Is Football a Religion? #289 (P)

The trouble with defining ‘religion’

Dear friends of Daily Philosophy,

Welcome back! This week we’ll probably have a second post at some point because I had a great and very insightful interview with philosopher Dan Demetriou on the ethics of (politically incorrect) monuments.

Prof Demetriou practically owns the field of monument ethics, and in our hour-long talk, we explored lots of questions about how societies should go about dealing with their (sometimes unwanted) historical heritage. Because the interview was so long and technically somewhat challenging, editing and transcribing it took longer than expected — this is why I cannot give it to you today. And next weekend we already have another article scheduled, so I will post the interview sometime during the week, as soon as I’m done editing it. I hope that, despite the unusual scheduling, you will find the time to take a look at it. It’s really worth it.

Today, we have the second article in our series on the philosophy of religion(s): What is a religion? (And is football one?)

Grab a tea and make yourself comfortable. By the way, in case you prefer to watch the video rather than read the article, here’s a handy YouTube link:

What is a religion?

Look at these pictures: an indigenous ritual. A wedding. Football fans. Soviet propaganda. Mulsim women in traditional dress. Star Wars’ Yoda. Which of these pictures show something religious or contain religious elements? Is a wedding religious? Yes, it can be. But there are also non-religious weddings. Is Marxism a religion? It has many properties of religions. Is belief in the Star Wars "force" a religion? And why is football not a religion?