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religionmore about religion

religion


  5  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Ghost  dance  \Ghost  dance\ 
  A  religious  dance  of  the  North  American  Indians,  participated 
  in  by  both  sexes,  and  looked  upon  as  a  rite  of  invocation  the 
  purpose  of  which  is  through  trance  and  vision,  to  bring  the 
  dancer  into  communion  with  the  unseen  world  and  the  spirits 
  of  departed  friends.  The  dance  is  the  chief  rite  of  the 
 
  {Ghost-dance},  or 
 
  {Messiah}, 
 
  {religion},  which  originated  about  1890  in  the  doctrines  of 
  the  Piute  Wovoka  the  Indian  Messiah,  who  taught  that  the 
  time  was  drawing  near  when  the  whole  Indian  race,  the  dead 
  with  the  living,  should  be  reunited  to  live  a  life  of 
  millennial  happiness  upon  a  regenerated  earth.  The 
  religion  inculcates  peace,  righteousness,  and  work  and 
  holds  that  in  good  time,  without  warlike  intervention,  the 
  oppressive  white  rule  will  be  removed  by  the  higher 
  powers.  The  religion  spread  through  a  majority  of  the 
  western  tribes  of  the  United  States,  only  in  the  case  of 
  the  Sioux,  owing  to  local  causes,  leading  to  an  outbreak. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Religion  \Re*li"gion\  (r[-e]*l[i^]j"[u^]n),  n.  [F.,  from  L. 
  religio;  cf  religens  pious,  revering  the  gods,  Gr  'ale`gein 
  to  heed,  have  a  care  Cf  {Neglect}.] 
  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. 
  K["o]stlin 
  (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.  --Trench. 
 
  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.  [R.] 
 
  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. 
 
  Note:  Religion,  as  distinguished  from  theology,  is 
  subjective,  designating  the  feelings  and  acts  of  men 
  which  relate  to  God;  while  theology  is  objective,  and 
  denotes  those  ideas  which  man  entertains  respecting  the 
  God  whom  he  worships,  especially  his  systematized  views 
  of  God.  As  distinguished  from  morality,  religion 
  denotes  the  influences  and  motives  to  human  duty  which 
  are  found  in  the  character  and  will  of  God,  while 
  morality  describes  the  duties  to  man,  to  which  true 
  religion  always  influences.  As  distinguished  from 
  piety,  religion  is  a  high  sense  of  moral  obligation  and 
  spirit  of  reverence  or  worship  which  affect  the  heart 
  of  man  with  respect  to  the  Deity,  while  piety,  which 
  first  expressed  the  feelings  of  a  child  toward  a 
  parent,  is  used  for  that  filial  sentiment  of  veneration 
  and  love  which  we  owe  to  the  Father  of  all  As 
  distinguished  from  sanctity,  religion  is  the  means  by 
  which  sanctity  is  achieved,  sanctity  denoting  primarily 
  that  purity  of  heart  and  life  which  results  from 
  habitual  communion  with  God,  and  a  sense  of  his 
  continual  presence. 
 
  {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. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  religion 
  n  1:  a  strong  belief  in  a  supernatural  power  or  powers  that 
  control  human  destiny;  "he  lost  his  faith  but  not  his 
  morality"  [syn:  {faith},  {religious  belief}] 
  2:  institution  to  express  belief  in  a  divine  power;  "he  was 
  raised  in  the  Baptist  religion";  "a  member  of  his  own 
  faith  contradicted  him"  [syn:  {faith}] 
 
  From  Jargon  File  (4.2.3,  23  NOV  2000)  [jargon]: 
 
  Religion  ========== 
 
  Agnostic.  Atheist.  Non-observant  Jewish.  Neo-pagan.  Very 
  commonly,  three  or  more  of  these  are  combined  in  the  same  person. 
  Conventional  faith-holding  Christianity  is  rare  though  not  unknown. 
 
  Even  hackers  who  identify  with  a  religious  affiliation  tend  to  be 
  relaxed  about  it  hostile  to  organized  religion  in  general  and  all  forms 
  of  religious  bigotry  in  particular.  Many  enjoy  `parody'  religions  such 
  as  Discordianism  and  the  Church  of  the  SubGenius. 
 
  Also  many  hackers  are  influenced  to  varying  degrees  by  Zen  Buddhism 
  or  (less  commonly)  Taoism,  and  blend  them  easily  with  their  `native' 
  religions. 
 
  There  is  a  definite  strain  of  mystical,  almost  Gnostic  sensibility 
  that  shows  up  even  among  those  hackers  not  actively  involved  with 
  neo-paganism,  Discordianism,  or  Zen.  Hacker  folklore  that  pays  homage  to 
  `wizards'  and  speaks  of  incantations  and  demons  has  too  much  psychological 
  truthfulness  about  it  to  be  entirely  a  joke. 
 
 
 
  From  THE  DEVIL'S  DICTIONARY  ((C)1911  Released  April  15  1993)  [devils]: 
 
  RELIGION,  n.  A  daughter  of  Hope  and  Fear,  explaining  to  Ignorance  the 
  nature  of  the  Unknowable. 
  "What  is  your  religion  my  son?"  inquired  the  Archbishop  of  Rheims. 
  "Pardon,  monseigneur,"  replied  Rochebriant  "I  am  ashamed  of  it." 
  "Then  why  do  you  not  become  an  atheist?" 
  "Impossible!  I  should  be  ashamed  of  atheism." 
  "In  that  case,  monsieur,  you  should  join  the  Protestants." 
 
 




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