Religion is essential to a vibrant, democratic society Religion is vital to democracy “[We] have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion.” — John Adams. By bringing together scholars who study religion, religious leaders from different traditions, and students and community members with diverse religious perspectives and backgrounds, the RPLP facilitates productive conversations about religion not only within the academy, but also between academics … Fear of the consequences of your actions, fear of what might happen after you die if you don’t live your life accordingly. They involve everything from how you treat other people, to Jewish holidays and how we observe them, and the Sabbath, which is … Well, with spirituality there is only Love, it encourages you to focus all of your energy only on the good, and to act only based on love. About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. Rebecca, then age 17, explains the influence that her religion, Judaism, has on her life: In the Bible, in the Torah, there are 613 commandments. Fourth, religion provides many of us with a moral or ethical framework, rules to live a good life, and the belief in consequences for having lived properly or not. It's part of my life, but in my own specific way. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Religious instruction and belief remain today the lifeblood of society… For those who focus on functionalist definitions, religion is all about what it does: if your belief system plays some particular role either in your social life, in your society, or in your psychological life, then it is a religion; otherwise, it’s something else (like philosophy). Seventh-day Adventism's flexibility with regard to aliens might be a product of the time in which the religion was founded (the 19th century). I do believe there's a higher being, but I'm not churchgoing — I don't think that listening to a minister or following a church's rules will save anyone from hell.' First Things is published by the Institute on Religion and Public Life, an interreligious, nonpartisan research and educational 501(c)(3) organization. News about Religion and Belief, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times. Dotted throughout religion there is lots of fear. Religion is a personal choice, and if you want to be religious, that's your choice. The Office of the Chaplain and Religious and Spiritual Life supports HDS students in the integration of their intellectual and spiritual lives. The RPLP works to advance our understanding of the role of religion in public life today. Religious beliefs reflect our unique cognitive ability to detect agency and intention in others and, by extension, in the natural world.