religion

Definition of religion in English English dictionary: Any practice that someone or some group is seriously devoted to; Any ongoing spiritual practice one engages in, in order to shape their character or improve traits of their personality; A collection of practices, based on beliefs and teachings that are highly valued or sacred; An ideological and traditional heritage; {n} a system of faith and worship, obedience to divine commands, from love to a Supreme Being, pious, devout, holy, bound by vows; Sacred beliefs reflected in the daily conduct of an individual; n the service and worship of God or the supernatural a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices; Anything that involves the association of people in a manner resembling a religious institution or cult; there are four major religious traditions on Hepekeria: 1) the standard ten-deity system of Western Lythia (Dalanya, Ivinian colonies, Xerium, Isynen and Bothisa), 2) Ziryabism, the indigious Numec faith, 3) Buqdini totem rituals and 4) Falanian ancestor worship; Strictness of fidelity in conforming to any practice, as if it were an enjoined rule of conduct; A specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices, generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects; a code of belief or philosophy- involves the worship of God or gods; A system of ideas and rules for behavior based on supernatural explanations; The outward act or form by which men indicate their recognition of the existence of a god or of gods having power over their destiny, to whom obedience, service, and honor are due; the feeling or expression of human love, fear, or awe of some superhuman and overruling power, whether by profession of belief, by observance of rites and ceremonies, or by the conduct of life; a system of faith and worship; a manifestation of piety; as, ethical religions; monotheistic religions; natural religion; revealed religion; the religion of the Jews; the religion of idol worshipers; The adoration and service of God as expressed in divine worship and in daily life Religion is concerned with all of the relations existing between God and human beings, and between humans themselves because of the central significance of God Objectively considered, religion consists of a body of truth which is believed, a code of morality for the guidance of conduct, and a form of divine worship Subjectively, it is a person's total response, theoretically and practically, to the demands of faith; it is living faith, personal engagement, self-commitment to God Thus, by creed, code and cult, a person orders and directs his or her life in reference to God and, through what the love and service of God implies, to all people and all things; Specifically, conformity in faith and life to the precepts inculcated in the Bible, respecting the conduct of life and duty toward God and man; the Christian faith and practice; institution to express belief in a divine power; "he was raised in the Baptist religion"; "a member of his own faith contradicted him; A number of customs and rituals associated with such beliefs; Oxford dictionary definition (theistic): "1 the belief in a superhuman controlling power, esp in a personal God or gods entitled to obedience and worship 2 the expression of this in worship 3 a particular system of faith and worship " Non-Theistic definition: "The word religion has many definitions, all of which can embrace sacred lore and wisdom and knowledge of God or gods, souls and spirits Religion deals with the spirit in relation to itself, the universe and other life Essentially, religion is belief in spiritual beings As it relates to the world, religion is a system of beliefs and practices by means of which a group of people struggles with the ultimate problems of human life " (Hubbard, 1994) [1: theology]; originally meant to 'bind together' - as binding the heavenly and the earthly things together Modern usage refers to the teachings of and the rituals conducted by the Church or any other institutionalised religious organisation; Any system or institution which one engages with in order to foster a sense of meaning or relevance in relation to something greater than oneself; A religion is a particular system of belief in a god or gods and the activities that are connected with this system. the Christian religion. Relation of human beings to God or the gods or to whatever they consider sacred or, in some cases, merely supernatural. Archaeological evidence suggests that religious beliefs have existed since the first human communities. They are generally shared by a community, and they express the communal culture and values through myth, doctrine, and ritual. Worship is probably the most basic element of religion, but moral conduct, right belief, and participation in religious institutions also constitute elements of the religious life. Religions attempt to answer basic questions intrinsic to the human condition (Why do