Noun
religion (plural religions)

A collection of practices, based on beliefs and teachings that are highly valued or sacred.
Rather than being diligent and mindful of the way he practiced religion, he chose to stir up quarels by ridiculing the manner in which others do.

Any practice that someone or some group is seriously devoted to.
At this point, Star Trek has really become a religion.

Any ongoing practice one engages in, in order to shape their character or improve traits of their personality.
Our ideological and traditional heritage.
If you examine various churches throughout the world, you will find religion expressed in diverse ways.

[edit]Usage notes

Generally speaking, certain groups that do not acknowledge the existence of one or more deities, such as Buddhism, are still religious, though some people prefer a definition of religion that discourages non-theistic groups from identifying as religious. Others are in favor of a more inclusive definition of religion that recognizes that everyone has their own set of religious beliefs. Avoid calling religious institutions that should be called churches, religions.

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The pursuit of spiritual truth, IMHO, is the common denominator of all definitions of religion, whether theistic or not.


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