Religion is many 'things'. Religion may be buildings, books, art, food, clothing, deeds, narratives, etc.  And first and foremost religion is people. Many people and very different people.

The same religion may motivate, legitimate, authorize unselfish, loving, beautiful deeds as well as violence, killing, destruction, power and suppression of other people. References to myths, to the commandments of a god, and to sacred texts can transform otherwise immoral acts into moral acts and pious sacrifices. It can make worshippers into martyrs rather than criminals. Religion may manifest itself in detailed rules for how the worshippers are to eat, sleep, drink, love, and organize family or society. 

Some people live their entire lives according to religious rules and ideals. Others, from the same religion, only use religion on special occasions, and yet others even dissociate themselves from religion or are completely indifferent to religion. For many people religion and nationality, or religion and ethnicity, are closely linked, and to them it is both natural and acceptable to be born into and thus adapt their parents’ religion without further ado. For others, religion is only a legitimate and true religion if the individual has chosen it personally and voluntarily. Many people consider it natural that religion is a life-time commitment, while others find it natural that free and independent individuals change religions, even a number of times, during the course of a lifetime.

In other words, religion is a diverse and ambiguous phenomenon. It does not easily lend itself to a formula. Religion is what it is made to be, -  by religious and non-religious people, politicians, and scholars.

A study of religion approach to religion
In the study of religion, the basis for the IERS Digital modules offered for religion education in secondary or upper-secondary school, religion is the object of academic, scientific study and research. In the study of religion, religion is studied as a natural, human, and social phenomenon on equal footing with study objects from other humanistic-, social- and natural sciences.

It is the hallmark of the study of religion that it approaches what is known and defined as religion from many angles and that it uses the methodology and theory from many different fields. Just as it is hard to apply only one formula on religion, it is equally hard to apply only one formula on the study of religion. Scholars of religion have not reached any consensus on how to explain why there is religion, and what exactly religion is, and neither do they agree on which is the best and most scientific way to study religion.

WHAT IS RELIGION?
Countless attempts have been made to come up with short definitions of religion which can meet both the current epistemological requirements for definitions and cover the diversity of phenomena which, during the course of time and from different perspectives, seem to have something in common that may be called ‘religious’ - and thus separate these phenomena from what might otherwise just be called ‘culture’ or ‘art’ or ‘architecture’ or ‘ethics’. A short definition could be: Religion is a cultural subsystem that is different from other cultural systems by containing a reference to a postulated superhuman power whose existence can neither be falsified nor verified.

Perhaps the scientific way of dealing with religions and religion stands apart from the insider perspective mostly because of its basic, persistent and constant questions: What is religion and how can we best study it in order to get answers to that question? Why does it exist? Has it always been there? Will religion, or something similar to it, always be there, even though the individual religions come and go? Did religion appear at a certain point during the world history and evolution of mankind and society? If so, why and to what use for further development? What purpose (if any) does and did religion serve for mankind and society, mind and body, culture and nature? Is it possible that the functions of religions may change as human beings and human societies change and develop?

There are many questions, and it may seem strange to non-professionals that the science of religion does not have answers to these basic questions. Some believe it is because the researchers ask the wrong questions or have not studied religion in an unbiased and truly scientific way. There has been too much respect for religion and religious people, and it has been studied too much on the worshippers’ terms, as in religious theology, rather than from the point of view of social, political, natural sciences. Perhaps even the word ‘religion’ has become a kind of label that signals 'something special' with a certain privileged status and position, something that is particularly distinguished or particularly dangerous,  which 'we', also scholars, teachers and pupils, have to relate to in way different from the way we relate to other human matters. For who determines when something may be called ‘religion’? The scientists? The worshippers? The courts of justice? These problems are matters of extreme interest to the science of religion. Today’s multicultural and religious world constantly provokes a scientific, political and legal discussion: what is religion, what special rights are given to a religion or the religious? How is the non-religious, secular society to deal with the various groups of people who for one reason or another can be said to be ‘religious’.

WORLD RELIGIONS
But not just the very 'concept' of religion may be problematized.  The concept of ‘world religion’ too has been criticized in the past decades. The problem is that the concept of religion is closely tied to one religion, the Christian religion. The scientific study of religion originated in Western Europe among researchers who were raised in a Christian culture. The perception of religion as ‘something’ which was characterized by ‘faith’ and expressed in a certain doctrine, myths, and rituals, with a religious hierarchy and a central organization, was transferred to other parts of the world and used by the study of religion 'out there' where actually religion might come in other forms than it did in Western Europe and Christianity.

Hinduism’ for example is a designation with a very special history: there is no central organization and not one particular religious doctrine within the many different expression of what at a certain point of time became designated as 'Hinduism'. The concept of 'Hinduism ' originated in interaction between colonial powers, researchers and local interest groups, who for each their own reasons wanted to promote the notion of ‘Hinduism’ as India's true and age old religion. 

Furthermore, the concept of ‘world religion’ emerged at a time when evolutionism was prevalent. Like Darwin considered animals and plants as something that had slowly evolved from a simple to a more complex stage, the early scholars of religion considered religion as something that had evolved from primitive and simple stages (the New World’s cultures were believed to be examples of this) to more advanced stages. As a matter of fact, monotheistic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam, were considered more developed than polytheistic religions, and religions with holy scriptures, a high degree of organization and clear dogma were seen as more advanced than indigenous religions. World Religions became a term for the great traditions existing in many parts of the world and in various ways resembling the Christian religion, - although most people saw that religion as the best and the most developed religion of them all.

Principles for portraying religions in teaching and research
In research into religion there is an increasing awareness that religion has different expressions in different parts of the world and in different parts of society too. Religious experts, such as ministers, can have very different views of what is essential to religion than ordinary people have. There can be significant differences between religion in an urban community where there is a high degree of division between different professions, and religion in rural communities where the seasons and quality of the harvest are vital. Young and old may attach importance to different aspects of religion, gender plays a big role, and depending on whether an individual has received formal instruction in a religion, or knows it from her upbringing, the individual's perception of what is important and true may differ significantly. Religions are, in short, not clearly defined and well-knit systems of creeds and rituals that exist independently of time and place, people and society.

It is thus important to try to grasp and portray religions and religious phenomena as diverse and multidimensional entities that gradually, in the course of history, have been constructed by people and communities. They should be described as constituted not only of ideas, but also of the practices of experts of religion and of common people. But studying them is still complex: In order to introduce such a multifaceted entity as a so-called world religion on a limited number of pages, it is necessary to chop a toe and squeeze a heel here and there and make some generalizations.

Didactical proposals
Task 1: What is religion?
Use this exercise when starting on the semester course about religion. The exercise is about getting the students reflecting upon what is religion. It is a brainstorm, which must be followed by a discussion in class.
Task 2: Classifying
The students are obliged to try to classify all the words they found in task one. Afterwards they are more prepared to discuss different ways in classifying religious concepts. All questions must be answered in groups, and discussions could be in the end of the class
Other tasks: Classifying and consequences
For example:
What kind of special rights are given to religious groups and individuals?

Cases about groups or individuals that tries to be official approved as a religion in order to achieve something (like football fans) – which are not approved by official authorities and/or public opinion as a religion – why?

Is religion talked about as a 'thing' that can be used? What is defined as religion and culture in different countries – for example is celebrating Christmas a religious and/or cultural festival – is Ramadan?

The students could be presented for many different examples of definitions of religion in the history of the study of religion – are there any similarities – differences?