How many times have you been asked what is your Religion?
And people react so quickly with an answer. People say "Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Christainity, Hinduism, Islam, Dont Have one..." It never fails to amaze me how people respond to this question without even a second thought... Yet few people who answer really understand the meaning of religion.
What exactly is the meaning of Religon? And what is your religion? These are questions that I want people to question themselves...And give me an answer???

Taken from Dictionary.com: we see that it has the following meanings:

"re‧li‧gion–noun 1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
2. a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.
3. the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices: a world council of religions.
4. the life or state of a monk, nun, etc.: to enter religion.
5. the practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith.
6. something one believes in and follows devotedly; a point or matter of ethics or conscience: to make a religion of fighting prejudice.
7. religions, Archaic. religious rites.
8. Archaic. strict faithfulness; devotion: a religion to one's vow. "

... Here is another definition taken from my electronic Franklin Dictionary:

"re-li-gion (noun):
1. the service and worship of God or the supernatural
2. devotion to a religious faith
3. a personal set of institutionalized system of religious beliefs, attitudes, and practices
4. a cause, a principle, or belief held to with faith and ardor"

And taken from wikipedia.com: here is another set of definitions of Religion:

"Definition of religion

There are many definitions of religion, and most have struggled to avoid an overly sharp definition on the one hand, and meaningless generalities on the other. Some have tried to use formalistic, doctrinal definitions and others have tried to use experiential, emotive, intuitive, valuational and ethical factors.
Sociologists and anthropologists see religion as an abstract set of ideas, values, or experiences developed as part of a cultural matrix. Primitive religion was indistinguishable from the sociocultural acts where custom and ritual defined an emotional reality.
Other religious scholars have put forward a definition of religion that avoids the reductionism of the various sociological and psychological disciplines that relegate religion to its component factors.
Religion may be defined as the presence of a belief in the sacred or the holy. For example Rudolf Otto's "The Idea of the Holy," formulated in 1917, defines the essence of religious awareness as awe, a unique blend of fear and fascination before the divine. Friedrich Schleiermacher in the late 18th century defined religion as a "feeling of absolute dependence."
The Encyclopedia of Religion describes religion in the following way:
"In summary, it may be said that almost every known culture involves the religious in the above sense of a depth dimension in cultural experiences at all levels — a push, whether ill-defined or conscious, toward some sort of ultimacy and transcendence that will provide norms and power for the rest of life. When more or less distinct patterns of behaviour are built around this depth dimension in a culture, this structure constitutes religion in its historically recognizable form.

Religion is the organization of life around the depth dimensions of experience — varied in form, completeness, and clarity in accordance with the environing culture." (Winston King, Encyclopedia of Religion, p 7693) "

So now that we are clear on what is religion... Can one truely say that he doesnt have a religion? To say that one doesnot believe in supernatural beings or a God.. Is it not like establishing your own set principles which is a religion itself?

So I ask you just one favour today... That is to tell me what is your religion?? Or atleast what you believe it is...