What is Religion?

• religion and belief are identical. The prevalence of this idea is chiefly due to the
definitions presented in the writings of a few philosophers and theologians. James
Martineau, for instance, defined religion as the "belief in an ever-living God, that
is, a Divine mind and will ruling the universe and holding moral relations with
mankind;"* Bishop Butler, as the belief in one God or Creator and Moral
Governor of the world and in a future state of retribution implying immortality;t
and many writers, among whom is the philosopher Immanuel Kant, have made the
belief in immortality the sole basis of religion. The demand of the church for
belief, and the constant association in the New Testament of belief with salvation,
and unbelief with its opposite, encourage popular acceptance of these definitions.
 • Buddhism
• Christianity
There are many different types • Confucianism
of religions, including the major • Hinduism 
world religious traditions that • Indigenous American religions
are widely known as well as
• Islam
much lesser-known belief
• Jainism
systems of smaller populations.
Some of these represent • Judaism
monotheism, or the belief in a • Rastafarianism
single god, while others are • Shinto
examples of polytheism, or the • Sikhism
belief in multiple gods. • Taoism
• Traditional African religions
• Zoroastrianism
What is religious sensitivity?
If there is something called “religious sensitivity”, it probably refers
to state of being especially cautious regarding phenomena that
diverge from religious beliefs. We cannot define freedom, but we can
say that it requests one’s possibility to make worthy choices. Freedom
of speech requests that one is able to express his thoughts and beliefs.

So does “religious sensitivity” represent a difficulty in meeting that

request? If it does then it means that at least one or both of next two
claims are true:

• I. Religious worldview
constrains persons or groups
freedom of speech.
• II. Because of sensitivities of
some groups regarding their
religious beliefs, others
freedom of speech is
constrained
I. Religious worldview
constrains persons or groups
freedom of speech.
• Religious worldview accepts world as a creation and doesn’t demand
scientific proof for believing. Most believers would agree that there is
something called absolute knowledge, and that it certainly isn’t, and can’t
be, in human hands. Knowledge is not wholly achievement of a human, but
also God’s mercy in the same way as nothing is ever really created by a
man. Quest for knowledge is then a quest for comprehending His creation.
Therefore, religious worldview is open for acquiring knowledge, but it can
never allow any certainty. If no human knowledge is really worthy, all
quests for knowledge are valid – as they are nothing more than attempt to
realize own position in what’s been already determined. Every assumption
is then guesswork, and there is nothing outside divine creation that can be
discussed, there are no mechanisms, within religious worldview, for
constraining believers’ freedom of speech.
II. Because of sensitivities of some groups regarding their
religious beliefs, others freedom of speech is constrained
• Following what’s been said in first argument, it should
not be hard to understand why non-believers freedom of
speech is not constrained. Freedom of speech requests
that one is able to express his thoughts and beliefs to
anyone who wants to listen to them. So freedom of not
wanting to hear is implicated in the freedom of speech,
any religious man or woman has right not to enter the
dialogue if he or she finds it offensive, as they have
right to manifest themselves towards any speech that
confronts their beliefs. Religion tendency to expand
implies it being open for dialogue, trying to give it’s
answers to permanent questions that bother humanity.