Religion and behaviour A common factor in religions is the ascription to the God or gods of an interest in the behaviour of humans and their judgement of it as right or wrong, although the standards of morality attributed to gods vary enormously. From this follows the idea that a deity is to be obeyed, or at least placated, or retribution will follow. Assistance from a divine being can usually be obtained on certain terms.
Most religions also have the idea of reward and punishment after death.
Religious studies Comparative religion aims to study the various faiths impartially. Until the Enlightenment, the universality of religion was taken for granted in the West, though its forms were known to differ widely. Religious belief has generally been encouraged by rulers and governments because people are more likely to obey rules that have the force of supernatural authority behind them. Rastafarianism Roman religion Shinto Sikhism Sumerian religion Taoism Zoroastrianism From The Hutchinson Family Encyclopedia . All rights reserved.