we suffer? Why is there evil in the world? What happens to us when we die?) through the relationship to the sacred or supernatural or (e.g., in the case of Buddhism) through perception of the true nature of reality. Broadly speaking, some religions (e.g., Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) are outwardly focused, and others (e.g., Jainism, Buddhism) are inwardly focused. Australian religion Baltic religion Celtic religion civil religion Egyptian religion establishment of religion clause Etruscan religion Finno Ugric religion Germanic religion Greek religion mystery religion prehistoric religion religion philosophy of Religion Wars of Roman religion Slavic religion Vedic religion Religion of the Heavenly Way African religions Afro Caribbean Afro Brazilian and Afro American religions American Indian religions North American Indian religions South Arabian religions ancient Iranian religions Mesoamerican religions Mesopotamian religions Oceanic religions; a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny; "he lost his faith but not his morality"; System of beliefs and practices concerned with sacred things and or symbols uniting individuals into a single moral community; Religion is belief in a god or gods and the activities that are connected with this belief, such as praying or worshipping in a building such as a church or temple. his understanding of Indian philosophy and religion; the way of acting, or perspective, according to which we interpret all our duties as divine commands; 1 belief in, worship of, or obedience to a supernatural power or powers considered to be divine or to have control of human destiny 2 any formal or institutionalised expression of such belief; A system of thinking that recognizes a supersoul and performs some sort of adoration of that supersoul; a set of attitudes, beliefs, and practices pertaining to supernatural power; A matter of belief Better kept private Defend the separation of Church and State; a subjective relationship to certain metaphysical, extramundane factors A kind of experience accorded the highest value, regardless of its contents The essence is the person's relationship to God or salvation Jung called them psychotherapeutic systems and believed they contained, offered a gradiant for, and transformed instinctual (hence asceticism), nonpersonal energies, giving people a cultural counterpole to blind instinct, help through difficult transitional stages, and a sense of meaning They also help separate the growing person from his parents For Jung, the unconscious had a religious function, and religion rests on an instinctive basis Different from creeds, which are codified and dogmatized versions of a religious experience Creeds usually say they have THE truth and are a collective belief For Jung, no contradiction existed between faith and knowledge because science has nothing to say about metaphysical events, and beliefs are psychological facts that need no proof; A monastic or religious order subject to a regulated mode of life; the religious state; as, to enter religion; a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny; "he lost his faith but not his morality" institution to express belief in a divine power; "he was raised in the Baptist religion"; "a member of his own faith contradicted him; {i} collection of beliefs concerning the origin of man and the universe, faith; Any specific system of belief about deity, often involving rituals, a code of ethics, and a philosophy of life; Generally a belief in a deity and practice of worship, action, and/or thought related to that deity Loosely, any specific system of code of ethics, values, and belief; A system of beliefs, including belief in the existence of at least one of the following: a human soul or spirit, a deity or higher being, or self after the death of one's body; A set of rituals, beliefs, and rules based on a specific philosophy; belief in supernatural or divine power that invites expression in conduct and often involving ethics and a philosophy (or a specific system of such belief and conduct); n 1 a Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe b A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship 2 The life or condition of a person in a religious order 3 A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader 4 A cause, a principle, or an activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion; (generic definition of): A means of getting in touch with and of attaining at-onement with "ultimate reality " In slightly different words, a religion is a system of symbols (e g , words and gestures, stories and practices, objects and places) that functions religiously, namely, an ongoing system of symbols that participants use to draw near to, and come into right or appropriate relationship with, what they deem to be ultimate reality; (religious conviction, religious faith): Form of spirituality that involves meditation, prayer, and/or churchgoing; The personal commitment to and serving of God, or a supreme being There are many different systems of faith and worship around the world, each having distinct beliefs, observances, patterns and practices; institution to express belief in a divine power; "he was raised in the Baptist religion"; "a member of his own faith contradicted him"
