Four Kinds of Religion
There are four kinds of religion in this world
namely, Natural, Organised, Revealed and Institutionalised religions.
(1) Natural religion.
In prehistoric times, primitive man lived in
fear because he was surrounded by the mysteries of unexplained natural phenomena.
Primitive man naturally feared what he could not understand. Fear comes to
those who are not able to comprehend the laws of nature. Fears are nothing more
than states of the mind.
When early man could not understand the nature
and reality of natural phenomena and other natural occurrences, he developed a
belief that there is indeed some sort of divine or supernatural power behind
these inexplicable occurrences such as the seasons, eclipses, lightning,
thunder, rain, the rainbow, volcanic eruptions, flood, drought and various
other mysterious occurrences.
He thought they were the work of powerful
supernatural forces which he had to placate so that they would help him to lead
a peaceful life. Accordingly he began to worship them and enlist their aid to
ensure his survival and his power over others. Over time these practices and
beliefs were organised into formal ritual and prayer, giving rise to what we
call "natural religion".
(2) Organised religion.
Before religions came into existence, human beings
had humanistic concepts but there was no "religion" as such. Through
the development of their inherent humane qualities and virtues, they organised
certain practices and according to their way of thinking developed a code of
behaviour to govern the society in which they lived. The primal, instinctual
forces of shame and fear (hiri and ottappa) were the guiding factors which
shaped their conduct regarding themselves and others. The resultant moral codes
and beliefs eventually developed into religion.
(3) Revealed Religion.
It originates from a message given by a Supreme
Deity through a messenger or prophet in the form of commandments or religious
laws. The followers strongly believe that the divine message as revealed to
them is the basis of their conduct in spiritual and social matters.
(4) Institutionalised religion.
In other societies, humans introduced a
religious way of life by developing psychology, philosophy, morals and ethics
in an orderly manner. In order to maintain order and good conduct, they
introduced regulations to cultivate humane qualities, to live peacefully and
solve the numerous problems, calamities and disturbances that confront them in
this world. These were later formalised, given a spiritual basis and became
institutionalised.
A well-known Buddhist scholar Bhikkhu Buddhadasa
classifies religion in the following manner:
Religion of Miraculous Power and Magic based on
fear on the part of its followers.
Religion of Faith - merely based on Faith and
Prayer.
Religion of Karma - based on the self-help
principle.
Religion of Wisdom - based on free thinking
(reasoning).
Religion of Peace - based on non-harming oneself
as well as others.
Religion of Loving Kindness or 'Love' based on
giving up all and everything (for others) etc.