Question of the Day

[ayoub]

What do the words "faith" and "religion" mean to you?

Comments

[ccupguy.livejournal.com]

Faith; the belief that hope is not in vain.
Religion; biggest scam ever.

ccup

[sirenity.livejournal.com]

Oh - a lot.

I don't think I could do it justice especially in an lj comment message but...faith is just - a beacon in my life in so many fashions. I....no, this is so not right...lol.

And religion - to me - it's art, it's history, it's beauty, it's ugliness.

Man, you really come up with some heavy hitters for questions sometimes, you know? But I like that because even though I may not answer fully here, I get to think of it as I drift to sleep and on throughout my day tomorrow.

[amante-donne.livejournal.com]

Ill leave this question as I dont think that faith or religious are high on my list of beliefs.

[smwright.livejournal.com]

Another on which I probably should not comment. *grins*

faith: belief in things unseen and, ultimately, unknowable at the time one must choose whether or not to believe.

religion: the social construction of organizations designed to bring together like-minded individuals of one faith or another; a group allowing outward expression of one's inner faith.

[donnickcottage.livejournal.com]

Yea. What she said.

[art-journaling.livejournal.com]

Faith: believing without questioning.
Religion: giving people "something" to believe in when they don't have enough faith and have to question.

[kay.livejournal.com]

Faith; believing without logical proof.
Religion: fear of responsibility.

[shamrocks-13.livejournal.com]

To me, faith means blind hope, and religion means an organization meant to control another person.

I have had my fill of organized control. My ass is just SPIRITUAL.

[alainn-mactire.livejournal.com]

Faith - a belief that is as natural and strong as the urge to breathe, without the necessity of certainty.

Religion - a much misquoted word/organisation, used to justify all the ills of the world caused by man's hand.

What religion means to me is simple - the many different, equal ways which the Divine Spirit gave the human race to understand and accept divinity/life according to each individual culture. The human race has since turned it into a dirty word by corrupting it with their hatred.

[uawildcatgrl.livejournal.com]

Hahaha...Me thinks I need to quit reading my friends list backwards...I always somehow get to read your answer before the question! ;P

Faith: Having a strong belief in something or someone greater than yourself.

Religion: Following a set of structured rules in order to achieve a goal or outcome (such as getting to heaven)

(I'm not a fan of religion...as I said before...I'm more a fan of spirituality.)

[uawildcatgrl.livejournal.com]

Oh and...you might want to glance over here: http://uawildcatgrl.livejournal.com/146302.html

Just for giggles!

[ornjkitty.livejournal.com]

I'm not so big on the "blind belief without questioning, no matter what proof there is to the contrary" version of faith that was drummed into me as a child. And having seen what hypocrisy generally lies hidden under the skirts of organized religion, I'm a bit of a skeptic. (And generally don't mind who gets offended about that!) [I fall more in the spiritual/mystical category than the religious ...]

I guess what I practice is more a "suspended disbelief" than anything. And that applies to more than belief in a benevolent deity. There are times, for instance, where I can't BELIEVE that my husband loves me, because I feel inherently unlovable, but I suspend my disbelief in that love, because it IS there anyway. I guess my approach contains the same elements of (un)/believability and proof ("for" vs. "against") that faith does, but does not require me to abandon my better judgment entirely and just take someone else's word for things! ;) LOL

[yndy.livejournal.com]

faith = a belief system that explains that which is unexplainable by scientific methods

religion = a formalized system to at its best attempts to get its members to conform to a uniform belief pattern, and at its worst is used to manipulate other people to the will & benefit of the 'leaders' of the religion thru the use of fear

[katamphigorical.livejournal.com]

Faith is blind like a cave fish.
Religion is evil. Period.

Considering the actions of millions of nutty religious people in past and present day, i have no reason to believe otherwise.

Also, i was raised Mormon which has twisted and marred my thoughts on religion and god forever and ever amen. I'll never fully recover and will always have knee-jerk reactions to people trying to tell me what to believe in. Thank gods, no one's tried to for years.

[mishi-ragdoll.livejournal.com]

faith and religion? two things i lost a loooooooooong time ago lol

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

LOL!

What made you lose them?

[mishi-ragdoll.livejournal.com]

oh my lol lotsa things made me lose them lol

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

It would be interesting to hear all of them :D

[eternalxwhisper.livejournal.com]

I think faith is believing in the unknown without having the evidence to prove something far greater than yourself exists.

Religion is an organised system of faith where people agree on the rules and limitations of what faith should be. This can often lead to persecution of those who don't follow the rules.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

I agree with your definitions :D