Not the OP, but a guess: religion is basically just a value system. In that sense, it's no different than any other value system, other than the fact that it includes existence of X deity.
This would be an interesting chat in a thread of it's own, or even offline, feel free to be in touch.
I have long noticed that religion is but a dominant world viewpoint. Whether its sports, belief in a higher anything, or belief in nothing. This kind of stuff requires us to be able to be able to openly look at ourselves as easily as we look at others.
If we live our lives according to any dominant world viewpoint, pretty well for most intents and purposes it plays the role of belief (even a belief in non-belief).
> In that sense, it's no different than any other value system, other than the fact that it includes existence of X deity.
While a recurring feature in practice, I don't think believe in a deity should be a defining feature of religion. (It is probably a sufficient feature, though.)
The word "religion" comes from two Latin words: "res" + "ligare". "res" is loosely "thing" or can be used to refer to a concept (ie, "republic" - "res" + "pubblica" ['thing/item/abstract concept' of the people] and "ligare" is a 1st declension (if I recall correctly) verb meaning "to bind".
To be religious - fundamentally speaking - is simply to follow a set of rules or an ideology; to be bound to something.
Depends. Religion can include ethics, but that's not all there is to it. E.g. you can have creation myths without deities, and they don't necessarily make for ethics.
