Believers: This is not an attack on your faith?

Question

Would you accept that faith is different from religion?

Faith is what you believe in your heart; religion is the organization that you attend to be with others who have a similar belief to you.

So here is my question:
Why have I met a number of faithful people that continue to follow religions that they do not agree with the tenants of?

I realize that part of it is ignorance of the tenants of their church, but I would think that someone's strong faith would make them want to understand their religion and draw them to a group that felt the same way they do.

Thank you for the correction: that is TENET not TENENT. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenets

Answer 1

Of course, you're right. I mean, many people adhere to a religion that doesn't match their faith because they are afraid. The power of organized religion is to instill fear that theirs is the only true religion, and that if you aren't a member of that church, you are going to hell.

That's TOTALLY unbiblical, however. We know from scripture that the word "church" just means "body of Christ." Therefore, every person who believes in Christ is part of the church, whether they are in Africa or America; furthermore, the word "saint" just means "believer." So any true Christian is also a saint.

When Christ truly comes into someone's heart, that person is free from fear, and dwells in love. Therefore, he or she will have no problem leaving a particular religious institution, if God is calling them to. We are meant to be free in Christ.

Answer 2

"Why have I met a number of faithful people that continue to follow religions that they do not agree with the tenants of?"
What I generally find is that people seem to be confused as to what the general tenets (not "tenants", by the way =OP) that fundamentalists Christians believe. Here is one example I found on the internet: "In my view, a fundamentalist religion is a religion, any religion, that when confronted with a conflict between love, compassion and caring, and conformity to doctrine, will almost invariably choose the latter regardless of the effect it has on its followers or on the society of which it is a part." Sorry, but whenever someone uses the phrase "in my view", it almost invariably means that it will differ from the historical definition. In the case of fundamentalism, this includes six central doctrines:
1) the virgin birth,
2) the resurrection,
3) Trinity and deity of Jesus Christ,
4) substitutionary atonement,
5) second coming, and,
6) infallibility, historicity, and inerrancy (not literalism) of the bible.
There is nothing among these tenets that necessitate the advocacy of theocracy or that posting the ten commandments will somehow make America more moral (one would think that the ancient Israelites would often chase after foreign gods despite the many miracles God performed for them would be enough to dispel this notion). What is needed more than the changing of laws (while not entirely unimportant) is the changing of hearts, which cannot be coerced, but can only occur by appeal to another person's free will. In short, I agree with the tenets of fundamentalism, but not with some of the various ways those tenets have been interpreted.

Answer 3

Faith is certainly different from religion. One could have faith in evolution, atheism, sexual predestination, or global warming. Alternatively, one can put faith in democracy, a marriage partner, or the promises of Jesus.

Faith is confident belief in matters where you don't have personal experience to arrive at knowledge. For example, only one man came from heaven to tell us about eternity. We can put faith in his account, or we can reject it skeptically. In either case, we can't go there and look around at present, and then decide if we like it.

Religion is an attempt to recover a lost relationship with God. Literally, religion means to bind back--to restore a friendship that has been broken. There are many religions with very different ideas. For example, some Eastern religions think everything is God, including evil. Islam believes we serve God by forcing others into submission. Just as it is a bad idea to put faith in a fad or delusion, it is a bad idea to join a religion based on false ideas.

Most religions, certainly Judaism and Christianity, are not something you can you can do in isolation. Christ organized a Church and expected his followers to collaborate on a big job--changing the world. You would not get married, and then live in different cities from your spouse, sending birthday and Christmas cards. Similarly, Christians meet regularly to teach, encourage, and support one another in the faith.

Answer 4

I agree. Very interesting way to look at things. Yes, I know that faith is very different from religion. I believe in a god, but not a strict set of rules that dictate what you can and cannot do (sins). That's why I broke away from Christianity a long time ago. I think some people stick with their church simply because they were raised to believe a certain way and not to question it, even if they don't agree with it.

Answer 5

aith is if you have a trust in something which will happen
to you or your family in a positive way. religion is that you
have been brought up by your parents and are continuing
in their footpath. This is our problem. We are following the
practices that our parents and their parents have been
thought although we all know that all religions are man made.

We still need some sort of belief and religion leads us to
make our lives steady. All religions have lot of good things
and a few bad things as well. We have to use our own
judgment and ensure that the religion that we practice
are up to to days standard and not lay ed down thousends
and hundreds of years ago.

Answer 6

In my opinion,you have brought up a very good question,and your right to some point,there is a difference between faith(believing) and religion(which is the protocol for us not to forget the rules and rituals that have been passed down as so not to forget or change the doctrines of beliefs and pervert as mankind often does)

Answer 7

Yes, faith is very much different from religion, but faith is simply the hope and confidence in God to do for the believer what His word says it will do.

Most "religions" (rituals, ceremonies, constitutions) are merely cosmetic in form and content. How so many can believe so differently when it clearly states "One Lord, ONE faith, one baptism", I'll never understand.

I do not attend any denominational church at all. The church I do attend occasionally is non-denominational.

Answer 8

I would accept, in fact I believe, that religious faith is different from organized religion, which is not quite the way you put it.

My religious faith, and my relationship to my Creator, are very personal. Organized religion adds nothing to my personal religious faith but fellowship, which in my opinion is not a necessary or helpful addition to it.

Answer 9

Faith, Religion and the church are three different things. You can follow them individually or all at the same time.

Answer 10

Faith is very different from Religion.

Those churches have some crazy rules to keep the masses in line.

Jesus taught to "go to one another" and never said to go to a preacher, rabbi, priest, etc.

Some go to church for fellowship, which is fine by definition, but they don't teach Faith in my opinion.