Religion v. Faith

A brief article on the difference between religion and faith, as supported by a good 'ol dictionary.

Religion v. Faith

 

Many people tend to ask the question “What religion are you?” throughout life. It seems harmless, logical, and even necessary at times. However, there is a common misconception when it comes to the title, if you will, of this object we all regard as religion, as opposed to faith.

 

One of the definitions of ‘religion’ is ‘the practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith’. Notice it says, ritual observance of faith. This entirely infers that faith and religion are two separate entities, which many people choose to ignore, and use synonymously. A religion is based on traditions, or rituals, and practices.

 

The definition of ‘faith’ is ‘a system of religious belief’. If we think of this in terms of computers, faith is the operating system, and religion is the box you run it on. A certain box (religion) might look different from another box, but they both use the same operating system (faith). And then we have different operating systems, which make programs look different entirely.

 

There are two basic faiths: Judeo-Christian [Monotheistic] faith, and Polytheism. The belief in the one Almighty God, and the belief is two or more gods, respectively. Atheism is, by definition, not a faith. Atheists hold no belief in any higher power. The definition of atheism is ‘disbelief in the existence of a supreme being or beings.’ Many people, usually younger teens, mislabel themselves as atheist because they ‘don’t know if there is a god’ or not. That is also a misconception, as far as labels go, but that is a different topic entirely.

 

So what’s the big deal? Asking someone’s religion instead of their faith? Well, that’s a bit like saying “What OS do you have?” rather than “What computer do you have?” It is a valid question, when used properly, but is often mistaken for its counterpart.

 

For instance, the teachings of Islam and the teachings of Christianity are different, but the faith is the same�"there is one God (Allah) who will call His people back home on Judgment Day. The faith is the same, but the religion is different, because of the man-made rules and traditions that are practiced.

 

Now, there is also a gap in labeling oneself as being of a certain religion or sect, as opposed to the faith that they follow. There are non-denominational Christians, meaning they follow the faith of Christianity, but do not conform to any one denomination (Jehovah’s Witness, Apostolic Pentecostal, Baptist, etc.) or sect. One who follows the belief of one God, the Savior Jesus Christ, and other teachings of the Bible is by default a Christian. However, it is not necessary to put an additional label (such as the sect) on that title. Christian is by definition ‘a person who believes in Jesus Christ; adherent of Christianity’.

 

A Muslim is defined as ‘an adherent of Islam’, and Jewish is defined as ‘of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the Jews or Judaism’. There is no mention of specific practices of the faith, but only what the faith is. Christians and Jews refer to the Holy Bible, and Muslims refer to the Holy Qur’an. While Islam does have a different holy book, the verses therein are synonymous with those of the Bible�"this is due to the fact that Monotheists have the same faith.

 

There are always those who will argue ‘but they do things differently!’ when not speaking about their own religion, but what is at the core of every religious person is their faith. All in all, that is what matters. If one adheres to their faith, there is really no need to pay attention to how they adhere to their faith. It’s like getting an A in a class, we know you got an A; we don’t need to really look at whether or not you maintained it all semester, or if you rushed to get it in.

 

In conclusion, consider the fact that the words ‘religion’ and ‘faith’ are not synonymous the next time you discuss beliefs in such. It really can make a difference in the route that the conversation will take.

Author's Note

Responses, reviews, and critiques are welcome.

Reviews

[Jessie]

Astounding work. Insightful and deep, with a strong point. I especially enjoyed the comparison to faith and religion as OS vs Computer. You took a subject that is complex, and a misconception I agree we can see daily, and made it understandable. I do have one critique, I think your opener could be a little more powerful. However, the one that is currently in place still draws me in! This was a well informed and thought provoking post, I think with a little polish you could really go somewhere with it! Flesh it out to a full essay and submit it somewhere! Excellent work :)
Carry on.