Religion

n.	1.	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. An orderly life so far as others are able to observe us is now and then produced by prudential motives or by dint of habit; but without seriousness there can be no religious principle at the bottom, no course of conduct from religious motives; in a word, there can be no religion. - Paley. Religion [was] not, as too often now, used as equivalent for godliness; but . . . it expressed the outer form and embodiment which the inward spirit of a true or a false devotion assumed. - Trench. Religions, by which are meant the modes of divine worship proper to different tribes, nations, or communities, and based on the belief held in common by the members of them severally. . . . There is no living religion without something like a doctrine. On the other hand, a doctrine, however elaborate, does not constitute a religion. - C. P. Tiele (Encyc. Brit.). Religion . . . means the conscious relation between man and God, and the expression of that relation in human conduct. - J. Köstlin (Schaff-Herzog Encyc. After the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. - Acts xxvi. 5. The image of a brute, adorned With gay religions full of pomp and gold. - Milton.
	2.	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. Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. - Washington. Religion will attend you . . . as a pleasant and useful companion in every proper place, and every temperate occupation of life. - Buckminster.
	3.	(R. C. Ch.) A monastic or religious order subject to a regulated mode of life; the religious state; as, to enter religion. A good man was there of religion. - Chaucer.
	4.	Strictness of fidelity in conforming to any practice, as if it were an enjoined rule of conduct. Those parts of pleading which in ancient times might perhaps be material, but at this time are become only mere styles and forms, are still continued with much religion. - Sir M. Hale. Natural religion a religion based upon the evidences of a God and his qualities, which is supplied by natural phenomena. See Natural theology, under Natural. Religion of humanity a name sometimes given to a religion founded upon positivism as a philosophical basis. Revealed religion that which is based upon direct communication of God's will to mankind; especially, the Christian religion, based on the revelations recorded in the Old and New Testaments.

Noun	1.	religion - a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny; "he lost his faith but not his morality" Synonyms: faith, religious belief
	2.	religion - institution to express belief in a divine power; "he was raised in the Baptist religion"; "a member of his own faith contradicted him" Synonyms: faith

RELIGION. Real piety in practice, consisting in the performance of all known duties to God and our fellow men.
     2. There are many actions which cannot be regulated by human laws, and many duties are imposed by religion calculated to promote the happiness of society. Besides, there is an infinite number of actions, which though punishable by society, may be concealed from men, and which the magistrate cannot punish. In these cases men are restrained by the knowledge that nothing can be hidden from the eyes of a sovereign intelligent Being; that the soul never dies, that there is a state of future rewards and punishments; in fact that the most secret crimes will be punished. True religion then offers succors to the feeble, consolations to the unfortunate, and fills the wicked with dread.
     3. What Montesquieu says of a prince, applies equally to an individual. "A prince," says he, "who loves religion, is a lion, which yields to the hand that caresses him, or to the voice which renders him tame. He who fears religion and bates it, is like a wild beast, which gnaws, the chain which restrains it from falling on those within its reach. He who has no religion is like a terrible animal which feels no liberty except when it devours its victims or tears them in pieces." Esp. des, Lois, liv. 24, c. 1.
     4. But religion can be useful to man only when it is pure. The constitution of the United States has, therefore, wisely provided that it should never be united with the state. Art. 6, 3. Vide Christianity; Religious test; Theocracy.

To dream that you are deeply religious, foretells of a negative turn to your business affairs and a disruption to your life. To dream that you are over religious, signifies that your goody character will repulse your lover or mate.Babi, Babism, Bahaism, Brahmanism, Brahmoism, Buddhism, Buddhology, Chen Yen Buddhism, Christianity, Mariolatry, Mariology, Mercersburg theology, Weltanschauung, adoration, anthroposophy, apologetics, articles of religion, canonics, catechism, church, churchgoing, communion, conformity, connection, credenda, credo, crisis theology, cult, cultism, denomination, devotedness, devotion, devoutness, dialogical theology, divinity, doctrinal statement, doctrinalism, doctrine, doctrinism, dogmatics, dutifulness, eschatology, existential theology, faithfulness, formulated belief, gospel, hagiography, hagiology, hierology, ideology, ism, logos Christology, logos theology, love of God, natural theology, neoorthodox theology, neoorthodoxy, observance, patristic theology, persuasion, phenomenological theology, physicotheology, pietism, piety, piousness, political faith, political philosophy, rationalism, religionism, religiousness, reverence, scholastic theology, school, sect, secularism, soteriology, system of belief, systematics, theism, theology, veneration, world view, worship, worshipfulness

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