There are numerous religions in the world today; some of these have been around for thousands of years and some could be described as new in comparison. While there are belief-systems that are clearly definable as religions, there are also other figures and establishments that serve a very similar purpose.

However, these might not be noticed or perceived as having any similarity to religion.

The Word

Before we take a look at what these reasons could be, let’s look at the word religion and its meaning. In the dictionary, the word religion comes from the Latin word Ligare, meaning to bind.

So then, anything that connects one to something could be classed as a religion based on this meaning.

And as the saying goes, “The map is not the territory.” Something can be called a religion, but that is just a word and it does not explain much of what is actually going on. It does not explain the psychology that is involved.

The word has gained a somewhat negative meaning over time and this is because of the behaviour that some have associated themselves with in relation to a particular religion.