A religious community is a community (group of people) who practice the same religion. The term is used to refer to members of a religion who live within a community, but not segregated from others and not dedicated solely to their faith. They worship together in a religious venue such as a temple, synagogue, church or mosque. In many religions, a group worshipping in common is called a congregation. In a narrower sense, a religious community[1][2] is a group of people of the same religion living together specifically for religious purposes, often subject to formal commitments such as religious vows, as in a convent or a monastery.[3] Most religious communities are part of the way religions are organized, and most religions have some form of Religious order.
In the Western church, the concept of monasticism was patterned after the Eastern church. Monasteries and convents became an important part of European life.[4]
While not Christian in nature, an intentional community is a voluntary residential community designed to have a high degree of social cohesion. There are many secular communities, but monasteries, kibbutzim and ashrams are the religious versions.[10]
In Buddhism, the Buddhist monastery(Vihāra) is a place for Buddhist monks and nuns(bhikkhu). In early Sanskrit and Pali texts, Vihāra meant any arrangement of dwellings for the bhikkhu. Over time, the concept evolved into an architectural style for living quarters for monks with an open shared space or courtyard.[14]
In Islam, Ummah (Arabic: أمة[ˈʊmːæ]) is an Arabic word meaning "community", but is different from shaʻb (شعب[ʃæʕb]), which means a nation with common ancestry or geography. It is a synonym for ummat al-Islām (أمة الإسلام, 'the Islamic community'); and is commonly used to mean the collective community of Islamic people.[17]
The Quran typically refers to the ummah as a single group that shares common religious beliefs, specifically those that are the objects of a divine plan of salvation.[18]
^"PRH - Start-up notification of religious community". Finnish Patent and Registration Office. September 19, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2020. One definition of the requirements to be recognized as a "religious community"
^"Find a Religious Community". Diocese of Portsmouth. 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2020. Example of use of the term "Religious Community"
^ abcBurton-Christie, Douglas (1993). The Word in the Desert: Scripture and the Quest for Holiness in Early Christian Monasticism. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 7–9. ISBN978-0-19-508333-0.
^Gopal, Madan (1990). K. S. Gautam (ed.). India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 70.