religion
Let an agent describe religions neutrally and accurately, using the tradition own sources, respecting freedom of religion and avoiding stereotypes.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent describe religions neutrally and accurately, using the tradition own sources, respecting freedom of religion and avoiding stereotypes.
A system of beliefs, practices, ethics and institutions relating people to what they regard as sacred or ultimate, organised in traditions such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and many others.
What it is for: Religions give meaning, community, ethics and ritual to adherents.
It can be practise and join it; study it, in religious studies; protect its freedom, under human rights law; engage in interfaith dialogue.
Distinguishing features
Beliefs, practices and institutions together
Many traditions, branches and local forms
Protected by freedom of religion or belief
Distinct from individual belief, which may differ from institutional teaching
What it looks like
Scriptures, places of worship, rituals, symbols, clothing and festivals.
How it is recognised
Symbols, buildings and practices
Scriptures and creeds
Affiliation statistics from censuses and surveys
Related models
includes - beliefs
has - places of worship
is protected by - law
is studied by - discipline
In practice
Families and kinds
Abrahamic religions
Indian religions
East Asian religions
indigenous and folk religions
new religious movements
Identifiers
Wikidata item for the tradition Q plus digits cross-reference
Standards and regulation
ICCPR Article 18
National law on religious organisations
Equality and anti-discrimination law
Failure modes and hazards
Stereotyping adherents
Partisan descriptions
Conflating extremists with the whole tradition
Processing religious data without a lawful basis
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Also registered as vr.tr.religion-group
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Tradition Which religion.
Traditions have branches and local forms.
Identity
Name and branch.
Tradition
Tradition and branch.
- Which religion and branch is meant? definition
- How do adherents name it? provenance
Sources
Scriptures and authorities.
Sources
Authoritative sources.
- Which texts and authorities does the tradition recognise? provenance
- Where do branches differ? boundary
Practice What adherents do.
Practice varies within traditions.
Rituals
Worship and festivals.
Practice
Main practices.
- What are the main practices and festivals? definition
- How do they vary locally? boundary
Ethics
Moral teachings.
Ethics
Ethical teachings.
- What are its main ethical teachings, according to its sources? provenance
- Where is there internal debate? boundary
Community Adherents and institutions.
Communities and institutions differ.
Adherents
Numbers and places.
Adherents
Adherent statistics.
- How many adherents, where, according to which survey? measurement
- How reliable are the figures? measurement
Institutions
Organisations.
Institutions
Religious organisations.
- Which institutions represent it? provenance
- Do they speak for all adherents? boundary
Rights and handling Freedom and respect.
Religion requires neutral, respectful handling.
Freedom
Legal protection.
Freedom
Freedom of religion.
- Which protections apply to practising it here? boundary
- Are adherents facing discrimination? boundary
Neutrality
Fair description.
Neutrality
Neutral description.
- Is the description fair to adherents and accurate to scholarship? boundary
- Does it avoid generalising from extremists? boundary
What the second pass must settle
- Should traditions and branches be separate entries?
- How should agents cite tradition sources and scholarship together?
- How should adherent statistics be sourced?