assignment2

For many people, the idea of “religion” is synonymous with the idea of “beliefs.” Adherents of a given religious tradition tend to share the same or similar explanations about the world, how it was created, why we are here, and what happens when we die. For people raised within a culture that does not consider “religious” concepts, it may not even occur to an individual to ponder the answers to these questions. But to the outside observer, the way people within a given sacred canopy answer these questions can shed light on how the religious tradition informs and shapes social structure, government, or other aspects of society. For traditions within more pluralistic societies, contradictory belief systems may cause individuals to come into conflict with one another.