Religious life

Religious life, lifestyle voluntarily chosen by persons to enhance their own spirituality. People who adopt this way of life for becoming holy and for being of the greatest service to others include monks, nuns, brothers, sisters, priests, and ministers. A religious life may be followed and practiced by individuals on their own, or within the organized framework of an established practice or religious order. Roman Catholic religious followers take vows of poverty and chastity and may belong to a religious order to practice their beliefs in a public place, such as a church. Other religions, such as Hinduism and Buddhism, sponsor monastic orders, although many Hindu and Buddhist holy men and women practice a religious life as individuals. Some Protestant faiths have established orders, but most Protestant ministers, as do Islamic and Jewish religious leaders, impart the knowledge acquired during their religious lives to their congregations.