renounce one's religion: choose to no longer believe in one's religion
revealed religion: a religion founded primarily on the revelations of God to humankind
freedom of religion: The right to not hold any religious belief or having to carry out practices of any religion (passive freedom of religion)
freedom of religion: The right to hold any religious beliefs, and to carry out the practices of any religion or of none so long as they do not violate reasonable laws, without fear of harm or persecution. (active freedom of religion)
open source religion: a decentralized religion that is continuously undergoing open source revision by its followers
organized religion: A religion in which rules exist to govern the means by which adherents participate in the religion
world religion: A religious belief system which has become generally recognized as having independent status from any other religion, but which nonetheless may have many, sometimes mutually antagonistic, sects or denominations
Christianity is a world religion consisting of Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestants.
lose one's religion: (deyim) Lose one's temper
Australian religion: Religion of Australia's Aborigines, based in the Dreaming. Religion involved living in agreement with the way of life ordained in the Dreaming, through the performance of rituals and obedience to the law. Through dreams and other states of altered consciousness, the living could come into contact with the spiritual realm and gain strength from it; myths, dances, and other rituals bound the human, spiritual, and physical worlds together in a single cosmic order. A child's spirit was held to come from the dreaming to animate a fetus, and a person's spiritual heritage was more important than the bond between a physical parent and child. Sacred art included tjurunga, sand and cave paintings, and paintings on bark
Baltic religion: Ancient beliefs and practices of the Balts of Eastern Europe. They are believed to give evidence of a common source with Vedic and Iranian religion. The most important Baltic divinities were sky gods: Dievs (the sky), Perkons (the thunderer), Saule (sun goddess), and Meness (moon god). A forest divinity, the Mother of the Forest, was common to all Baltic peoples and was differentiated into goddesses that personified various aspects of nature. Destiny or luck was personified as the goddess Laima, who determined a person's fate at the moment of birth. The dead were thought to revisit the world as good or evil spirits; evil was also done by the devil, Velns, and by a werewolf-like creature known as Vilkacis or Vilkatas. The structure of the world, with the world tree at its center, and the enmity between Saule and Meness are important themes. Festivals marked the summer solstice, the harvest, marriages, and funerals. Worship was conducted at holy groves and small hills; excavations have also revealed circular wooden temples
Celtic religion: Beliefs and practices of the ancient Celts of Gaul and the British Isles. Celtic worship centred on the interplay of the divine element with the natural world. Springs, rivers, and hills were thought to be inhabited by guardian spirits, usually female. Some gods were widely worshiped; lesser deities were associated with particular tribes or places. The most honoured god was Lugus, who was skilled in all the arts. Cernunnos was lord of the animals; the goddess of mares and fertility was called Epona (Gaul), Macha (Ireland), or Rhiannon (Britain). Goddesses often came in groups of three. The priests of Celtic religion were the Druids; they maintained an oral tradition and left no writings. Seasonal festivals included Samhain (November 1), which marked summer's end and served as a feast of the dead, and Beltane (May 1). Oak trees, holly, and mistletoe were considered sacred. The Celts believed in life after death as well as transmigration of souls. See also Brân; Brigit
Egyptian religion: Polytheistic belief system of ancient Egypt from the 4th millennium BC to the first centuries AD, including both folk traditions and the court religion. Local deities that sprang up along the Nile Valley had both human and animal form and were synthesized into national deities and cults after political unification 2925 BC. The gods were not all-powerful or all-knowing, but were immeasurably greater than humans. Their characters were not neatly defined, and there was much overlap, especially among the leading deities. One important deity was Horus, the god-king who ruled the universe, who represented the earthly Egyptian king. Other major divinities included Re, the sun god; Ptah and Aton, creator gods; and Isis and Osiris. The concept of Ma'at ("order") was fundamental: the king maintained Ma'at both on a societal and cosmic level. Belief in and preoccupation with the afterlife permeated Egyptian religion, as the surviving tombs and pyramids attest. Burial near the king helped others gain passage to the netherworld, as did spells and passwords from the Book of the Dead
