Religion is the belief in supernatural powers or beings, often combined with devotional and ritual observances and a moral code. It is also the social organization and culture of a group of people who share these beliefs.

While it is true that many of the tenets of Religion have been used to justify evil and even atrocities in history, it is also true that religions provide many ways for humans to express their goodness. This is the essential truth of Religion, and it is what should guide our discussions and debates.

It is true that every religion involves a certain degree of risk, including the risks of intolerance, cruelty, social oppression and self-opinionated nastiness, but this should not disqualify it from being considered one of humanity’s most noble endeavors. In fact, it can be argued that the root of all religions is in their attempt to explore the nature and beauty of the human person and what that means for the world around them.

Philosophical discussion on Religion has been difficult, largely because the term is so ambiguous and elusive. While the common definitions based on ordinary language usage fall short, there have been several attempts at a more careful and meaningful philosophy of religion.

Generally speaking, the philosophical approach to religion has tended toward a more polythetic view than a classical monothetic one. This is because of the difficulty in determining what exactly it is that makes up a religion, and how that differs from other experiences.