Re-lĭg'ion, n.
(re-lĭj'un), n. [Fr. & Sp. religion, Pr. religio, It. religione, Lat. religio, either from relegere, to gather or collect again, to go through or over again in reading, in speech, or in thought, religens, revering the gods, pious, religious; or from religare, to bind anew or back, to bind fast.]
Sense 1. The recognition of God as an object of worship, love, and obedience; right feelings toward God as rightly apprehended; piety.
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.
Sense 2. Any system of faith and worship; as, the religion of the Turks, of Hindoos, of Christians; true and false religion.
Sense 3. The rites or services of religion; — chiefly in the plural. [Rare.] “With gay religions full of pomp and gold.” Milton.
☞ 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 of God which man entertains respecting the God whom he worships, especially his scientific and systematic 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.
Synonyms—Piety; sanctity. — RELIGION, PIETY, SANCTITY. 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. Piety first expressed the feelings of a child toward a parent, and was hence used for that filial sentiment of veneration and love which we owe to the Father of all. Sanctity denotes primarily that purity of heart and life which springs from habitual communion with God, and a sense of his continual presence.
By her informed, we best religion learn, Its glorious object by her aid discern. Blackmore.
Grown ripe in years, and old in piety. Prior.
God attributes to place No sanctity, if none be thither brought By men who there frequent. Milton.