In my own definition I understand religion to be the adherence of certain rites practiced among a particular populace - which does not necessarily require faith to follow such format. And I regard faith as one's personal belief and intimate relationship with God.

Thus I wondered in the absence of religion can one still forge a relationship with God even though they may not adhere to any particular rites?

If one has faith is religion still mandatory?

Does religion carve out faith?

In order for one to manifest their belief in God must one abide by a particular religion?

Does religion help maintain one's relationship with God whilst faith propels us nearer to Him?

nope.

There are very many non religious pple that believe in God strongly

The interesting thing is that religion causes separation. God unites us all. We are all created by a greater being or entity that some choose to call God. We are all one whether we believe it or not, we are all connected. Religion serves to disconnect and cause strife. So, the less religion the better.

Op. I'd guess religion does carve out faith. By performing certain rites deemed as obligation, the religionist can derive satisfaction and a certain personal godliness required for his survival. In addition, since religious worship necessarily includes collective gathering, church-goers can easily motivate each other in their quest for this supposed heaven. Thus, the difficult task of pulling themselves by the bootstrap is conveniently eliminated. So, yes, religion, as it is practiced, can help nudge an individual in the favourable direction of strength, belief and confidence. You want to call this 'faith'? Be my guest!
However, the non-religionist who hopes to reach to god, while neglecting saintly association, can only at best arrive at a high level of self-spirituality, possibly devoid of any concrete entity, a form of deism, if you like. This is to say nothing of the attendant obstacles that could derail his yearning. Does he/she have faith? Well, who would help him realise that? With no one to talk to? I bet self-doubt will be his companion all the way.
My feeling is that the concept of god worship includes association of similar minds, which ultimately begets religion. The non-religionist who strives after god/faith and still seeks to keep a sane mind will only do well with a light concept of god/faith throbbing in his imagination

nodogma:

The interesting thing is that religion causes separation. God unites us all. We are all created by a greater being or entity that some choose to call God. We are all one whether we believe it or not, we are all connected. Religion serves to disconnect and cause strife. So, the less religion the better.

of course. when close to 61% of the quran is targeted at non believers and how they should be seen as enemies and unfairly treated. its this kind of writings in the Quran that gave birth to terrorism.

In the quran we such thing as, u should not make friends with them, slew them but u can take from among them wives for ur men but never give ur daughters to them.
An average religious muslim is so indoctrinated into this kind of thinking to the extent that they dont want to make friends with u cos of the order of their religion

toba:

nope.

There are very many non religious pple that believe in God strongly

. . .may I ask what type of belief are you referring to? is it believing in the existence of God or a God?. . .because if they believe in a God then that must match a God of a particular religion.
If someone believes in the existence alone how do they build their faith? or is believing in a Creator/Higher Being enough to qualify as faith?

@ nodogma
To be honest I think the aim of some religion is to refine albeit some do cause confusion yet we as humans are very capable of separating ourselves whether it be via politics, race etc. . .there is always a theme, a basis allowing us to separate ourselves.
There are religions that address that we are connected by one source whomever that source is remains to be debatable however. If anything I believe religion (referring mainly to Christianity and Islam) tries to pool in as many people with the aim of converting as many souls as possible. If they were successful in carrying as many people into their fold then as many as 7 billion may possibly be Christian or Muslim.
However I think our misinterpretation (including that of believers) compound the issue which may cause strife.

@ Sauer
So perhaps religion facilitates one to maintain their relationship with God. I guess having faith or having a belief in God is different to having faith in a God. If one had faith in a God already then that must correlate to a God governing a particular religion.
. . .but one who merely holds a belief in God could perhaps just believe in God's existence but not subscribe to a particular deity thus they could be considered agnostic.
So . . .if I had a belief in a God (whichever religion he may correlate to) then I have a duty to adhere to the commandments given which is taught in religion in order to nurture my faith.

Thus, the difficult task of pulling themselves by the bootstrap is conveniently eliminated. So, yes, religion, as it is practiced, can help nudge an individual in the favourable direction of strength, belief and confidence.

"iron sharpeneth iron" comes to mind. I guess when one is in the company of like minded believers they have a network of support especially when one's faith may be weary or waxing cold as opposed to a person who has a belief in the existence of God but may not have that pool of support if stuck/confused or may not know how to channel their belief/faith.

