They’re pretty controversial, as they talk about religion, which is a sensitive subject for a lot of people. Like I said above, feel free to criticize or argue, chances are I won’t respond immediately, but I’ll be sure to get around to it. Anyways, here they are: [spoiler] The Difference I See Between Faith and Religion I think people tend to confuse faith with religion. While they are in fact synonymous, they’re different in their own ways. It’s easy to see how the two are confused, they’re both frequently involved with each other and share many similarities. The differences are few but major, and they are often overlooked. Religion was created thousands of years ago, back when society was first formed. Like many things, such as money or government, religion was a social construct, and it was not uncommon for it to influence governments and turning them into theocratic organizations. This brings me to the main difference I see: Religion was consistently, if not always, used to control the masses. While some may have created it and believed in it, others saw a chance to have things like power, fame, and wealth. The human race is naturally selfish, and in most circumstances, will generally put themselves first in terms of needs or survival. Those who saw this opportunity in religion quickly benefitted at the expense of others, rising in social hierarchy and gaining influence. It still happens today, you see it in extremist groups, mega churches, religious schools and the sort. Terrorist leaders gain influence through fear and the faithful. They will gather those who genuinely believe in the cause presented to them. Generally, these are people who like to have their thinking done for them, which is another common thing to see today. They will follow someone who they respect, someone who looks like they know what they’re doing, someone who at least appears to have a purpose. Even with a few, these groups can be very dangerous and are capable of horrible things with the mindset that they are in the right, giving them no reason to stop. Religious schools and mega churches are similar in the way that one gathers the faithful and uses them to their own benefit. It’s a genius idea, really. It’s proven many a time to be very effective in attaining power and wealth. That’s what I see religion as, a method to increase the influence of a few at the expense of many. While commendable, it is also slightly disturbing as to what one can do with claims of a “vision” or a “prophet.” A part of us wants to believe in something, anything, and stories of miracles and enlightenment appeal to us. We were built to follow someone, or at least an idea, and those with malicious intent have twisted that primal instinct of ours into something perverted. Faith differs from this, as it focuses on those who actually believe. Faith is the belief in something without concrete evidence proving one’s belief. It is what many get confused with religion. There are likely many organizations of people who all are truly faithful to a proposed God (or multiple) and serve them, remaining uncorrupted by those who would have the faithful serve themself. Faith is usually logical, and is not based on a mere whim as some think it is. For instance, I believe that we don’t exist without a purpose, I certainly hope we don’t. If humanity isn’t here for anything then I might as well go out and commit suicide, it wouldn’t mean anything because we wouldn’t have a purpose, and I would escape the meaningless, torturous existence that is life. That whole thought is rather depressing, and the world becomes a much darker place to someone if that is how they look at it. I have faith that we have some otherworldly purpose. I cannot prove this, of course, that’s what faith is. It is not a means of control, it is both a coping mechanism and a philosophy, as well as many other things. Many faiths teach those who follow it to be kind and loving, and to be beneficial to society. Those who ridicule others for not believing in what they believe are part of a religion that will dictate that, or they have twisted the idea of faith partially with their ego to form a belief that they’re always right when it comes to religion, which is simply ignorant. Personally, I do not care what someone believes in, whether they’re Islamic or Buddhist or atheist as long as they do not push their ways on other people. The world would be a much better place if this kind of prejudice was not present. But as I stated before, that is human nature. We are selfish and egotistical and aggressive, and it will ultimately be our demise. At the end of the day, none of us will ever completely figure out if there is or isn’t a god or an afterlife while alive. We’ll simply just have to wait and see if we’re greeted by an omnipotent creator, or eternal, enveloping darkness. [/spoiler] Edit: I forgot to mention is a rough draft, and is not fully complete, I plan to add a few finishing touches later.