A Response to ‘Faith or Religion’?

By Ronnie Bray

What an interesting question you ask! In truth according to 'Standard English Usage' the terms
faith and religion are often used interchangeably.

However, we must be careful to define the terms so that when discussing them with others we
are in agreement as to what each means by the terms.

The word 'Faith' is used to describe the root of the major faith to which a person adheres. That is
Faith as a noun, a describer, and applies to such Faiths as Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism,
Paganism, and Christianity.

Most of these major faiths have splinter groups, sects, and cults [in the non-pejorative sense] that
belong either loosely or closely to the central positions of the faiths from which they sprung.

When 'Faith' is used as a verb it relates to the degree of ardour or spiritual zeal enjoyed by each
individual within any faith group.

Recognition that Faith has more than one intention and being aware of the context in which the
user employs the word Faith makes understanding more likely, and minimises the possibility of
being at cross-purposes with another.

Likewise, 'Religion' is a multi-use word that we need to define within the limits of our
discussions so that we understand what the other means.

The English word 'religion' is from a Latin root that means 'to bind' as with a 'ligature.' This
signifies the relationship of a person the their 'Religion,' which, in such cases, is also very
properly referred to as 'Faith' [n].

There are many words in the English language that have more than one meaning, as any good
dictionary will show.

It is my experience that those who seek to make a definite distinction between Faith [or
Spirituality] and Religion have agendas that are biased against what they demeaningly term
'Organised Religion.'

They also stress, illogically, that Faith is pure and heaven sent, but that all Religions are man-
made. Therefore, they argue, Faith is from God, but Religion is from another source that lies
somewhere beneath the soles of our feet. That is an argument entirely without merit.

It would not be incorrect to say that most believers in any faith system make a difference
between their Faith [n] and their Religion [n], but within their Religion [n] will quantify their
degree of faith [n], also called their belief system, and the vehicle for that belief system or
denomination that is the particular Religion to which they subscribe and in which they practice
their faith.

As to which religion or faith is the right one; that is the question of the ages, and there are as
many answers as there are faith groups, splinter groups, cults, schisms, and sectaries, etc.

If you were to ask me, I would say that if there is one god then there could only be one truth.
History shows that as the world turns, some gods come into and out of fashion, and the older
teachings become updated to appeal to whichever mindset is dominant within each particular
civilisation or culture.

My Roman Catholic friend believes that his is the only true religion, and my Bah'ai friend says
the same about his faith. My Methodist Minister colleague is less edgy about where truth lies, as
are most non-conformists, and my friend who is a minister in the United Reform Church is
likewise less rigorous in claiming that her faith has a monopoly on religious truth - and so the
beat goes on.

There are patterns and movements within all faiths and religions to conform to the mores of the
times and the temper of the people, including the often difficult task of maintaining any system
of belief in a condition that is directly and cogently pertinent to the people at any given time.

Some call these changes in theology, liturgy, and ritual, aggiornamento; others call then 'natural
developments,' and yet others consider ongoing development to mirror the experience and the
sitz im leben of 'today's' people, the Zeitgeist or 'spirit of the age,' plus the peoples' capacities to
hold close to religious faith as the source of changes from, as it were, the bottom up.

Perhaps it is best to ask, "Which faith or religion is best for me?' rather than seek to establish
which single one is right for all men at all times.

The Reverend Henry Ward Beecher once said, "That is the best church that makes the best
men." A point that is still worth considering.

However, since most religions seem to continue to be filled with people, it would appear that
either one faith is correct, and all the rest in error, or else they are all in error together and none
of them right.

The idea that this could be so militates in some highly emotional believers and makes them
attempt to foist their personal beliefs on all others who, failing to accept the terms of a modern
Ferverus [ref: "Androcles and the Lion"] who enjoy the tendencies of wide eyed foam mouthed
prognosticators not averse to consigning to the eternal torment of a Hell that is largely figurative
and imaginary all those who are unmoved by their fiery tones and parsimonious denigration’s.

My considered opinion after much study of the scriptures is that when we stand before God we
will not be in the presence of an inquisitorial nightmare testing us for human standards of
orthodoxy or heterodoxy b before deciding whether of the doors in His Kingdom we will exit
through on our way to receive our reward.
I know of no God whose standard for admission or refusal of admission to the Eternal Kingdom
is a formal theological examination. If it were, how could a fool be saved? God has sent the
weak things of the world to confound the wise, and he does not raise the bar of matriculation into
his eternal realm to a level where only schoolmen, theologians, Bible exegetes, or religious
scholars can achieve success.

God is, I believe, a lot less interested in what and how much we know, than He is by how much
good we do while we are in the world, and I believe that God forgives mistaken beliefs
especially when they are sincerely held.