Religion
Re`li´gion Pronunciation: rė`lĭj´ŭn
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. |
| 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. |
| 3. | (R. C. Ch.) A monastic or religious order subject to a regulated mode of life; the religious state; as, to enter religion. |
| 4. | Strictness of fidelity in conforming to any practice, as if it were an enjoined rule of conduct. |
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