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.