Religion

Religion is a spiritual belief. Religions include Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Shinto, Zoroastrianism, and many others.

At its best, religion gives people a sense of purpose and inspires good behavior. It can provide a stable foundation of core values independent of the latest social fads.

The downside is that religion is often used to inspire hatred of the "other", inciting violence and profiting a select few leaders. It can be used by manipulative leaders to divide groups of people with common interests into competing factions, and is a very effective means of control.

The stability of most religions can be a drawback as they can be very slow to adapt to the needs of modern worshippers.