I believe the subject of the Work as a religion is rarely discussed. The people inside the Work would prefer not to define is as a religion. The people outside it, would probably try to categorize it as a new-age cult.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines religion as: the service and worship of God or the supernatural. In that sense, Gurdjieff Work is indeed some kind of a religion. It strives to realize Man is his full spiritual potential, one that has been given to him from God, for whome Gurdjieff would sometimes use the more neutral term the Absolute.
Why is this discussion important? Because seekers should know that the Work is not merely about self perfection in some psychological way. It includes some of this, in the same sense that this is in internal circles of many religions. But, knowing yourself, reaching new dimensions of awareness, are ultimately inseparable from a religious experience.
Practice. The theory is secondary.
