Definition of: religion

(ri·lij′ən) noun
1. A belief binding the spiritual nature of man to a supernatural being, as involving a feeling of dependence and responsibility, together with the feelings and practices which naturally flow from such a belief.
2. Any system of faith and worship: the Christian religion.
3. An essential part or a practical test of the spiritual life. See James i 27.
4. An object of conscientious devotion or scrupulous care: His work is a religion to him.
5. Obs. Religious practice or belief. [<OF <L religio, -onis] Synonyms: devotion, faith, godliness, holiness, pietism, piety, worship. Piety is primarily filial duty, and hence, in its purest sense, a loving obedience and service to God as the heavenly Father; pietism often denotes a mystical, sometimes an affected piety; religion is the reverent acknowledgment of a divine being. Religion includes worship whether it be external and formal, or the reverence of the human spirit for the divine, seeking outward expression. Devotion, which in its fullest sense is self–consecration, is often used to denote an act of worship, especially prayer or adoration; as, He is engaged his devotions. Godliness is a character and spirit like that of God. Holiness is the highest sinless perfection of any spirit, whether divine or human, and often used for purity or for consecration. Faith, strictly a firm reliance on the truth of religious doctrines, is often used as a comprehensive word for a whole system of religion considered as the object of faith; as, the Christian faith, the Buddhist faith. Antonyms: atheism, blasphemy, godlessness, impiety, infidelity, irreligion, profanity, sacrilege, unbelief, ungodliness.