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Because it crosses so many different boundaries in human experience, religion is notoriously difficult to define. Many attempts have been made, however, and while every theory has its limitations, each perspective contributes to our understanding of this complex phenomenon. Here are some of the ideas that have most inspired scholars of religion:

So freedom for the Christian is to choose Jesus Christ and to follow His ways. That is what freedom is. It is freedom for, it is not freedom from. It is freedom for God, freedom for good, freedom for choosing the right. And yes, we as Christians are free; we are free to choose the way of God. The "Catechism of the Catholic Church," in defining freedom, gives somewhat of a mouthful of a definition, but it is an important definition. "Freedom is the power rooted in reason and will to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform some deliberate actions on one’s own responsibility. Human freedom… attains its perfection when directed toward God, our beatitude." (CCC 1731) So the way we truly become free is to choose the good. The way that we most fully become human is to always choose our God and the ways of God. When we fail to choose the good, we become slaves of evil or sin.