Episode 5: What is Religion? Belief vs. Structure.

The root of religion 'religare' means 'to bind.' For many in secular, modern society, religion is indeed a binding force: one that binds us to false beliefs about the world. But, viewing religion as primarily about belief is just one way of thinking about religion: one which is itself inherited from the Protestant Reformation and might be questioned when we recognise that our understanding of what religion is is always historically and culturally bound. In this episode, we ask the question 'what is religion?' from a different perspective: one that views religion not as primarily about belief, but as about space: the structure and tradition through which practices are performed and, through which, selves, communities and spirits might be formed and transformed.