ii. The Concept of Religion

The theological tradition does not give us many resources when we wish to analyze the objective characteristics which define a religion and differentiate it from other types of beliefs, ideologies or social groups.

For that purpose we need to use concepts and modern bases which allow us to provide a scientific viewpoint about the religious phenomenon, but without forgetting that this is an individual and intimate experience of spirituality and as such evades some of the commonly used arguments of other social sciences.

This approach of tolerance and inter-religious dialogue constitutes a challenge and an absolute necessity in our current society, as is stressed by renowned theologians such as Leonard Boff and Hans Kung.

Just as the word religion is defined (from the Latin re-ligare: unite or re-unite) as a community of persons united by a faith, a practice or form of worship, so may religion itself be considered. Of course, this community must be united by a search for “the divine,” and defined by its manner of confronting the problems of human life. That is why in the history of religions much is said of the experience and personal contact with “the sacred.”

An elevated concept of the dignity of the individual, the knowledge and recognition of something called “sacred” are not exclusively Christian but are the essence of all religions. This was recognized by Vatican Counsel II itself in its document Dignitatis Humanae concerning religious faith and purity.