Excessive devotion and enthusiasm in religious observance were <answer>superstitio</answer>, in the sense of "doing or believing more than was necessary", to which women and foreigners were considered particularly prone. The boundaries between religio and <answer>superstitio</answer> are perhaps indefinite. The famous tirade of Lucretius, the Epicurean rationalist, against what is usually translated as "<answer>superstitio</answer>n" was in fact aimed at excessive religio. Roman religion was based on knowledge rather than faith, but <answer>superstitio</answer> was viewed as an "inappropriate desire for knowledge"; in effect, an abuse of religio.
What was excessive religious fervor in Rome's religions?
superstitio