also, the religious genealogy of the Masters is regarded as an important reference to evaluate the authenticity and the quality of a school.

One includes/understands thus that they are at the same time the Croyance S and the cultures a human group and practices which result from this.

Faith, direction and beliefs

The etymology shows that the religion connects the man to the divinity, and with its original roots, and the company where it evolves/moves. These dimensions (as well as the report/ratio with death, implicitly present in the worships of the Lares) are found indeed at the origin of the religions. Historically, in the primitive companies, there is no separation between not crowned and the company itself: the company does not have " a religion" , it is the nature even of the company which is nun, the religion is coextensive with the company, and all the activities of the man which take a transcendent aspect. The evolution of civilization gradually led to to laicize the majority of the activities of the man (writing, art, legislation, sexuality…) who were initially crowned acts. In parallel, the religious questions were marginalized, and tend to specialize on the Spiritualité. But the religion is not reduced for as much to a personal and private spirituality; it is not possible to speak about religion without in one way or another mentioning the way in which it structured its company, and still continues to do it.

On an objective level, for the Prehistorian S, the differences in perception of death constitute a stone of key of humanity: the funerary Rite is indeed an index which announces the emergence of a certain form of Conscience and of a certain religious feeling, which makes it possible to distinguish from a manner practices human Anthropoïdes. Indeed, among the phenomena which frighten the Homme, draws up the Mort initially. This question preserves all its force in the great religions, and still nowadays. The great religions seek to answer the questions Essentielle S about the Sens of the life, speaking sometimes about Espérance to compensate what seems scandalous in death. They speak on this subject about a Au-delà, of eternal Vie, Réincarnation, Résurrection, Immortalité, eternity. In modern times, following Descartes, Auguste Count worked out in the same way a kind of worship of dead the. The detractors see there an escape of reality and an expression of the fear: it would be the organized expression of the thirst for Sens of the human being and its desire to explain what its knowledge cannot explain. One speaks more readily about a search for direction, more or less rational and in any case multiform.

Since the man is in the world, it does not cease wondering about the way in which the world functions, on the place which it occupies in this one, on its raison d'être. In its attempt to explain the physical Universe and phenomena, the first intellectual expression of the man was a religious expression. The primitive man often implies one or more Déité S or other supernatural forces. This religious chapter raises the questions of the report/ratio in the world, in particular to nature, in the Animisme S, where all the forces of nature are sacrilized. The religions are often impregnated various Croyance S, which can seem Superstition S, or irrational behaviors for an external spirit wanting to be Cartésien.

The religion structure also the report/ratio with the other, human or not. Another problems covered by the religion as a factor of social cohesion are that of pure and impure, and the report/ratio to its other, i.e., with the not-monk of which it traces contours. One can think this report/ratio in terms essentialists, those of Sacré and Profane, which makes, in fact, all the Théologien S which do not dare any more to speak about their convictions but by the turning of a metalanguage. But one can also further go, not to stop where theology requires it, and to approach the religion like one does it for any other aspect of the social life. In this approach, the religion is not thought any more like one option but like one of the processes not-optional, universal, by which a company is perceived, finds and takes its place in the world. According to Durkheim, the religion , it itself is the company car-legitimating themselves and car-to adore themselves.

Lastly, on a subjective level, the religions are associated with the expression of a " experiment spirituelle" (extase mystical, Révélation, awakening) which one finds the trace in all the cultures. The man is based on this spiritual experiment to give a direction to the world, or at least refers about it with divine to seize the direction (" of them; direction " must get along in its two significances, at the same time like Herméneutique and Direction). This chapter of the religion raises the question of the report/ratio with God or the Gods.

See also: Spirituality, Supernatural

Evolution of the religious forms

Mythological anthropology and Forms

In anthropology, the coverage by the term religion must be defined by the anthropologists themselves: “The word “religion” is not a term found on the ground, it is a term created by the researchers for their own need. Consequently, it is with them that returns the task to define it. It is about a generic Concept, of second degree, which plays the same part in the installation of the disciplinary horizon of the study of the religion as the concepts of “Langage” and “Culture” in linguistics and Anthropologie. Without such a horizon, there is no discipline of the study of the religion”. The historical and scientific analysis of the origin of the worships former to our era became only more speculative about it.

Considering the techniques, the burials with properly pertaining to worship objects of the Homme of Néandertal testify to the first worships in the Paléolithique means around -100.000 years with the Moustérien. Into this same time the Homo sapiens integrated the funeral worships of the Homo neanderthalensis as seem to indicate it the recent discoveries of the cave of Skhul known as cave of the children. Considering Art, the prehistoric worships make also testimony. According to a usually allowed assumption, the worships appeared with the invention of the Langage, which goes back 200.000 years.

