ARTICLE I.
RELIGION

§ 1. Religion may be defined as the worship and service of God. It is an expression of appreciation for and towards the Creator, who deserves such worship, and is a reciprocation of that One’s love, honor, and respect.

§ 2. Religion can be an enhancement to human life, as it heightens consciousness, increases emotional wellbeing, draws one to better oneself, and nourishes the sense of self-value. It is a vehicle through which to express or develop spirituality through prayer, ritual, religious or spiritual readings, and connection to others and God. For some it adds meaning and purpose to life, or a personal sense of mission. It also provides a source of guidance or comfort when needed. Faith in things unseen and eternal give people the hope of continued existence. Successful religion produces a change in worldview and leads to a wiser, more compassionate society.

§ 3. The following elements in the human soul constitute the basis of religion: (a) a sense of dependence upon the Creator, (b) conscience, or the sense of right and wrong, (c) the ideas of duty and responsibility, (d) reason, or the faculty which perceives universal and necessary laws, and (e) aspiration, which tends toward the good, the beautiful, and the true. That religion is natural to humans is demonstrated by the fact that, in a higher or lower form, it has been manifested among all peoples and cultures, in ancient and modern times.

§ 4. Natural religion is that which is awakened by the sight of the order and beauty of nature, of its suitability to the use of living beings, and of its variety and unity, leading the rational mind up to the conception of a Creator who is supreme in power, wisdom, and goodness.

§ 5. Revealed religion consists of the disclosures, or discoveries, of divine truth made to inspired persons, thus producing lawgivers, prophets, philosophers, and spiritual leaders for the human race.