Religion is a term for a range of spiritual beliefs and practices that are shared by members of a certain group. These groups may be families, communities, nations or ethnicities. Some of these religions are universal, while others are particular to one part of the world or time.

Most religions are based on some form of belief in a higher power, often God or Goddess. They also typically involve some form of worship and a ritual or ceremony, sacred texts or scriptures, an established leader or clergy, and some place, symbol or day that is holy to the believers. Some religions also have a doctrine about salvation, either in the literal sense of going to heaven after death as with Christianity, or more in the symbolic sense of ending suffering and finding peace as with some Eastern religions such as Buddhism.

While many scholars have debated what defines a religion, most agree that religion involves a set of beliefs and values that are important to a certain culture. In addition, most religions have some way of providing social cohesion and stability, promoting morality and ethics, or serving as a social control system in times of crisis or conflict.

In a broad sense, religion addresses fundamental human questions that science cannot answer. These include the meaning of life and death, the nature of the universe, and morality. Religions also provide hope and comfort to people in times of loss or illness. They can help with self-esteem and feelings of purpose, and promote mental and physical well being by encouraging people to connect with their community.

Religions can also serve a variety of other functions such as creating a sense of community and belonging, providing a framework for morality and ethical behaviour, and motivating people to work for social change. In fact, research has shown that those who are religious or spiritual tend to be healthier than those who do not have a religion.

The reasons for this link between health and religion are not fully understood. Some researchers believe that religion provides a framework for coping with stress, and that it leads to feelings of purpose in life, which have been shown to improve psychological wellbeing.

Other researchers argue that the benefits of religion are largely a result of people being socially connected and having a sense of community. They also argue that it helps to relieve stress by giving people a set of values and goals to live by, which can reduce rumination, and make people feel more able to deal with challenges. The five largest religions in the world are Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism (with some overlap). Many other smaller religious and spiritual traditions exist across the globe. All religions share the same underlying beliefs, but there are differences in practices and rituals. Many religions evolve over time, adopting new ideas while retaining older ones. However, they also often revert back to earlier forms or mix features from different religions.