Human life on earth has existed for centuries, as well as the amount of beliefs and traditions held by

humans on this earth. Religion is embedded in our cultural system as history and narrative. So what
is religion, usually religion means belief in God, or a supernatural power and also practices and
institutions related to that belief. Religion is also considered to be people's relationship with what
they consider to be absolutely sacred, spiritual, divine, or worthy of respect which is usually
considered as a way of people dealing with major concerns about their lives and their fate after
death. Each religion usually has mythology, symbols, or history to explain the meaning of life and the
origin of life or the universe. Kenneth Shouler in The Everything World's Religions Book (2010)
estimates that there are approximately 4200 religions in the world.

Religion and belief are two very related things. But Religion has a broader meaning, which refers to a
belief system and this belief is about the divine aspect. Beliefs that involve only one individual are
usually not considered a religion. On the other hand, religion should involve a human community.
From that, Religion is a social phenomenon that can be traced through several aspects. For example
the first, we can see through behavior such as prayer, making food, celebrations and ceremonies.
The second is an attitude such as respect, love or fear of supernatural powers and a holy and clean
assumption of religion. Next are statements such as prayers, spells, mantras and holy sentences. Last
but not least are tangible material things such as mosques, churches, temples, shrines, charms and
amulets. One of the other characteristics of other religions is that it is related to the morals of
society. This means that religion is not only a matter of relationship between man and god, but also
a matter of man-to-man relationship. These features are more prominent in universal religion, than
folk religion. Humans do not believe in the existence of God and reject all religious beliefs is called
atheism.

The origins of religion have been explained by Herbert Spencer. He thinks that in ancient times,
people were aware of the inevitable death that every human being will experience. His beliefs are
also different. People in ancient or primitive times, for example, felt that there was another force
covering an object or even a human being. In prehistoric times, several beliefs were born such as
animism, dynamism, toteism, and others. Not only that, the belief continues to grow until there is a
term about God who is known as the sole creator of the universe and who owns everything. This is
the result of human fear again. Civilization ended up worshiping something invisible but influential
that includes gods, spirits, trees, up to the highest Being called God.

Adam Augustyn (2023).

World Religions and Traditions.

Yuda Prinada (2021).

Apa Itu Agama.