Etruscan religion: Beliefs and practices of the ancient people of Etruria in western Italy. The Etruscans believed that the gods manifested their nature and will in every aspect of the natural world, such that every bird and berry was a potential source of knowledge of the gods. The characteristics of their more than 40 deities were often vague or changeable, though some were later equated with the major Greek and Roman deities. Famous for divination, the Etruscans sought to learn the future, looking for divine signs in lightning, the livers of sacrificed animals, and the flights of birds. Belief in the afterlife led to the construction of elaborate tombs that were furnished as houses for the dead. Many features of Etruscan religion were later adopted by the Romans
Finno-Ugric religion: Pre-Christian belief systems of the Finno-Ugric peoples, who lived in northern Scandinavia, Siberia, the Baltic region, and central Europe. Surviving Finno-Ugric groups include the Sami (Lapps), Finns, Estonians, and Magyars. The geographic and cultural diversity of these peoples led to the evolution of varying religious beliefs. The most common Finno-Ugric creation myth is the earth-diver myth, in which the Devil is forced to dive into the sea and gather sand, from which God forms the earth. Another myth tells of the creation of the world from a cosmic egg. The chief deities usually included a sky god and an earth mother. While the major gods were remote, there were guardian spirits at hand to regulate daily life; they resided in households, natural sites such as lakes and forests, and natural phenomena such as wind or fire. Ancestor worship was practiced. Religious functionaries included shamans, sacrificing priests, guardians of the sanctuary, professional weeping women, and performers of wedding ceremonies. Cult centres ranged from home sanctuaries to sacred groves and sacrificial stones
Germanic religion: Beliefs, rituals, and mythology of the pre-Christian Germanic peoples, in a geographic area extending from the Black Sea across central Europe and Scandinavia to Iceland and Greenland. The religion died out in central Europe with the conversion to Christianity (4th century) but continued in Scandinavia until the 10th century. The Old Norse literature of medieval Iceland, notably the Poetic Edda ( 1200) and the Prose Edda ( 1222), recounts the lore of the Germanic gods. The earth was held to have been created out of a cosmic void called Ginnungagap; in another account the first gods formed it from the body of a primeval giant, Aurgelmir. There were two sets of gods in the Germanic pantheon, the warlike Aesir and the agricultural Vanir. Germanic religion also encompassed belief in female guardian spirits, elves, and dwarfs. Rites were conducted in the open or in groves and forests; animal and human sacrifice was practiced. Ragnarok is the Germanic doomsday
Greek religion: Beliefs, rituals, and mythology of the ancient Greeks. Though the worship of the sky god Zeus began as early as the 2nd millennium BC, Greek religion in the established sense began 750 BC and lasted for over a thousand years, extending its influence throughout the Mediterranean world and beyond. The Greeks had numerous gods who controlled various natural or social forces (e.g., Poseidon the sea, Demeter the harvest, Hera marriage). Different deities were worshiped in different localities, but Homer's epics helped create a unified religion, in which the major gods were believed to live on Mount Olympus under the rule of Zeus. The Greeks also worshiped various gods of the countryside: Pan, nymphs, naiads, dryads, Nereids, and satyrs (see satyr and silenus), along with the Furies and the Fates. Heroes from the past, such as Heracles and Asclepius, were also venerated. Animal sacrifices were of great importance, usually made at a temple on the altar of the god. Other cultic activities included prayers, libations, processions, athletic contests, and divination, particularly through oracles and birds. Great religious festivals included the City Dionysia at Athens and the festival of Zeus in the western Peloponnese that included the Olympic Games. Death was seen as a hateful state; the dead lived in the realm of Hades, and only heroes enjoyed Elysium. Great wrongdoers suffered in Tartarus. Mystery religions emerged to satisfy the desire for personal guidance, salvation, and immortality. Greek religion faded with the rise of Christianity and lost its last great advocate with the death of Julian in AD 363. See also Greek mythology
