ABSTRACT
Religions make up a vital part of culture, and in fact are frequently referred to as the core of culture. To the extent that culture is defined as the repository of societies’ values, norms, and standards, religions play a primary role in culture. Religions house many of society’s most sacred, and even secular, values and beliefs. The essence of religion is essentially beliefs and practices, and when these are ritualized through time, they develop their own observable cultures and traditions. As societies modernize, they frequently become more secular rather than more religious. Evolutionists have speculated for more than a century that in time religion will disappear, and that all societies will gradually secularize. It is easier to associate constructive than destructive values with religion, because most people have historically believed that religion is synonymous with doing good things. A collectivity-oriented culture is therefore qualitatively distinct from an individual-oriented culture, and frequently these become mutually exclusive through their emphases.
