Faith v. Religion
In everyday life we experience many internal conflicts and crisis. These crises often manifest themselves as moral dilemmas and are a part of being human. But the question that arises is what causes us to handle ourselves the way we do in those situations. Some people might say faith, but the true answer is our beliefs. That is why we seem to be at an all time low in morality, we are having a crisis of belief. Most people believe that faith is what holds us together, and our beliefs are just a guide. However, it is our culture and the sets of meanings people share that mediate our experiences with one another along with the combination of these experiences which our behind our religion. Our beliefs are a reflection of our culture and this becomes obvious when we observe other cultures. Saudi Arabia, for example has a very different belief system than the United States and these religious beliefs are function of their faith and culture combined. As their culture changes, their beliefs, too, many change. As the sets of meanings people share change, their beliefs will follow. In a religious aspect the difference between faith and belief is easy to see if you go to church the week before Christmas and then Christmas day and look at the difference in the number of people. The regulars who give of themselves one day a week for God truly believe in God, those who show up for Holy Days more than likely have faith. Not to sound cynical, having faith is better than nothing, it is just not all that a person could give. But why are we being so lazy? The answer comes to us in the context of our current society. In the dark ages people had little to do, and very little enlightenment, so religion was turned to as a way to fill a void. In that time people knew what it was to believe in something. Men of the dark ages fought wars for their religion and died for what