Buddhism is a religion.

I would like to start of by restating my position: Buddhism by itself, and in its true form, is not a religion. Though it can be taught along side a religion, Buddhism itself is a way of life. What exactly is religion? Well no matter how hard we try to pin point on definition, "there is no absolute consensus on what is necessary for something to be considered a religion." Since no one thing can describe a religion, we have to turn to how most people define religion. Most commonly Religion is " a general term used... to designate all concepts concerning the belief in god(s) and goddess(es) as well as other spiritual beings or transcendental ultimate concerns." Given this information I would like to conclude that Buddhism, according to its most commonly accepted definition, is not a religion. As read above, most religions have (or are believed to have) some teaching of a superior being, supernatural force, or superior beings. Buddhism, however, has no teachings of such beliefs. The founder Gautama Buddha wanted to focus on dealing with issues in our lives right now, and would not address the issue because that was not what he is here to teach. His focus on our current worldly issues is why "Buddhism goes beyond religion and is more of a philosophy or 'way of life'". But don't Buddhist view Gautama Buddha as a god? The answer is absolutely not! Buddha himself even denied the idea of being worshiped as a god, he was simply a teacher. "He did not claim to be a god or a prophet. He was a human being who became Enlightened, understanding life in the deepest way possible." This lack of teaching of a "god" is a huge aspect that separates Buddhism from religion because most teachings and ideas of religions revolve around the aspect of a "god". I would like to end this paragraph with a reflection quote: "I hope you can see that God is not what Buddhism is about... Suffering is... And if you want to believe in God, as some Buddhists do, I suppose it's OK." Another big thing that separates Buddhism from religion is the teachings. Most religions focus their teachings on all or at least one of these following topics: how the world began, what happens after death, how we were created, who created us, the actions required to get to some type of afterlife, what we can/cannot do, or how we should treat an identified "god". Arguable all these topics can be viewed as ignoring how to solve issues in your life right now. Buddhism does the exact opposite, and is primarily focused on how to solve the current issues and suffering in your life. "In the Buddha's words: 'Suffering I teach and the way out of suffering.'" Through steps and tactics (like meditation) we learn how to end our suffering that we experience today. Though it is commonly referred to as a religion, what Buddhism teaches is really a way of life. Even the US military have begun to teach tactics inspired by Buddhist teachings. "The U.S. Army are just a handful of the many enormous institutions that bring meditative practice to their workforce." If the army can teach this because of the usefulness of what is taught, then how can we consider this a religion. Sources: http://www.patheos.com... http://www.religionfacts.com... http://www.buddhanet.net... https://thebuddhistcentre.com... http://www.urbandharma.org... http://www.thebuddhistsociety.org... http://www.salon.com... *Thank you. Please excuse spelling I am in a rush.