Some Thought for the Mind

[Ashen Key]

I recently came across a definition of religion that I really liked, too - it seemed to cover most things. From the book No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam by Reza Aslan:

Religion, it must be understood, is not faith. Religion is the story of faith. It is an institutionalized system of symbols and metaphors (read rituals and myths) that provides a common language with which a community of faith can share with each other their numinous encounter with the Divine Presence

I'd quibble slightly on the 'institutionalized' bit, but it's a definition I quite like, and seems to cover most, if not all, religions.