What is the Congress and Supreme Court's definition of religion?

I'm not sure. I've never needed to look it up.

Who really cares what their definition of religion is??????

Greatly vauge. Otherwise people Jim Baker/ Tammy Baker/ Oral Roberts and the Flying Pizza Head religion would have never received tax-exempt status. Anybody can have a religion in this place.

Whatever suits their agenda at the time.

let us know when you find out what it is

They just give the religions tax exemptions.

money,money,money, yep that sums that up.
money for their pocket
money for them to spend regardless who pays for it
money for their pet/pork projects

WTF knows.

Way to vague for me. I mean come on scientology?? Give me a break.

The Supreme Court's definition of religon is determined by who it is addressing and how many.

Why don't you tell us Bob, you seem to be the expert (lol)?

There is no standard official definition.. perhaps having to meet the tax exempt status might be the closest that any group or sect or cult might come to being incorporated in any definition that could be vaguely disguised as a definition.

Defining religion would subvert the first amendment to the Constitution because any religion outside the chosen definition would not be protected by that amendment. Religion is, and should remain undefined with no limits placed on its meaning.

One of your better questions, Bob.

Bud

Each Justice has his or her own opinion and they do not talk as one body on the subject. I believe that the Founders were referring to the belief in a deity of any kind.

Our founding document ( Declaration of Independence) esatblishes a belief in a creator, that A god exists and rightly does not specify a preference for a particular expression of one.
The FIRST AMENDMENT establishes that we have a freedom of religion NOT a freedom FROM religion AND we have a right to EXPRESS that and other speech on private AND public grounds.
Andy

We do not however have the right in a publicly supported institution to give preference to only one view of a deity.

The first amendment's function is only to prevent the government from establishing an official religion , like the Church of England.
It never was designed to prevent individuals from expressing their religion on private OR public grounds.
The majority of the populous has been, and continues to be, denominations of Christians. It is logical to assume that the expression of religion, for the most part would be Christian.
If the religious makeup at the beginning of this country were evenly split, roughly, among five or six, then a different history of expression and tradition would have developed. But it didn't, wasn't and isn't.Those in the minority are free to express as well, only their expression will get drowned out by that of the majority, that being Christian. It's something the minority has to live with.
Andy

The Declaration of Independence is not LAW. Religion in itself is undefined and yes we should have the right from religion. When I was in High school we were forced to listen to some idiot preacher daily. A Jewish student complained about it and got beat up due to that complaint. That really turned me off to religion. No body should be forced to listen to that garbage.

The first amendment's function is only to prevent the government from establishing an official religion , like the Church of England.
It never was designed to prevent individuals from expressing their religion on private OR public grounds.
The majority of the populous has been, and continues to be, denominations of Christians. It is logical to assume that the expression of religion, for the most part would be Christian.
If the religious makeup at the beginning of this country were evenly split, roughly, among five or six, then a different history of expression and tradition would have developed. But it didn't, wasn't and isn't.Those in the minority are free to express as well, only their expression will get drowned out by that of the majority, that being Christian. It's something the minority has to live with.
Andy

Sounds good to me, as long as we don't still drown witches.

Don't trust Christians, they have a history of violence

ain't just Christians, Mostly Zealots of all faiths, I just said it, and I'll say it again, ask questions before you buy.

I have no idea what the congress or the Supreme Court's definition of a Religion is, I am sure that it doesn't conform to the concept held by the majority of our citizens.

I would go back to the Fouinding Father's concepts. Whatever it ios the Government cannot promote. or work against. The Government has increasingly been hostile to the Christians since 1942. And the rise of the Muslim under Obama is also a unconstitutional thing

No the Government has not been hostile to Christians, They followed the will of the people and the constitution. As time goes on The Christain mythos will dissapear

You obviously dont know jack about this issue. However since you are OLD and losing brain cells let me give you this little tidbit. Its a little thing called the separation between Church and State. Ill await your rebuttal IF you have one.

I have studied the American definition of religion in comparison to others and it is indeed extremely vague, America is for example one of the few countries in the Western world who will call in so called "religious authorities" to testify on a court case about whether what someone has done is indeed a representation with the wider religious norms or just what someone's beliefs of those norms. Ironically this because America is one of the few countries on earth which feels the need to define and legislate religion because of its policy of separation of church and State rather than embracing religious tolerance.

Judging from recent legislation and rulings it may be............

No idea ;)

But in the UK the definition is simple, If a 150,000+ people declare themselves to be of a certain religion in official documentation (birth certificates, passport, national census, voter registration etc.) then it is a religion.

There was a campaign two censuses ago to have Jedi recognised as an official religion...

It was successful!!

hee hee hee hee

"In England and Wales 390127 people (almost 0.8%) stated their religion as Jedi on their 2001 Census forms"

There is even a website.....

http://www.jedichurch.org/