Organized religion is a structured system of beliefs, rituals, and practices, often codified through sacred texts, and upheld by a hierarchical authority within a community. It seeks to offer answers to fundamental questions about existence, morality, and the divine, serving as a social institution that fosters a shared identity and communal cohesion. By creating a collective narrative and a set of moral imperatives, organized religion provides a framework for ethical behavior and spiritual guidance. However, this formality can also lead to rigidity, dogmatism, and the suppression of individual spiritual experience. In essence, it represents the human endeavor to connect with the transcendent through communal effort and prescribed tradition, while balancing the tensions between personal enlightenment and collective conformity.

See also: soul force, radical hope, peak experience, communitas, mystical experience