There are many theories regarding the origin of religion in psychology, sociology, anthropology and every other field of human research.

It was a theory proposed by sociologists that religion is basically a culture or a way of life, which includes the ethical rules, language and behavioural etiquettes. Sigmund Freud had a psychoanalytic theory, which suggested that everyone wishes for that almighty parent that can do anything which a parent can’t and so one projects a father figure in the sky.

“There has been no society at any time in the planet that does not have some sort of religion within them, which in some ways leads me to believe that, in the very fabric of human beings there is a quest for knowledge and to know answers which different religions looks at differently and come up with different explanations,” said professor of world religious studies at Kings University, Jonathan Geen.

Religion is an essential part of humanity as it is built into the humans. Religion can be any belief that one may possess, be it secularism, feminism or any other way of life. There was a Parliament of the World’s Religions held in Chicago in 1893 and 1993 where people from different cultures and religions got together to sign an ethical document that every religion in the world could sign off on. The document stated a countless of ethical and moral rules that every person present in the conference, regardless of their culture or religion, signed. These principles consisted of many principles, which were harder for many of the religions to agree upon; however, the conference was a success as everyone met on common grounds.

Most of the rituals in any religion generally either have a scientific reason behind them or have a purpose of humanity. For example, in Christianity, the ritual of confession has more psychological purpose than religious. Since confessing to one’s crimes is like accepting a fault and then moving on to correct it and never repeat it is better than having to live with guilt forever. There is a similar ritual in Jainism where the followers are supposed to confess if they harmed any living being and seek forgiveness for that.

Even Buddhism has a similar ritual where the monks were supposed to gather at a place and rules of conduct were read aloud and they were supposed to confess on any of the rules that they might have broken.

Hinduism has many rituals that have a lot of scientific explanations behind them. For example, joining two palms facing one another triggers sensory nerves of eyes, brain and ears, which allows individuals to become alert and stay focused on the thing in front of them. This is why praying while joining hands is encouraged since it allows a person to stay focused.

In Islam, the fasts are done during Ramadan because fasting not only improves body functioning but also helps an individual understand the plight of people that cannot afford food. This is why a similar kind of fasting is also encouraged in Jainism. Jainism also suggests not eating certain food as it kills a lot more microorganisms. However, they insist on avoiding onions and garlic since it causes crankiness and anger in an individual, which can cause problems for them in their personal lives. Similar messages are prevalent in Hinduism for the same reason.

The way government asks us to follow rules in order to avoid consequences, is comparable to religions, as they ask us to live life in a certain way to avoid consequences in the afterlife.

In 2006, a well-known book called The Secret by Rhonda Byrne came out, which suggested that if you want something, believe that you will get it, then believe that you have it and start living as if you got what you wanted, and the energy in the universe will bring it to you somehow. Praying is similar to that: when one prays and has strong faith in God, they believe God will help them. They start living with the confidence that their prayers will be answered. And when they receive an answer, they believe they have experienced a miracle from God.

Every religion in the world in a way talks about humanity, belief and respect; therefore, in a way, they are all similar. They are just different directions to the same destination.