To most people religion offers salvation, enlightenment, and a place in heaven. It tells one a complete code of life. Religion emphasizes the importance of being good and of being right. It condemns those who are bad and those who are wrong. Those who practice a religion strive to be perfect. If they fail, they may be condemned, and if they succeed, they may become intolerant of others. Many religions have many gods and some believe in the oneness of God. All religions try to make human beings better and reach at the highest level to live a good life. .
It has been said that thoughts of death lead to the development of religion. It is difficult to imagine what need there would be for religion in a world in which no one ever died or became ill. All religions attempt to give answers to basic questions: From where did the world come from? What is the meaning of human life? Why do people die and what happens afterwards? Why is there evil? How should people behave, etc.? In the distant past, these questions were answered in terms of mythology. However, nowadays much of literature deals with them and modern sciences try to investigate them.
It is also believed that religions were created to maintain peace over large areas of rule. People need to be calmed and by giving them a reason for their existence, it gives them something to grasp as a "foundation" of knowledge. It also creates unity and makes it easier for someone to lead, not to mention rule.
As a word, religion is difficult to define, but as a human experience, it seems to be universal. The 20th-century German-born American theologian Paul Tillich gave a simple and basic definition of the word: "Religion is ultimate concern." This means that religion encompasses that to which people are most devoted or that from which they expect to get the most fundamental satisfaction in life. Consequently, religion provides adequate answers to the basic questions posed above.
