Religion
In its original meaning, a religion is a collection of rites that constitute a link between man and man, between man and nature, so that men respect the resources of nature, and the work of other people. Philosophers showed how ultimately one's religion is one's lifestyle, one's habits and manners. In this original meaning, religion is an essential part of human life, and a very personal thing, whereby people can locate their own place within the world. Sharing (some of) one's religion with other people also helps people locating each one with respect each other, but is only an easy case of the more generally useful fact of knowing each other's religion.Now, another, all too common, meaning associated to this word as a political term is a one quite perverted by the superstition of the poor, the interest of the mighty, and the confusion between container and contents cultivated by slimy and bogus intellectuals. According to this meaning, a religion would still be such a collection of rites, but those rites would be holy, and would have to be followed for their own sake, as they would allegedly contain some absolute truth revealed by a god through prophets, and taught by the priests of some centralized institution.
Whereas religion in its original meaning deserves much respect, the latter and second kind of religion deserves utter contempt. The mere facts that religion (meaning 2) is acquired and not innate, that so much different people follow so much different religions (either meaning 1 or 2), that religions (meaning 2) appear, evolve and disappear with men, shall show how silly the idea that any religion (meaning 2) contain anything holy is.
If you are shocked by this glossary entry, please remind that we are only talking about computers and computer religions (see your nearest jargon file).
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