organized system of beliefs, practices, rituals, and community centered on the sacred or transcendent
major world religions by adherents: Christianity (~2.4B), Islam (~1.9B), Hinduism (~1.2B), Buddhism (~500M), folk religions, Judaism, Sikhism
components: cosmology (origin stories), ethics (moral codes), ritual (prayer, sacrifice, meditation), community (congregation, sangha, ummah)
Abrahamic: Judaism, Christianity, Islam -> monotheistic, prophetic, scripture-based
Dharmic: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism -> karma, dharma, liberation, cycles of rebirth
East Asian: Confucianism, Daoism, Shinto -> harmony, ancestor veneration, natural order
religion and mythology share narrative structure; religion adds institutional authority, moral law, and eschatology
historically intertwined with art, architecture, music, philosophy, and governance
sacred texts are among the earliest and most widely reproduced products of the printing press