Jewish religion: system of beliefs based on the Hebrew Bible and the Jewish oral law (including the torah, Talmud, Mishnah, and Gemara)
Minister of Religion: {i} head of the government office responsible for providing religious services to the population
Ministry of Religion: government office which deals with religious affairs, government office headed by the Minister of Religion
Roman religion: Religious beliefs of the Romans from ancient times until official acceptance of Christianity in the 4th century AD. The Romans believed that everything was subordinate to the rule of the gods, and the object of their religion was to secure divine cooperation and benevolence. Prayer and sacrifice were used to propitiate the gods and were often carried out at temples dedicated to particular divinities and presided over by priests (see flamen). The chief Roman priest, head of the state religion, was known as the pontifex maximus; notable among the other groups of priests were the augurs, who practiced divination to determine whether the gods approved of an action. The earliest Roman gods were the sky god Jupiter, the war god Mars, and Quirinus; other important early gods were Janus and Vesta. Many other deities were borrowed from Greek religion or associated with Greek gods, and the stories woven into Roman mythology were often taken directly from Greek mythology. Domestic shrines were devoted to divine ancestors or protectors, the Lares and Penates. Dead Roman emperors were also raised to the status of divinities and were regarded with veneration and gratitude
Slavic religion: Beliefs and religious practices of the ancient Slavic peoples of East Europe, including the Russians, Ukrainians, Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. Most Slavic mythologies hold that God ordered the devil to bring up a handful of sand from the bottom of the sea and created the land from it. Slavic religion was often characterized by dualism, with a Black God named in curses and a White God invoked to obtain protection or mercy. Lightning and fire gods were also common. The ancient Russians appear to have erected their idols outdoors, but the Baltic Slavs built temples and enclosed sacred places, where festivals were held and animal and human sacrifices occurred. Such festivals also often included communal banquets at which the flesh of sacrificial animals was consumed
Vedic religion: or Vedism Ancient religion of India that was contemporary with the composition of the Vedas and was the precursor of Hinduism. The religion of the Indo-European-speaking peoples who entered India 1500 BCE from the region of present-day Iran, it was a polytheistic system in which Indra was the highest-ranked god. It involved the worship of numerous male divinities connected with the sky and natural phenomena. Ceremonies centred on ritual sacrifice of animals and on the use of soma to achieve trancelike states. These ceremonies, simple in the beginning, grew to be so complex that only trained Brahmans could carry them out correctly. Out of Vedism developed the philosophical concepts of atman and Brahman. The spread (8th-5th century BCE) of the related concepts of reincarnation, karma, and release from the cycle of rebirth through meditation rather than sacrifice marked the end of the Vedic period and the rise of Hinduism. The Hindu initiation ceremony, upanayana, is a direct survivor of Vedic tradition
Wars of Religion: (1562-98) Conflicts in France between Protestants and Catholics. The spread of French Calvinism persuaded the French ruler Catherine de Médicis to show more tolerance for the Huguenots, which angered the powerful Catholic de Guise family. Its partisans massacred a Huguenot congregation at Vassy (1562), causing an uprising in the provinces. Many inconclusive skirmishes followed, and compromises were reached in 1563, 1568, and 1570. After the murder of the Huguenot leader Gaspard II de Coligny in the Massacre of Saint Bartholomew's Day (1572), the civil war resumed. A peace compromise in 1576 allowed the Huguenots freedom of worship. An uneasy peace existed until 1584, when the Huguenot leader Henry of Navarra (later Henry IV) became heir to the French throne. This led to the War of the Three Henrys and later brought Spain to the aid the Catholics. The wars ended with Henry's embrace of Catholicism and the religious toleration of the Huguenots guaranteed by the Edict of Nantes (1598)
Wiccan Religion: {i} neo-pagan polytheistic religion that is based on pre-Christian tradition (highly focused on nature, often viewed by non-believers as a form of witchcraft)
atheistic religion: belief that there is no God
