Religion
Religion
Religion and the State
Also known as religious tradition, spirituality, spiritual tradition
For most of history rulers claimed divine backing while religions chased the state's power, and pulling the two apart is one of modern politics' central fights. This links to Politics, where constitutions and rights try to pin down what a government may and may not do about faith. It runs through History, since nations often fuse religion into their national identity. And it touches Global Risks, because people fleeing religious persecution become migrants and refugees.
Key people
- The BuddhaIndian philosopher and the founder of Buddhism (623 or 563 BCE – 543 or 483 BCE)
- Georg Wilhelm Friedrich HegelGerman philosopher and theologian (1770–1831)
- Bertrand RussellBritish philosopher and logician (1872–1970)
- B. R. AmbedkarIndian polymath, philosopher, and social reformer (1891–1956)
Timeline
- 1200When religiō came into English around the 1200s as religion, it took the meaning of "life bound by monastic vows" or monastic orders.
- 1500The compartmentalized concept of religion, where religious and worldly things were separated, was not used before the 1500s.
- 1800No one self-identified as a Hindu or Buddhist or other similar terms before the 1800s.
- 2015It is the world's largest religion, with about 2.3 billion followers as of 2015.
Read
- The Golden BoughJames George Frazer · 1890Book
- Dialogues Concerning Natural ReligionDavid Hume · 1779Book
- Religion and the Rise of CapitalismRichard H. Tawney · 1926Book
- Egyptian ideas of the future lifeE. A. Wallis Budge · 1899Book
Listen
- The C.S. Lewis podcastPremierPodcast
- Let God PodcastLet God PodcastPodcast
- Hearing Jesus: Daily Bible Study, Christian Affirmations, Hearing God, Prayer, Holy Spirit, Daily DevotionalHearing JesusPodcast
- Women's Bible StudyLisa LaizurePodcast
Voices to follow
- Reza Aslan@rezaaslan · XIranian-American author, commentator
- Marie Cachet@CachetMarie · XFrench writer and author
- Paul D. Miller@pauldmiller2 · XAmerican academic and writer
- Juan Arnau@arnauportatil · XSpanish philosopher and essayist
Debates
- Is religion primarily a force for good or conflict in society?One view: Religion often inspires charity, community, and moral guidance, leading to social cohesion. · Another: Religion has frequently been a source of division, persecution, and war throughout history.Open question
- Does the academic study of religion require personal faith?One view: An insider's perspective, gained through faith, is essential for a deep understanding of religious experience. · Another: Academic study requires objective analysis, separating personal belief from scholarly inquiry.Open question
Glossary
- TheologyThe systematic study of religious faith, practice, and experience, especially the nature of God.
- MythologyA collection of sacred stories or narratives that explain a culture's beliefs and worldview.
- RitualA sequence of activities involving gestures, words, objects, performed in a sacred context.
- SecularismThe principle of separating governmental institutions from religious institutions and influence.
- SpiritualityThe quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul, often independent of organized religion.
- SacredRegarded with great respect and reverence by a particular religion or belief system.
Careers
Roles this can lead toward
Threads 4
Where this connects to other fields — and why it's worth knowing.
- Markets, Competition & Firms Economics
When America refused to pick an official religion, it actually got more religious, not less. Think of it like business: a company with no competitors gets lazy, but rivals fighting for customers try harder. With no state-backed monopoly on faith, churches had to compete for believers, so they got fired up.
- Constitutions & Rights Politics
In the Middle Ages the Pope and the King each claimed their own kind of power, one over souls, one over armies, and neither would fully bow to the other. That standoff planted a huge idea: maybe no single person should hold all the power. It's the great-grandparent of the modern rule that splits government into separate branches.
- Nationalism & the Nation-State History
Nationalism quietly raided religion's closet and put on its clothes. Flags became holy icons, fallen soldiers became martyrs, the homeland became sacred soil, and founding documents became scripture. The nation turned itself into a kind of faith, one the state itself could command you to worship.
- Migration & Refugees Global Risks
Long ago, a person could flee into a church and the king's soldiers couldn't touch them, the holy ground outranked the crown. That idea of sanctuary is older than the modern government's monopoly on force. And it's not just history: faith networks still quietly run shelters and safe routes for migrants today, a religious institution operating where the state's power stops.