The study of Religion encompasses a broad range of approaches and methodologies. Its purpose is to examine human responses, both behavioral and intellectual, to the great riddles of life such as death, suffering, tragedy and the nature of the self, society and universe. This field employs a variety of historical, ethnographic and theological/philosophical tools to interpret and explain the multifaceted complexes that constitute Religions.

One can define Religion functionally, for instance as whatever social groupings a person’s values serve to organize, or even axiologically as the set of concerns that provide orientation in life. One sees this in Durkheim’s definition. Other scholars have defined it in more psychological terms, focusing on how people deal with ultimate concerns and the ways they organize their lives around those concerns.

Some scholars, such as Kwame Anthony Appiah, have argued that to use the term Religion in any general way risks introducing a lexical bias that assumes the existence of a universal, all-encompassing religion. He also cautions that to define religion in terms of beliefs or mental states is not helpful, and that it may even lead to a kind of anti-religious bias.

It is important to remember that choosing a religion is not just embracing a set of facts but also accepting a tradition, culture and potentially an entire set of beliefs that can be extremely personal and a source of great stress, especially if those beliefs are not shared by others. Moreover, while some research shows that religious people are healthier than non-religious individuals, this finding could have more to do with social connections and coping skills than with religion itself.