ABSTRACT
Religion is a label for an extremely diverse complex set of beliefs and practices with a high degree of cultural variation. Basically, any religion is concerned with problems of meaning—it is part of man's attempt to attribute order and sense to human existence, to see pattern in the relation of man to his fellows and to the external world. In sophisticated societies philosophy and science share this aim. But they work primarily by systematizing, analysing and reflecting upon the data of sense experience and the language by which this is expressed. Religion is prepared to go further and to claim knowledge of or belief in forces or entities not verifiable by ordinary empirical means. Religion, much more than science, is characterized by faith in the correctness of its propositions. Questioning, doubt, the search for empirical evidence which may contravene its propositions, is built into the scientific approach. Religion is oriented to the defence of its assertions, is unafraid of dogma; science is ready to attack its own most cherished beliefs and tries hard to be undogmatic. Both religion and science share belief in power—the power of knowledge. But the knowledge which religion will recognize includes a conviction of inner certainty and truth independent of external criteria of evidence. So the religious concept of power rests on foundations which can be challenged but not destroyed by outside scepticism. Highly personal ritual procedures and mystical forms of communication not subject to ordinary rational controls are claimed to give direct access to this power —power of a god, of a sacred object, of prayer. Recognition of mystical power is central to a religion; and to concepts embodying it, often given elaborate symbolic expression, are attributed avalidity of an absolute order.
