Religion, in its simplest terms, is the system of faith and worship. Religion has the ability to transcend societies, cultures, and countries. As William Cavanuagh states in “Violence, Religion and the State”, there are many definitions of religion. He references Martin Marty and his five essential elements that characterize a religion. In my interpretation, the elements are as follows. The first is that religion focuses on some big questions and concerns such as what the people of that religion cares about. Secondly, religion must build community. As stated previously, religion stretches across many divides. For instance Catholicism is not solely in one place but can be found all over the globe. It connects people together by having something similar that they believe in. Members of this community lift each other up in times of weakness and celebrate in times of strength. Thirdly, religion must appeal to myth and symbol. In Catholicism, we view the snake as a symbol of deception and evil and view the Virgin Mary as a symbol that we all should look up to as a model of innocence and obedient love for God. The fourth element is that it is enforced through rites and ceremonies. For example, Catholics go to mass every Sunday as a demonstration of their faith. This doubles as community as everyone in the community gathers to pray and worship together. Another example is that Muslims pray five times a day which includes repetition of a unit called a rakʿah. The fifth and last element is that religion expects certain behaviors from the members such as some religions require their followers to go on a pilgrimage or wear certain types of clothing. These elements are all important, but for me religion is much more than certain restrictions or rituals. To me, religion is something that I center my life upon. It is about feeling God’s love and constantly seeking understanding of what He wants my life path to be.
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Emma Danes's Theology Blog 
Emma,
I really enjoyed reading this blog post. I love how you not only referenced the practices of other religions, but also tied religion to your own life. You say that religion reaches across many divides (which, for the record, I agree with). However, what do you think about the idea that religion is also one of the main reasons behind certain conflicts in the world? One example I can think of is the religious divide in India in 1947 that led to partition, but there are multiple other examples as well. How can we weigh the positive aspects of religion (such as the role it plays in our lives and in providing a sense of community) with the negatives such as violence (in the name of religion alone, excluding any violence stemming from nationalism alone, though this is a big factor in many conflicts)?
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Emma, this was a really well-written response! I really like how when you listed each of the five elements of religion, stated by Martin Marty, you also added in examples. This made the whole post super cohesive and easy to understand! Do you think, though, without these elements of religion it would be possible to have a religion at all? Or must all religions have at least some set of guidelines which to follow? Great post!
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Emma, great response! I found it very insightful that you tied Marty’s 5 factors of religion into other faith traditions, as well, not solely the Judeo-Christian faith tradition. Your examples are very well thought out, and the way you tie them together creates a truly cohesive understanding of the concept of religion. Nice job!
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Emma,
This was a very strong and well thought out response! I also agree that religion unites communities and brings groups of people together through traditions, rituals and beliefs. Do you think that religion could be a dividing factor as well. In my opinion, I also think religion can cause violence between different religions, leading to division.
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