The practice of religion has a number of positive benefits, which are good for individuals, families, states and the nation. The practice improves health, increases learning and economic well-being, provides self-control and a sense of purpose, fosters a feeling of belonging, reduces delinquency, crime and drug abuse, and raises the level of empathy and compassion in society. It also helps to prevent out-of-wedlock births, divorce and separation, depression, suicide, teen pregnancy and gang activity. Moreover, it is generally associated with good parenting and better marital satisfaction. It is a leading cause of family stability, with children of parents who attend church tending to be more confident, responsible, healthy and happy. It is also a powerful social force that is good for the country, with studies showing that Americans who are religious are more likely to vote, to have a college degree and to be involved in civic activities, including serving on boards of education and the military.
Yet it is difficult to decide exactly what religion is, and what criteria one should use in classifying beliefs, practices and institutions as such. Most efforts to categorize religion have used what is known as a “monothetic” approach, which holds that every instance of the concept shares a defining property. More recently, scholars have begun to adopt a polythetic approach, treating the term as a family resemblance concept rather than as a set of necessary and sufficient properties.
In the past, most definitions of religion emphasized its role in human culture and focused on a concept of salvation that included belief in some kind of supernatural being or power, either in the form of a heaven after death or, as in Buddhism, an end to suffering and suffering itself. This functional definition of religion is often criticized for excluding non-Western ideas of supernatural beings and powers. The more substantial definitions of religion were developed by scholars such as Max Weber and Emile Durkheim, who argued that the practice of religion promotes social integration and establishes a collective conscience.
Currently, the concept of religion is often defined by its adherence to specific beliefs and practices, with most people worldwide adhering to one of the major world religions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. But there are many other traditions that a scholar might consider to be religions, such as the spiritual beliefs of indigenous peoples.
Some critics of the notion of religion have even suggested that it is an artificial construct that was created in order to justify European colonialism. These scholars argue that, given this history, we should stop using the concept of religion to sort cultural types and instead use a more objective measure such as economics or democracy. However, this position neglects the fact that most people do believe that the practice of religion has a positive impact on the world and that there is ample empirical evidence to support these claims. Therefore, the best way to understand religion is to examine the data that supports its beneficial effects on society.