Explain the definition of religion; as well as common elements in the indigenous. Write a 500- to 525-word paper that addresses the following topics: • What are the differences between the academic study of religion and devotional practice? • What are key characteristics of religion? • What are common questions, concerns, practices, and experiences across various world religions? Include indigenous religions in your discussion. • What are some characteristics of indigenous religions? Format your paper according to appropriate course-level APA guidelines. You may find helpful resources for completing your assignment in the Center for Writing Excellence in the University Library religion from Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology Sacred things are believed to be so extraordinarily important, powerful, and different from mundane or profane affairs that they need to be protected by special rules and restrictions or taboos (see sacred and profane dichotomy). Religion elaborates on experiences of the sacred, building them into systems of belief, emotion, action, and social relations oriented towards higher realities that supposedly transcend the level of empirical experience and thereby confer ultimate meaning on life. The sense of ultimacy may be associated with belief in such states as eternal life, salvation, rebirth, reincarnation, the transmigration of souls, immortality, and everlasting torment or nothingness. These beliefs entail religious practices as diverse as worship, prayer, meditation, purification, preaching, study, sacrifice, pilgrimage, charity, healing, and exorcism. A sense of obligation usually attaches to these beliefs and practices, and they confer a sense of collective identity on believers – unlike magic, which tends to involve the manipulation of hidden forces for the benefit of individual clients or practitioners.
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