Religion is different things to different people. This is why there are so many denominations of faiths and as many interpretations of each as there are followers.
It is comfort, it is hope, it is guidance, it is impetus for action, it is a force for unity, fellowship and charity.
It can also be pointed out religion is divisive, it is illogical, it is regressive, it is a tool of bigotry, an impediment to free thought and self worth, and a cause of wars.
How one believes is fundamentally more important than what one believes. It is of great advantage, and truly a moral imperative for one to gain a thorough perspective and understanding of what ones religion is, if they follow one, what it means and whether the belief they advocate resonates with their core sensibilities. Short of that, the believer accepts becoming a ritually bound minion of clerics and pastors who largely espouse belief systems based on ambiguous assertions of the supernatural or divine, most often absent in basis of presentable fact or evidence. The requirement then becomes to enact ones participation through exercise of faith. How one engages this faith is the measure of their religion.
