In this article, the author attempts to define the meaning of the word religion in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. In defining religion , the author is mindful of the position taken by almost all constitutional scholars; the original meaning of the text is important. On the other hand, the article contends that the criteria, by which to judge the meaning of the text of the Constitution, is the meaning attributed to the text by the Ratifiers. The meaning of the word religion is not the subjective meaning attributed by individual Ratifiers, but rather the objectified meaning of the text as generally understood by all the Ratifiers