Where does the concept of “World Religions” come from and why is it problematic?

My thinking about “World Religions” has been challenged by the fact that this lesson introduced me more about the history of religion. This lesson definitely gave me a better understanding of how “World Religions” started and what was happening around the world when it was new to people. I see that religion is connected to everything such as culture, ethnicity, country, and history. If I remember correctly, it was invented by historians and anthropologists that explained how customs are made or changed. The lesson discussed multiple complications that dealt with so many people and countries that postcolonialism was also involved. Postcolonialism is based on capability which happened with numerous countries.

From this lesson, I noticed that it does not sound that much different from the modern-day issues taking place right now. A lot of the issues the podcasts and readings mentioned aren’t completely gone today. They mentioned there was also constant brutality, prejudice, decolonization, and a lot more that took place which some of that are still happening right now, unfortunately. “World Religions” came from the theory of multiculturalism, one’s thinking about organization, and an understanding that led to researching all about religion. I also learned that Pueblos used current ideas and changed them however they wanted, which is something I think helped build the story of where world religions came from.

“World Religions” was made by having an idea of a new custom that is debatable due to some people calling it fake. There were issues about politics when studying some practices which could have been deceiving to some people. It was invented in the 19th century and Wenger talked about how indigenous people had their own customs, yet they did not have a religion or put themselves in any certain religion. Additionally, they do not have a word that translates to “religion” and this makes it easier for them to do their own practices the way they want. With that being said, they could also have their own traditions and celebrate however they want because they don’t have a specific religion to fit into. This example goes along with the lessons so far since it proves that religion is complex especially when it comes to talking about religions’ history.