...ItGOesON::::::: Origins of "Religion"
Monday, July 02, 2007
「 auditited on 9:16 PM 」



Couldn't fall asleep last night so did a little research of the origins of the word "religion". It's obvious that the English word derives from the Latin religio, which means "reverence (for God)" or "conscientiousness". However, the origins of religio are unknown.

Etymologists have different interpretations for religio:

Relego

Meaning 1:Re-reading – from Latin re (again) + lego (in the sense of "read"), referring to the repetition of scripture.

Meaning 2: Treating carefully – from Latin re (again) + lego (in the sense of "choose"– this was the interpretation of Cicero) "go over again" or "consider carefully".

Religare

Meaning 1: Re-connection to the divine – from Latin re (again) + ligare (to connect, as in English ligament). This interpretation was suggested by St. Augustine (following the interpretation of Lactantius) and is commonly accepted by modern scholars such as Tom Harpur. It can be understood as binding or returning to bondage – an alternate interpretation of the "reconnection".

Reslegere

Meaning 1: Concerning a gathering — from Latin res (ablative re, with regard to) + legere (to gather), since organized religion revolves around a gathering of people.

Personally, I think they all make sense. In Christianity, Relego - bible study and meditation, Religare - relationship with God, and Reslegere - relationship with other Christians are all important. They all closely correlate to each other: Reslegere comes from Religare and Religare comes from Relego.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion