Religion vs Faith
Once we clearly understand the meaning of each of the words religion and faith, understanding the difference between religion and faith is not that hard. You must have seen that religion and faith are two words that are often confused because people think there is a similarity in their meanings. Strictly speaking, both the words are different in terms of their concepts and connotations. They may not have some similarity in their meaning, but religion and faith are very much interrelated in the field of religion. In the world of religion, without faith, you cannot be a follower of any religion. Even to be an atheist, you need to have faith in not believing in God.
What is Faith?
Faith, when we use it normally, is used with a sense of trust. That means faith shows how much we trust someone or something. When it comes to the religious sphere, faith consists of the belief in one or more gods or deities. However, this always does not have to be the belief in deities and gods as all religions do not believe in the god concept. This can simply be the trust someone has in the teachings of their religion. Faith is usually accompanied by hope too. This is because when we use the word faith to show that we trust someone, we are hoping that our trust is placed correctly. If we study how faith is built, we can see that faith is built on the belief. When faith becomes strong and unshakeable, then it culminates in religion.
Science is one branch of knowledge that questions faith. This is because science also has its faith in logical explanations where there is proof to back every saying. The faith science doubts is the blind religious faith that makes people believe that people can walk on water and such. This kind of blind religious faith is opposed to the questions raised by science. Faith thus, can culminate in the acceptance of superstitions and false notions. In religions such as Christianity, faith amounts to the loyalty to God. It is the absolute belief in God that he will save you in your utter distress.
What is Religion?
Religion, on the other hand, is the means by which people universally exhibit their faith. Religion is based on culture of a land too. At the same time, religion influences the culture too. Religion builds character and morality.
Religious leaders impart primary knowledge about the respective dogmas and tenets. They try to inculcate faith in the corresponding religion in the minds of the people. Thus, religion and faith are related to each other although they are different from each other. Religion teaches us moral laws. Moreover, we can describe religion as the organizational institute for practicing your faith.
When it comes to religions, there can exist different types of religions. Some religions can be completely non-violent while some religions can be violent as they demand sacrifices. Some religions such as Christianity and Hinduism can believe in God. At the same time, religions such as Buddhism can be a religion that does not believe in a God. Buddhism believes that everything happens as the result of the decisions we make.
What is the difference between Religion and Faith?
• Definition of Faith and Religion:
• Faith in the normal usage gives a sense of trust. Faith in the religious sphere means that we trust the teaching of a religion: these teachings can include a god concept or not.
• Religion is the means by which people universally exhibit their faith.
• Connection between faith and religion:
• Faith begins with belief. When we start trusting someone or something faith begins.
• Religion comes into being as a result of faith. Religion survives also because of this faith. If everyone lost faith in a religion, that religion would cease to exist.
• Impact on society:
• Faith helps us to hold on to something that we believe in. It may be irrational to others.
• Religion helps communities by teaching morality, nurturing its culture, and making people compassionate towards one another, as well as the environment around them.
These are the important differences between religion and faith. As you can see, faith paves way for religion and keeps the religion together too. However, this does not mean science and atheist do not have faith. They have their faith in logic and reasons rather than on gods.
Images Courtesy:
- Faith via Pixabay (Public Domain)
- Religious symbols via Wikicommons (Public Domain)