See also: Religion in prehistory

The typical religious forms which one finds the trace as of the Préhistoire are the Animisme, the Fétichisme, the Polythéisme. These forms do not constitute " une" particular religion, one finds as much form than there is of social form.

All these forms " lose " in the mists of time;: although documented during the historical time, it is not possible to assign a precise historical origin to them.

The Mythologie S often go back to the transition between prehistory and historical period, the Protohistoire. One can quote like examples of mythologies those of Sumer, of Babylon, the Egyptian Gods, even the Greek Mythologie…

These forms perdurent in the religions or spirituality of various zones of planet: Shamanism of Eurasia (Northern Siberian), religions of Africa, of Amazonia, of Oceania, of America, etc One can also quote other religions maintaining almost disappeared, most generally polytheists, now classified in Mythologie or ancient religions, originating mainly in Eurasia, of Africa, or America.

One can think that the old worships of our era take their roots in these prehistoric worships and these mythologies.

See also: Mythology, Shamanism, Magic (supernatural)

Crowned texts

The invention of the writing opens at the same time the historical period, and the first large crowned texts of humanity. It is this period which in particular sees appearing the Hindouisme, recalled until worms 5000 av. J. - C., and its Veda; the Monothéisme, recalled until Abraham towards 1850 av. JC, the Judaism, recalled until Brace towards 1250 av. JC, with the Bible.

There exist two large cradles of the contemporary religions on Earth, which emerged there are three to four thousand years:

  • the abrahamic Religions (the Judaism, the Christianity and the Islam) come geographically from the fertile Croissant, which extends from the area where was born Abraham (current Iraq) with the Egypt. They are described as being Monothéiste S (in opposition to the past polytheist of the Mediterranean basin) and revealed.
  • the Hindouisme was born in north from the Indian sub-continent (current Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and southern borders of the Nepal). One can nevertheless describe them like a form of polytheism henotheist or even Panenthéiste for the hindouism.
The Popol Vuh of the Mayas watch that this movement was also present in the new world. Are also attached to this form different the Livre from dead the met in various civilizations.

See also: Monothéisme, Text crowned, revealed Religion

Lesson

From the first millenium before our era, the emergence of the philosophical thought resulting from an author marks a turning in the form of the religions: the new forms are attached to the personal teaching of a Master. One thus sees appearing in this manner:
  • the Jaïnisme, recalled until the Tîrthankara historical Parshwanath, VIIe century, VIIIe century front J. - C.
  • the Zoroastrisme, recalled until Zoroastre towards 650 av. JC
  • the Taoism, recalled until Lao Zi towards 600 av. JC
  • the Buddhism, recalled until Buddha towards 560 av. JC
  • the Confucianism, recalled until Confucius towards 550 av. J. - C.
  • the Christianity, recalled until the beginning of the Christian era with Jesus-Christ
  • the Islam, recalled until Mahomet between 609 and 632 (Hégire in 622).
  • the Sikhisme, created by Nanak Ji towards 1500
… without counting the large currents of the philosophical thought not necessarily attached to the idea of monk.

These forms of religion have jointly to provide an explanation to our great philosophical questions. They do not have however exclusiveness in it, and these questions were aordées by all the philosophical great systems which emerged in the first millenium before our era. In the Antiquity gréco-Roman, the philosophers purely tackle the same questions about a plan Métaphysique, by detaching them from the religious practice. In India and Asia, the Buddhism, the Confucianism, Shintoïsme etc. form rather a Philosophie as a life mode, a Spiritualité or a form of religion polytheist.

See also: Prophet, Wisdom, Metaphysical

Theological schools

The last two millenia of our history are characterized by a better control of the knowledge and its transmission, which improves throughout the first millenium - the Université S are born with the turning from the year thousand, and the knowledge becomes gradually a political power. The religious ruptures of this period are characterized by the bonds which they have with the policy issues of the moment: the theological speech on which they are based is often only one business of specialists, and is too often used as pretext with Wars of religion:

See also: Theology

Research modern of the hello

From the 17th century, but especially of the nineteenth century, one sees appearing in the strongly tinted modern society Rationalisme of new forms of religions (in sectarian matters more or less ), which are often characterized by the will to be distinguished (to even separate) from a company which they critical, to adopt a lifestyle specific and directed towards a spiritual goal. One can quote in this many category:

See also: Sect, New age

Principal religions in the world

Historical and geographical classification

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