You've heard it a thousand times. Heck, you've probably even preached or taught it: "True Christian faith is a relationship, not a religion." Religion is shown to be stifling, soul-crushing, and destructive.

I used to nod piously at such sentiments, but lately I've begun to wonder whether or not the "R" word really deserves such disdain. Let's take a closer look at this embattled term.

Merriam-Webster offers a succinct definition: "The service and worship of God or the supernatural."

Dictionary.com is more expansive: "A set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs."

Here's Wikipedia's entry: "A religion is an organized approach to human spirituality which usually encompasses a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices, often with a supernatural or transcendent ...