Ninian Smart, in The Nature of Religion, mentions seven attributes that make up the way to worship The Other. The seven attributes that make up religion are rituals, emotional experience, myth, philosophy, ethics, societal structure, and icons.
In the introduction, Smart mentions how religions have sub religions that may differ much from each other due to worldwide cultural influence upon the religion which enhances our experience and may produce new religions. Yet all these religions hold common essences the first being religious practices.
Some religious practices are more formal than others. An example of a ritual is the Eastern Orthodox Christianity's Liturgy which used to be the act of sacrifice in the Jewish Temple. Lesser rituals are acts like meditation upon The Other which may be called prayer. The next essence of religion is the experience and emotional state it puts one in.
Without emotion acts of religion would be empty. In order to understand a religion one must enter into it's emotional influence upon it's believers like taking part in worship and really feeling the power of the music. The main experience is the praise and awe for The Other with an attitude of love and devotion for a merciful God. Another experience is the quest for enlightenment from within where the Divine Being or darkness reigns. Other experiences are those of conversion and a shaman's quest. The third essence of religion is the myth or story of a religion.
Myth does not mean false, but is sometimes historical, about saints, or about creation and it's end. These documents are often considered divinely inspired and full of authority. Some myths combine with religious practice such as Mass, Passover, or The Last Supper. The next attribute of religion is it's philosophy.
Most religious leaders are educated and so include an intelligent idea of their religion but most of Christianity's philosophy came from it's fusion with the Graeco-Roman intellectual tradition and Buddha had a philosophical outlook. The fifth attribute of religion is it's laws which are shaped by it's narrative.
Examples of ethics in religion is Buddhism's four virtues, Judaism's ten commandments and over six hundred rules, or Christianity's main attitude of love. This comes from Jesus's teaching to love God and others and from His death on the cross out of love for people. The Trinity is also unified by love and Christians are to be servants. The sixth essence of religion is it's group of people or the Church.
Religion may be combined with society as the official religion like the Church of Rome to being a sect apart from society. Sometimes there may be an outstanding person who enhances other people's faith such as saints and prophets who give power to the religion's values. An example of a revolutionary is Joseph Smith II of Mormonism. The last or seventh essence of religion is it's materials such as icons, art, and buildings.
Calvinist Christianity do not like external symbols because it takes away from the idea that God is a transcendent spirit but others think materials bring out meaning in the quest for the divine such as statues of God or icons as "windows onto heaven." There are also places such as the Jordan, Mount Fuji, or the Mount of Olive and Sinai. And with that we wrap up the seven attributes of religion.
If given much thought, Nationalism, or Marxism and scientific humanism which call themselves anti-religious, show many of the seven attributes of religion.
