Though traditions, sacred texts, and practices have existed throughout time, most cultures did not align with Western conceptions of religion since they did not separate everyday life from the sacred. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the terms Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism, and world religions first entered the English language. Native Americans were also thought of as not having religions and also had no word for religion in their languages either. No one self-identified as a Hindu or Buddhist or other similar terms before the 1800s. "Hindu" has historically been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for people indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. Throughout its long history, Japan had no concept of religion since there was no corresponding Japanese word, nor anything close to its meaning, but when American warships appeared off the coast of Japan in 1853 and forced the Japanese government to sign treaties demanding, among other things, freedom of religion, the country had to contend with this idea.
though traditions sacred texts and practices have existed throughout time most cultures did not align with western conceptions of religion since they did not separate everyday life from the sacred in the 18th and 19th centuries the terms buddhism hinduism taoism confucianism and world religions first entered the english language native americans were also thought of as not having religions and also had no word for religion in their languages either no one self-identified as a hindu or buddhist or other similar terms before the 1800s "hindu" has historically been used as a geographical cultural and later religious identifier for people indigenous to the indian subcontinent throughout its long history japan had no concept of religion since there was no corresponding japanese word nor anything close to its meaning but when american warships appeared off the coast of japan in 1853 and forced the japanese government to sign treaties demanding among other things freedom of religion the country had to contend with this idea