The word religion covers a wide range of activities and experiences. It can be a set of moral beliefs and behaviors, a worldview, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, or organizations. It can also be a socially shared experience that may include worship, prayer, fasting, meditation, and other rituals and ceremonies. Its purpose is to provide a sense of meaning and direction in life, and to give people a community that provides comfort, structure, moral guidance, and hope.
Those who practice a religion may do so scrupulously, devotedly, generously, ecstatically, or in many other ways. It is possible to worship alone or in a group, but it is generally more meaningful when done with other believers. Religious faiths can create a sense of purpose in life, which appears to have positive impacts on health and longevity.
While some religions support terrorist and radical groups that promote hatred and violence, the vast majority of believers reject such extremism and believe in peaceful coexistence. In fact, religion has been a great force for good in society, and research suggests that it can bring people together, increase moral behavior and reduce the incidence of various social pathologies such as out-of-wedlock births, poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, and crime.
Psychologists and neuroscientists, for example, argue that religion answers emotional needs in humans, such as the fear of death or a need for a more spiritual experience than the everyday world can provide. Memes, or inherited cultural traits, are sometimes thought to explain the spread of religions, and there is even evidence that certain areas of the brain are wired to allow for religious experience.