civil religion: Set of quasi-religious attitudes, beliefs, rituals, and symbols that tie members of a political community together. As originally formulated by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the concept referred to the virtues that citizens need to serve the state. The concept was later elaborated by the American sociologist Robert N. Bellah (b. 1927), who found in the U.S. a strong sense of "American exceptionalism" and reverence for secular elements such as the national flag, the Constitution, the Founding Fathers, the annual holiday calendar, and the concepts of individualism and self-reliance. Another form of civil religion is presented by the example of Confucianism, where the nation is subordinated to a moral order
conceal one's religion: keep one's religion a secret
freedom of religion: right to choose and practice a religion with no interference by the government
freedom of religion: a civil right guaranteed by the 1st amendment to the US constitution
mystery religion: Any of various secret cults of the Greco-Roman world. Derived from primitive tribal ceremonies, mystery religions reached their peak of popularity in Greece in the first three centuries AD. Their members met secretly to share meals and take part in dances and ceremonies, especially initiation rites. The cult of Demeter produced the most famous of the mystery religions, the Eleusinian Mysteries, as well as the Andania mysteries. Dionysus was worshiped in festivals that included wine, choral singing, sexual activity, and mime. The Orphic cult, by contrast, based on sacred writings attributed to Orpheus, required chastity and abstinence from meat and wine. Mystery cults also attached to Attis, Isis, and Jupiter Dolichenus, among others
pentecostal religion: any fundamentalist Protestant church that uses revivalistic methods to achieve experiences comparable to the Pentecostal experiences of the first Christian disciples
philosophy of religion: Branch of philosophy that studies key metaphysical and epistemological concepts, principles, and problems of religion. Topics considered include the existence and nature of God, the possibility of knowledge of God, human freedom (the free will problem), immortality, and the problems of moral and natural evil and suffering. Natural theology is the attempt to establish knowledge of God without dependence on revelation. Traditional arguments for the existence of God include the ontological argument, the cosmological argument, and the argument from design
practicing religion: being an active member of a religion
prehistoric religion: Religious practices and beliefs of prehistoric peoples, as inferred from archaeological findings. The oldest burials that attest to a belief in life after death date from 50,000-30,000 BC. Corpses were buried with goods such as stone tools and parts of animals, suggesting an attempt to placate the dead or equip them for the next world. The Middle Paleolithic Period provides the first evidence of animal sacrifices, which may have been offerings to the dead, to a higher power, or to the fertility of the animal species. Prehistoric human sacrifices have also been found, usually of women and children. From the Bronze Age on, weapons and jewelry were often thrown into springs, wells, and other bodies of water as sacrifices (probably of war booty). Animals such as bears were important in prehistoric religion from the Upper Paleolithic Period on, probably seen as guardian spirits and associated with magical powers. Fertility rites were also practiced, as evidenced by small, corpulent female figures, known as Venus statuettes, with highly emphasized breasts and buttocks
religions: Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoism, and much more
religions: plural of religion
religions: are social institutions that espouse a belief in God (or Gods) Religious creeds usually include instructions for worship, prayer, family life, and social action, as well as ethical standards and theological beliefs Although nearly all religions include ethical instruction, ethics is not religion People from different religious backgrounds can accept common ethical principles, and atheists can justify and understand ethical imperatives and act ethically Since ethics extends beyond any particular religion, a religion's ethics can be viewed as falling within the domain of ethics as a more general category, viz Christian ethics, Muslim ethics, Buddhist ethics, etc
religions: This entry includes a rank ordering of religions by adherents starting with the largest group and sometimes includes the percent of total population
state religion: dominant religion within a region, main religion, religion of the majority

religion

Hyphenation

re·li·gion

Turkish pronunciation

rilîcın

Synonyms

denomination, faith, church, communion, creed, cult, devotion, doctrine, higher power, morality, myth, mythology, observance, orthodoxy, pietism

Antonyms

agnosticism, atheism, disbelief

Pronunciation

/rēˈləʤən/ /riːˈlɪʤən/

Etymology

() From religiōn-, the stem of the Latin religiō (“scrupulousness”, “pious misgivings”, “superstition”, “conscientiousness”, “sanctity”, “an object of veneration”, “cult-observance”, “reverence”), from religō (“I bind back or behind”), from re + ligō (“I tie, bind, or bandage”).