ABSTRACT
Theories that focus on religious identity are among the most common found in the political science literature on politics. There is no agreed-upon definition of religious identity in the literature. However, it is fair to generalize by saying that religious identity refers to belonging based on beliefs held in common. Individuals belong to a religion, and groups which share that belonging are religious identity groups. For example, one can identify oneself as a Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jew, or as belonging to one of any number of other religions, as well as a member of a particular denomination of one of those religions. The extent to which members of the same religion actually hold common beliefs varies, as most religions have multiple interpretations and trends, yet they tend to have core beliefs common to all believers, beliefs based on the same core doctrines and sources.
