Religion is a system of values, meaning, and purpose that provides people with a way to live their lives. It helps them stay grounded in the face of uncertainty, and it gives them a moral framework to help them make decisions about right and wrong. Religion also helps them form strong family and social ties. It also helps them cope with stress and illness, and it promotes learning and economic well-being. It can reduce the incidence of many social pathologies, including suicide, drug abuse, out-of-wedlock births, crime, and poor health.
Anthropologists believe that the roots of religion are in human attempts to control uncontrollable parts of the environment, such as weather and success in hunting. Early humans sought to do this through manipulation (magic) and supplication (religion). Magic attempts to control the environment by directly manipulating its physical laws. Religion, on the other hand, tries to do this through rules and rituals that involve asking a supernatural power for help.
Religion is a system of faith, worship, and piety, a code of moral conduct, and a set of beliefs about the universe and its origins. In addition, most religions teach a code of ethics that teaches its followers to choose good over evil, fair over unfair, truth over lies, and love over hatred. It is this set of ethical guidelines that is a major reason why people are drawn to religion. It is also why they stay loyal to their religion, even when they find it flawed or misguided.