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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/1906
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/1906
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Show, don't tell.

If the religion is that important to the character, then it will be apparent in almost every aspect of the person's life.

Physically:

- Clothing: men and women (and don't forget the Mormon "garment")
- Hat/turban/skullcap/scarf/veil
- Hair: length (that is, when is it allowed to be cut), style, hidden under a wig, hidden under veil
- Face: for men, beards/no beards; for women: how much can be shown

Food taboos:

- Various animals are or are not allowed
- Mixing meat and dairy (I know one Jewish woman who couldn't be bothered to figure out meat vs. dairy so she always ate vegetarian for lunch at work)

Behavior:

- Resting on the sabbath (Orthodox Jews can take this to staggering lengths. "Not operating machinery" can be parsed to "turning a doorknob is okay, turning a deadbolt is not.")
- Attending services
- Some people attend services daily, not just weekly
- Crossing oneself when passing a church
- Tithing
- How does the person swear?
- How does the person speak? (I've known fundamentalists who, without exaggeration, manage to work the name of Jesus into every third sentence.)

House décor:

- Pictures of saints/popes/Jesus/Mary etc. on the walls
- Crucifix/Mezzuzah/Buddha

...You get the idea. Once you've established that this is A Religious Person, and if you write about the varying rituals from a kind perspective rather than a mocking one, your reader will grasp the importance of the religion to the character, and will understand why s/he does whatever it is you're trying to do.

Original score: 4