Although I'm 3 pages of posts late, I realized that religion was not defined. I'm guessing that "organized ritualistic belief in a deity (more or less)" was intended. But I began to wonder where religion left off and morality began. Anyway, here's Wikipedia's take on the etymology of religion.
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Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values.[note 1] Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to explain the origin of life or the universe. They tend to derive morality, ethics, religious laws or a preferred lifestyle from their ideas about the cosmos and human nature.
The word religion is sometimes used interchangeably with faith or belief system, but religion differs from private belief in that it has a social aspect.[1] Many religions have organized behaviors, clergy, a definition of what constitutes adherence or membership, congregations of laity, regular meetings or services for the purposes of veneration of a deity or for prayer, holy places (either natural or architectural), and/or scriptures. The practice of a religion may also include sermons, commemoration of the activities of a god or gods, sacrifices, festivals, feasts, trance, initiations, funerary services, matrimonial services, meditation, music, art, dance, public service, or other aspects of human culture. However, there are examples of religions for which some or many of these aspects of structure, belief, or practices are absent
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How many of you "pick and choose" the aspect of religion you want? Ever celebrate Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, etc.; even in a non-religious way? Show respect to elders? Teach you child morals? Maybe it's time to rehash the discussion.
ponds from now on.