Religion has been defined as a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
There are around 4200 religions in the world. The word religion is sometimes used interchangeably with faith or belief system, but it is more often used to refer to specific organized faiths like Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Taoism etc. A person who follows a particular religion is called religious. People can also be spiritual but not religious e.g. they may believe in God without belonging to any formal religion. Some people may follow multiple religions or none at all – this latter group is known as atheists.
The major religions are often subdivided into smaller groups called denominations e.g. Protestantism includes many different churches such as Baptists, Methodists etc.; Catholicism includes Orthodoxy and Liberal Catholicism; Islam has Sunni and Shia sects etc.
Beliefs about God(s) vary considerably between different religions but most contain some concept of divine beings or gods/ goddesses who created and/or control the universe – although there are also atheistic religions which don’t believe in any god(s). Many religions teach that humans have an immortal soul which lives on after death either in heaven (a good place) or hell (a bad place). Some also have reincarnation where souls are reborn into another body after death – this cycle continues until enlightenment is reached and escape from the material world attained (e.g. Hinduism & Buddhism).
Rituals & ceremonies are an important part of most religions e.g.: baptism (Christianity), bar mitzvah / bat mitzvah (Judaism), first communion / confirmation (Catholicism), weddings (various), funerals (various). These rites usually mark significant life events such as birth / coming of age / marriage / death but they can also be for other purposes such as thanksgiving or repentance etc.. Music & dance often play a role in religious ceremonies e.g.: Gregorian chants (Christianity), Sufi whirling dervishes (Islam), Bhangra dancing (Sikhism).
Ethics & morality are also central to many faiths with their own codes of behaviour which members should adhere to – these rules may cover aspects such as how we should treat others , sexual activity , diet , clothing etc.. For example: The Ten Commandments form part of Christian ethics; Muslims follow The Five Pillars; Hindus live according to Dharma . There is usually some overlap between religious & secular laws although countries with an official state religion tend to give these preferential treatment . In some cases obeying religious law may lead to conflict with secular law e.g.: polygamy is illegal in many Western countries but permitted under Islamic law . Religious wars happen when two groups holding different views about faith go to war with each other e.. Crusades , Jihads . Most recently ‘The War on Terror’ has been partly motivated by religious differences between Muslims & non-Muslims following terrorist attacks by Islamist groups .