What does it mean to be religious?

The only time the English word appears in the New Testament is in James' general epistle.

James 1, NASB
26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless. ​

The Greek is threskos and it means "fearing or worshiping God." To fear God is to be in awe of Him, not to be afraid of Him, and we "worship" by living a life as closely aligned with the Bible as possible, loving God because He first loved us and died for us on the cross, and loving others because of the love He has expressed not only for us, but for them as well, even though many do not believe. James contrasts that kind of "being religious" with "man's religion," which is, as he said, "worthless" because the Greek threskeia implies the external, that which consists of ceremonies, empty religious discipline, rote and rite, not true exercise and expression of faith.

 

27 Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. (you stopped too soon d-CON)

...kinda sorta along the lines of:

8 Owe no man anything, save to love one another: for he that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law.
9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not covet, and if there be any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: love therefore is the fulfilment of the law. Ro 13

All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also unto them: for this is the law and the prophets. Mt 7:12

37 And he said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the great and first commandment.
39 And a second like unto it is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
40 On these two commandments the whole law hangeth, and the prophets. Mt 22

'Agape', thinking of others, it's the essence of the religion of Jesus Christ.

 

Not exactly, given the word "religion" in the next verse is also threskeia but is modified by the phrase katharos amiantos from which we get the English rendering "pure and undefiled." In this context, it is safe to say the word katharos indicates a literal "purification by fire," the fire of the Holy Spirit, and amiantos means something -- in this case "religion" -- is free from its own nature that makes it defiled and/or deformed. Both say essentially the same thing.

And by the way, your conclusion is the same one I came to without having to go to v. 26. :thumbsup:

 

27 religion pure and undefiled with the God and Father is this, to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation -- unspotted to keep himself from the world. YLT

YLT is plain enough for me on this, trust it far more than I do you.

 

Thanks for the vote of confidence. Why do I get the impression this is a note you found in your lunchbox as a kid and gave back to your mom with the added notation?

 

The word "religion" today has been watered down. Today, it means any set of spiritual beliefs, with a "religious" person being anyone who follows those beliefs to a degree relative to the speaker. I hear all the time, "I'm Catholic, but I'm not that religious".

To me, it means a person who holds to their chosen set of spiritual beliefs, with different levels of "religious".

 

When I think of the word "religious", I'm reminded of the Pharisees that Jesus condemned and said, "Ye are of your father, the devil." The Pharisees were the "religious" leaders of that time, and they were hypocrites. Jesus told one man, "Ye must be born again." He did not say, "Ye must be religious." I never tell anyone that I am religious, but that I am a Christian, that I am born again.

There are a LOT more "religious" people in this world than there are born again Christians. Being "religious" does NOT necessarily mean that a person is a born again child of God.