How would you define religion?

Question

In your own words

Answer 1

The correct definition is a group of people who share the same, or a similar, system of beliefs - guess what(?) vegetarianism is a religion and, to many people, so is yoga ... I'm sure you can think of others in the same category.  

The word religion is one I never use relative to my spiritual beliefs.  I'm a non-denominational Christian who belongs to God's family through a relationship with His Son, Jesus.  To all who believe in, and trust in, Christ as their Saviour, God gave the right to become His children - the  family of God is composed of members of His church who are His representatives on earth.  Jesus is the chief cornerstone of God's church and my Great High Priest.  So, you see, religion is a minimally important word to a Christian - it's, very, rarely mentioned in the Bible (3 times, I believe).

Answer 2

Being a hypocrite and lying to oneself.

Answer 3

A mind controlling money-maker wrapped in a comfortable pillow.

Answer 4

To build a bridge to the Gods.

Answer 5

there is no word for religion in my mother tongue.

closest they say is way of life.

Answer 6

A religion is a group of beliefs belonging to a group or person.  

Answer 7

A box that man made to put God into, with an adjacent box to keep God's followers in to maintain control over them.

Answer 8

A man made organization to control people through fear.

Answer 9

Myth - stories told with the weight of authority to bring understanding to the ineffable.  

Answer 10

Religion is way of speaking, way of acting, thinking. Basically way of living...

Answer 11

When you speak of religion you speak of one's spirituality and the group where he belongs but if you come to know the true meaning of religion the greek word here means "avodha" meaning true worship or pure worship, so religion connotes an ultimate correspondence with God's definition of how to worship him and not rely on man's opinion in worshipping God.  You can find the aspects of true worship by adhering closely to Jesus example in worshipping God.  He made his father above everything.  For example at John 20:17 when met Mary, he plainly said that his father is his God and their God and Father.  Here he did not claim the he is God the Father.  Many today are teaching that Jesus is the Father and God, clearly teachings coming from the opinion of man.  So pure worship or pure religion   adheres to Bible teaching , Religions that teaches otherwise or deliberately become a mixture of man's  teaching  are false and not in any manner approved by God.  In general sense religion is the beliefs followed by human based primarily in two aspects, man's opinion, or God's approved standards.

Answer 12

A man in search of a relationship with God.

Answer 13

Religion and Science

Reproduced from the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, 6: 81-82.

Experience is the only source of knowledge. In the world, religion is the only source where there is no surety, because it is not taught as a science of experience. This should not be. There is always, however, a small group of people who teach religion from experience. They are called mystics, and these mystics in every religion speak the same tongue and teach the same truth. This is the real science of religion. As mathematics in every part of the world does not differ, so the mystics do not differ. They are all similarly constituted and similarly situated. Their experience is the same; and this becomes law.

In the church, religionists first learn about religion and then begin to practice it; they do not take experience as the basis of their belief. But the mystics start out in search of truth, experience it first, and then formulate their creed. The church takes the experience of others; the mystics have their own experience. The church goes from the outside in; the mystics go from the inside out.

Religion deals with the truths of the metaphysical world just as chemistry and the other natural sciences deal with the truths of the physical world. The book one must read to learn chemistry is the book of nature. The book from which to learn religion is your own mind and heart. The sages are often ignorant of physical science, because they read the wrong book--the book within; and the scientists are too often ignorant of religion, because they too read the wrong book--the book without.

All branches of science have their particular methods; so has the science of religion. The science of religion has more methods than the other sciences, because it has more material to work upon. The human mind is not homogeneous like the external world. Different minds have different natures and so they must have different methods. As some special sense predominates in a person--one person will see more, another will hear more--so there is a predominant mental sense; and through this gate must each reach his or her own mind. Yet through all minds runs a unity, and there is a science that may be applied to all. This science of religion is based on the analysis of the human soul. It has no creed.

No one form of religion will do for all. Each is a pearl on a string. We must be particular above all else to find individuality in each. No person is born to any religion. Every person has a religion in his or her own soul. Any system that seeks to destroy individuality is disastrous in the long run. Each life has a current running though it, and this current will eventually take it to God. The end and aim of all religions is to realize God. The greatest of all training is to worship God alone. If all people chose their own ideals and stuck to it, all religious controversy would vanish.