{"id":775,"date":"2012-10-08T19:28:50","date_gmt":"2012-10-08T19:28:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/religion101\/?p=775"},"modified":"2012-11-16T19:40:35","modified_gmt":"2012-11-16T19:40:35","slug":"how-many-religions-are-there-part-three-religion-vs-way-of-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/religion101\/2012\/10\/how-many-religions-are-there-part-three-religion-vs-way-of-life.html","title":{"rendered":"How MANY Religions Are There? (Part Three: “Religion” vs. “Way of Life”?)"},"content":{"rendered":"

In my previous blog entry<\/a>, I again asked the seemingly simple question: How many religions are there in the world, today?<\/em><\/p>\n

(Popular objections that Christianity somehow doesn’t count because “it’s a relationship, not a ‘religion'” notwithstanding, it does<\/em> count. It’s a religion<\/em>. We covered that in Part Two<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Before proceeding further in addressing the opening question, however, there’s perhaps just one last “never mind about” item still to be gotten out of the way, right up front.<\/p>\n

I’m speaking of the whole “it’s not a ‘religion,’ but an entire way of life” thing.<\/p>\n

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard, or read, the common claim that “X<\/em> is not a religion; X<\/em> is a complete way of life.”<\/p>\n

Very often, it seems, religions seek to distinguish themselves from other faiths by arguing that they, themselves, are not “just a religion” (like all those other “mere” religions out there), but something uniquely more<\/em> — “a complete way of life,” in fact.<\/p>\n

One encounters such religious rhetoric all of the time:<\/p>\n

“Islam is not just a religion, but a complete way of life.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

“Hinduism is not just a religion, but a complete way of life.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

“Judaism is not just a religion, but a complete way of life.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

“Buddhism is not just a religion, but a complete way of life.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

“Christianity is not just a religion, but a complete way of life.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

“Rastafarianism is not just a religion, but a complete way of life.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

“Scientology is not just a religion, but a complete way of life.”<\/em><\/p>\n

“Wicca is not just a religion, but a complete way of life.”<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Okay, hang on a minute! If they’re all <\/em>“complete ways of life,” then where are the plain old “religions”? (You know, the ones that aren’t<\/em> “complete ways of life”? Do any exist?)<\/p>\n

You can see the problem here.<\/p>\n

The problem at hand is, of course, precisely that every <\/em>religion is, in fact, a “complete way of life.”<\/p>\n

(Or at least every religion can be <\/em>a complete way of life, if only its adherents take it sufficiently seriously to fully abide by all of its principles, and to live their daily lives accordingly.)<\/p>\n

So, for Religion Z to claim that it is “not just a religion, but a complete way of life” is actually neither very informative nor helpful. It certainly does not succeed in distinguishing Religion Z from Religions A through Y, since all of them are also “complete ways of life.”<\/p>\n

Each religion seems to want to assert itself as somehow “more than a religion” — as a “complete way of life.” But if all<\/em> religions are\u00a0already\u00a0complete ways of life anyway, then what is gained by making such an assertion?<\/p>\n

If religions, whatever else they might be, are also “complete ways of life,” then such claims as these amount merely to asserting (or admitting) that they actually are<\/em> “religions,” after all!<\/p>\n

Okay, end of final rant. Now, back once again to our opening question: How many “religions” are there in the world, today?<\/p>\n

(To be continued, in Part Four.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In my previous blog entry, I again asked the seemingly simple question: How many religions are there in the world, today? (Popular objections that Christianity somehow doesn’t count because “it’s a relationship, not a ‘religion’” notwithstanding, it does count. It’s a religion. We covered that in Part Two.) Before proceeding further in addressing the opening…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":515,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[6],"class_list":["post-775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world-religions","tag-october-2012"],"yoast_head":"\nHow MANY Religions Are There? 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