Wrote about the meaning and evolution of the term, “Religion,” and the biases loaded into the term.
What is Religion?, by @ZoharAtkins whatiscalledthinking.substack.com/p/what-is-reli…
What is Religion?, by @ZoharAtkins whatiscalledthinking.substack.com/p/what-is-reli…
“Religion” is not just a Latin word, but a quasi-legal term. “Religio” just meant state-permitted worship as opposed to “superstitio,” a derogatory term for those cults that the Roman state frowned upon.
Religions are superstitions that have proven themselves. Like start-ups that have passed from seed-stage to IPO.
The term religion has two possible root-meanings. One is re-ligere: to bind or join again. The other is re-legere: to read or study again. The re- prefix means that religion is a kind of repetition or recuperation of something that came before.
To speak of religion is to speak of a term that does not exist in the Torah or the Gospels.
The closest term I can think of in the Torah is avodah, which means service or work, but which has a connotation of serving God or (false gods).
Our discourse would be very different—if not nonsensical—if we spoke about a separation between avodah (service) and malchut (kingdom) rather than religion and state. But here we are.
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