religion

Etymology

From Middle English religioun, from Old French religion, from Latin religiō (“scrupulousness, pious misgivings, superstition, conscientiousness, sanctity, an object of veneration, cult-observance, reverence”). Most likely from the Proto-Indo-European *h₂leg- with the meanings preserved in Latin dīligere and legere (“to read repeatedly”, “to have something solely in mind”). Displaced Old English ǣfæstnes (“religion, lawfulness”).

noun

1. (uncountable) Belief in a spiritual or metaphysical reality (often including at least one deity), accompanied by practices or rituals pertaining to the belief.
   My brother tends to value religion, but my sister not as much.
   Phallicism was, therefore, at the root of all religion, and was definitely the opponent of evil and darkness. 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 160
   Religion is not identical with spirituality; rather, religion is the form spirituality takes in a civilization; it is not so much the opiate of the masses as it is the antidote for the poisons of civilization. 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 103
2. (countable) A particular system of such belief, and the rituals and practices proper to it.
   Islam is a major religion, particularly in North Africa and Southwest Asia.
   Mormonism is a new religion, while Zoroastrianism is an old one.
   Ignorant and ſuperſtitious wretches meaſure the actions of letterd and philoſophical men by the tattle of their nurſes or illiterate parents and companions, or by the faſhion of the country: and people of differing religions judge and condemn each other by their own tenents; when both of them cannot be in the right, and it is well if either of them are. 1722, William Wollaston, “Sect. V. Truths relating to the Deity. Of his exiſtence, perfection, providence, &c.”, in The Religion of Nature Delineated, page 81
   Priest: I wasn't being rude. Father: Just bear in mind that there are plenty of other religions you know. Some of them, I may say, offering much greater range and value. February 10 1989, Stephen Fry et al., “Christening”, in A Bit of Fry and Laurie, season 1, episode 5
3. (uncountable) The way of life committed to by monks and nuns.
   The monk entered religion when he was 20 years of age.
4. (uncountable, informal) Rituals and actions associated with religious beliefs, but considered apart from them.
   I think some Christians would love Jesus more if they weren't so stuck in religion.
   Jack's spiritual, but he's not really into religion.
5. (countable) Any practice to which someone or some group is seriously devoted.
   At this point, Star Trek has really become a religion.
   'Religion can't exist without mystery, especially science, the newest religion.' 1985, Joan Morrison, Share House Blues, Boolarong Publications, page 97
6. (uncountable, obsolete) Faithfulness to a given principle; conscientiousness.

verb

1. Engage in religious practice.
   On the scales below, circle the one ( + ) or (-) number which best represents your situation on both the belief and practice dimensions for each of the traditional and nontraditional forms of religioning. 1978, Military Chaplains' Review, page 70
   A similar caution is made by Nye when he calls for a re-evaluation of the category of religion in relationship to theory and method, suggesting that this category: be reconstructed in terms of practice theory as religious practice or religioning. 2013, Monica R. Miller, Religion and Hip Hop, page 74
   Religious practice and action (“religioning”) can be liberating, and can connect displaced people with the spirits of home. 2015, Alexander Horstmann, Jin-Heon Jung, Building Noah’s Ark for Migrants, Refugees, and Religious Communities, page 13
2. Indoctrinate into a specific religion.
   To men whose minds are thus religioned, tied back to gods that never advance, there can never be any such word as progress 1890, John R. Kelso, Deity analyzed: In six lectures - Page 37
   What do you do, Donnigan? Spend all yer time religioning yer young? 2007, Janette Oke, A Bride for Donnigan, page 225
3. To make sacred or symbolic; sanctify.
   The discussion of diet and health raises the question of the importance of discussing vegetarianism in relation to the contemporary religioning of health; as Ross remarks, 'health has replaced sexuality as the new privileged discourse of bodily truth and inner essence'. 1994, Timothy Morton, Shelley and the Revolution in Taste, page 238
   The ideas expressed above challenge us to continuously rupture and interrupt racialized, classed, gendered, religioned and sexualized norms that inhere between and within institutions, understandings of bodies and our Selves. 2011, Andrew O'Shea, Pedagogy, Oppression and Transformation in a 'Post-Critical' Climate, p 116
   If queer Jews, Muslims and Christians are engaged in queering their religions, they are also engaged in what might becalled 'religioning' the queer. 2013, Andrew Kam-Tuck Yip, Stephen Hunt, The Ashgate Research Companion to Contemporary Religion and Sexuality