The meaning of the word religion

It has to be “a set of beliefs” because the collective noun must include all kinds. Reasoned convictions, philosophical systems, general superstition and unquestioning faith.
As long as the practice continues - as long as there are churches and canons, icons and ordained clergy, rituals and holy scriptures - we need a word to describe it. Once organized religion is no longer a significant factor in the world, that word will not figure much in ordinary conversations (will still be required for historical and sociological documents).

If organized religion should dissipate and be replaced by individual spirituality, or animism, or the awe of the universe, or meditation or contemplation… well, we already have words for all those things, ready to be applied as appropriate.

Religion certainly doesn’t equal importance in my vocabulary. While I do have a system of priorities - a ranking of important subjects - my immediate reaction to a church is something like : That would make a really good concert hall, or I could subdivide that into a dozen apartments for medical students, or whatever use the building suggests. Importance, for humans, ought to taking care of our environment and one another in practical ways, not collecting heaven-miles.

my complaint was at the said contradiction and lack of subjectivity in the notion of e.g. belief one truth or the truth.

religion lies with the Latin word religare, which means “to tie, to bind.”
some say: Religion, Religiere or Reconnect.

both are correct, but the 1st seems a lot more accurate

True … to “retain/restrain the legion/gathering”.
And thus hated today so as to allow for a much more extreme global union/restraint/binding in their place.

We have only one root for the word “religion”, and this root is a Latin root.

Religion is the kindergarten of spirituality. It can bind like minded people together or it can be seen as bondage to oppressive, outdated views on the nature of human reality.
IMHO, any religion worth its salt would instruct one on the divinity of ecosystems–on the need to see human variety of expression as integral parts of plenitude–as necessary parts of the Whole.

Religion (or the phenomenon wherefore that word is used) should not be underestimated. It seems to be everywhere - unfortunately or fortunately, whether one likes it or not.

Religion should be about the integration of the I and the we. As seen from only one of these perspectives, it can amount to idolatry.

Politics is also or should be also about the integration of the I and the we. In certain times religion and politics are not distinguishable.

True.

Religion= cult.

This is the most possible narrow view of what religion is and does.

According to Peter Sloterdijk religions are misunderstood spiritual exercise systems.

Is it really? :sunglasses:

Agree. That’s why I refer to religion as the kindergarten of spirituality.

paradoxically, religions are master pieces in the sense that everybody can interpret them at his own level. Dualism obliges, radicalism comes this way. Religions’ real problems are thus their phrasing and allegories, they do no help and never will.

God is explainable scientifically however. But here again, the issue is that God’s science is metaphysical and thus easily bashed or dismissed by the pro darwin academic cartel

divide and rule at its finest

What Darwinian cartel? Not all who believe in Darwin’s theory are atheists. The current pope recently declared Darwinian evolution to be a reasonable way of interpreting how things got to be as they are. The difference in outlook on Darwin between theist and atheist has to do with teleology or whether or not evolution is purposeful.

Teilhard de Chardin has been exonerated by a pope–after all these years. When he wrote of evolution in his day, a pope told him to just shut up! Maybe there is hope for Matthew Fox (Sic) who preached original blessing instead of original sin.
Religious concepts can evolve and do.

We tend to get stuck on words rather than searching for meaning and subsequently render most things in life meaningless.

The meaning of the word religion is best represented by its ulterior motive, i.e.

The ultimate motive for religion is driven by an existential desperation which is inherent and generic in ALL human beings.
This is because ALL human beings are inherentlly DOOMed, i.e.
Desperate Of Own Mortality.
Despairs Over Own Mortality.

Why some doomed human beings are not religious [theistic or otherwise] is because their DOOMed impulses are inhibited by certain neural circuits arising from various factors which for some could be due to progressive mental developments or for others, even brain damage.

Those doomed human beings who are existential desperadoes with weak inhibitors will have no choice but to seek recourse to something to relieve the related psychological angst from being doomed.
Religions somehow provide the most effective approach to relieve the mental sufferings [subliminal or otherwise] which trigger an certain neural circuit to inhibit the doomed impulses, i.e. salvation to eternal life in Heaven.

This is the reason why SOME believers upon being saved from such terrible DOOM will do whatever it takes to ensure they are secured in their mooring to such a balm. SOME believers will even go to the extent of killing non-believers [note only Islam where Allah sanction killing] when their psychological security is threatened.

In an analysis of all religions, one will note the central and ulterior motive is to relieve one’s inherent DOOM via a framework and system of beliefs.

Ninian Smart did extensive research into religions and noted there are 7 dimensions that are common in all religions that are centered on relieving the psychological angst of the DOOM.

Ritual: Forms and orders of ceremonies (private and/or public) (often regarded as revealed)

Narrative and Mythic: stories (often regarded as revealed) that work on several levels. Sometimes narratives fit together into a fairly complete and systematic interpretation of the universe and human’s place in it.

Experiential and emotional: dread, guilt, awe, mystery, devotion, liberation, ecstasy, inner peace, bliss (private)

Social and Institutional: belief system is shared and attitudes practiced by a group. Often rules for identifying community membership and participation (public)

Ethical and legal: Rules about human behavior (often regarded as revealed from supernatural realm)

Doctrinal and philosophical: systematic formulation of religious teachings in an intellectually coherent form

Material: ordinary objects or places that symbolize or manifest the sacred or supernatural

For any set of beliefs to qualify as religion, it must have the above 7 dimensions.

Note the element of God is not included in the above because there are religions that are not theistic, e.g. Buddhism, Jainism, etc. whose ulterior motive is to deal with one’s inherent unavoidable DOOM.