I believe when we humans see that other people also believe in similar/identical concepts to us it could perhaps strengthen our belief in such notion, causing us to believe that we are/could be right, rendering such concept real for us.

So one holding a belief in God in the absence of religion may not follow any guidelines thus maybe not even knowing if they're drawing nearer or closer hmmmm. . .

@op
i guess to a large extent context matters. most people make their first contact with inner faith in God through religion. if not for religion, many won't believe in or take God seriously. so in some ways they can be inseparable.
but faith can exist independent of religion. i doubt its common in Nigeria, but it is possible. it usually arises when an individual feels confused about the whole thing and they decide to just be free of it all.

How do u exercise faith without religion, How can u know how to read without going to school "faith comes by hearing and haring the word of God".

Simply put, you need to be among people who share ur beliefs. Thats wer religion comes in

Why can't you type something relevant heh this matter have been trashd before please type something positive and not religion.If you don't  like religion,keep that to yourself and not spoil this evening or better still look for other alternative if you feel religion is a menance or problem.E.g witchcraft,africa magic e.t.c.

nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-802035.0.html#msg9540070
i just started this.

[size=28pt]You don't need any religion to prove your belief and faith in God.

All you need is only YOU.[/size]

@topic.
YES! I understand religion to be man's effort to relate with a supernatural being. Faith in God entails belief in the existence of a Supreme Almighty. Faith in God also involves striving to do His will and keeping to His commandments which one can rightly term religious obligation. Xo, IMO, you need religion to have faith in God.

asudan:

Why can't you type something relevant heh this matter have been trashd before please type something positive and not religion.If you don't  like religion,keep that to yourself and not spoil this evening or better still look for other alternative if you feel religion is a menance or problem.E.g witchcraft,africa magic e.t.c.

Were you forced to comment? Quit yapping poo jor!

emofine:

In my own definition I understand religion to be the adherence of certain rites practiced among a particular populace - which does not necessarily require faith to follow such format. And I regard [size=14pt]faith as one's personal belief and intimate relationship with God[/size].

Thus I wondered in the absence of religion can one still forge a relationship with God even though they may not adhere to any particular rites?

If one has faith is religion still mandatory?

Does religion carve out faith?

In order for one to manifest their belief in God must one abide by a particular religion?

Does religion help maintain one's relationship with God whilst faith propels us nearer to Him?

[b]The assumption you have made is that there is such a thing as a God/gods somewhere! Then again, I for one don't understand how you came about your own definition of faith, because the Bible says that faith is the evidence of things not seen, the substance of things hoped for.

As far as I am concerned, a belief in religion is as flawed as a belief in the existence of God/gods, golden unicorns, fairies, Father Christmas, e.t.c. Such belief systems require their adherents to have faith because a belief in such things defeats logical reasoning. Religion, and a belief in an unseen deity was initially postulated a a means for men to explain away occurrences that they could not understand, science has since taken over. What religious adherents simply do not understand is the mountain of evidence needed to prove that a God exists, the absence of such evidence is the evidence of absence.

I wonder why people still choose to believe in a deity that prefers to watch with folded arms while humanity is plagued by suffering; it's either the deity is incapable of preventing evil i.e. the deity actually enjoys watching his "creation" suffer, or the deity doesn't exist. I would pander towards the latter, because I shudder to think that a deity would exist somewhere and enjoy watching his "creation" suffer in turmoil on earth.[/b]

^ sorry o, how come you are here? who created you? did you come by chance? or did you evolve from animal let's say ape? jus curious

victorazy:

How do u exercise faith without religion, How can u know how to read without going to school "faith comes by hearing and haring the word of God".

claremont:

The assumption you have made is that there is such a thing as a God/gods somewhere! Then again, I for one don't understand how you came about your own definition of faith, because the Bible says that faith is the evidence of things not seen, the substance of things hoped for.

Point taken.

Whilst I was narrating from my own perspective I recognize my definition cannot fit all but I suppose in light of this very theme it would have been suitable if I employed a definition offered by a religious scripture.

your thought is the way the truth and the light. every religion started as a secret cult, religion is human invention to access the beyond. create your own religion and dont allow pastors to collect your money religion is personal

iv been waiting for claremont Hehehehe
nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-802035.0.html#msg9540070

The Word of God the Bible makes us to know that without faith it is impossible to please God.
It also reveals that the fool has said in his heart that there is no God.
Yesterday or so someone wrote on this same Nairaland that he/she is tired of going to church. There is a spirit of anti-christ roaming around these end times and people need to be careful not to be decieved by useless posts by demonized individuals. As you read all these posts that are evidently written by fellows who have no godly heritage, hold on fast to the truth of salvation in Christ that you have. Grow in grace and be filled with the Spirit of God. Do not allow your faith to be shakened, because these same ones who are being used by the devil to sway others from the faith, may themselves eventually repent and believe the gospel.
Dont be decieved. Heaven is real and hell is also real!

nodogma:

The interesting thing is that religion causes separation.  God unites us all.  We are all created by a greater being or entity that some choose to call God.  We are all one whether we believe it or not, we are all connected.  Religion serves to disconnect and cause strife.  So, the less religion the better.  

I could not have said it better. Indeed we are one !

toba:

of course. when close to 61% of the quran is targeted at non believers and how they should be seen as enemies and unfairly treated. its this kind of writings in the Quran that gave birth to terrorism.

In the quran we such thing as, u should not make friends with them, slew them but u can take from among them wives for your men but never give your daughters to them.
An average religious muslim is so indoctrinated into this kind of thinking to the extent that they dont want to make friends with u cos of the order of their religion

I am a christian however the way you have painted Islam get K leg, Islam is a religion of peace no matter the suicide bombers they are enemies of Islam and i wonder why good Muslims have not done something about it.
Read the bible there are versions for war and dealing with unbelievers there too.
The old Christians used to terrorize people perceived to be unbelievers , the northern Ireland Catholics and English protestants etc,
Religion separates us but love of God and of mankind unites us: simples.
My religion is WWJD : What will Jesus do in this situation.

horny4u:

I am a christian however the way you have painted Islam get K leg, [b]Islam is a religion of peace no matter the suicide bombers they are enemies of Islam [/b]and i wonder why good Muslims have not done something about it.
Read the bible there are versions for war and dealing with unbelievers there too.
The old Christians used to terrorize people perceived to be unbelievers , the northern Ireland Catholics and English protestants etc,
Religion separates us but love of God and of mankind unites us: simples.
My religion is WWJD : What will Jesus do in this situation.

oshe jare, wa gbayi!!
@toba , umm, didnt want to do this, but:
www.evilbible.com

@horny4u that just means thank you!

It would depend on what you mean by faith and the God you're talking about because religious faith isn't really something to aspire towards.

The selfishness,foo.lishness and greed of man is what makes him think that he is anything other than organic material,a composition of cells that forms as a result of interactions,interactions of carbons.Same reasons why he thinks there is heaven,that,he is going to live after he is dead.

Religion is a tool just like money, status and other things that create division among mankind. When in trouble, that's when you know the true effects of religion, when Christians abandon churches and turn towards alfas or other Muslim clerics and traditional medicine and Muslims attend church vigils in search of a miracle, that's when we truly realize that religion is nothing but a tool. True worship is at the heart and not by affiliation, you can spend all your life going to church or mosque but if your heart is dark then you're just wasting your time, and at the same time you can hardly go to church or mosque and still pray to God every single day, it's all about perception, let not all these religious psychopaths distort the truth, they are the main reason, the world faces religious crisis such as Boko Haram, Al-Qaeda and the indecency of the Catholic church.

I feel sorry for the blacks that willingly adhere to the religion of the masters.Alien religions that never seem to connect to the fundamentals,that keeps people blind

According to the Bible, what God longs for is a relationship with Him.

The word "religion" itself appears 4-6 times in the Bible (talk about relevance!)

So start talking to God, longing for that relationship in all sincerity and watch.

The topic is always a complicated and often maligned for the benefit of the contributor . On this forum there are three categories of people, (1) Christians , (2) Muslims (3) atheists. Christians are problematic and are found wanting when they qualify faith the use of scripture from the bible thereby nullifying their argument. The Muslims to a lesser degree engage in such acts and my favourites the atheists, whom after a lifetime of experience and much deliberation with solid assurance can deliver life changing arguments.

[size=20pt]

Orikinla has said it all. Religion is no guarantee that you will see God. What each of us must understand is that God Himself does not value anything but the individual person. Religion makes little sense to me because it divides and is largely responsible for practically all of the problems we face in today's world.

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