Any church or faith community of any kind is welcome and encouraged to participate. We have room for just a few in each column, and so we will publish in a rotation. If you have ideas for topics we should write about, or if you are a faith leader and would like to participate, please call Pastor Dawn Blundell at Epworth UMC, 775-423-4714.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FAITH AND RELIGION?
The Very Reverend Trudy Erquiaga, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
https://sites.google.com/view/holytrinityfallon/home, 775-423-3551
Sunday worship 10:00am
Faith is the essence of God’s presence in our lives. Knowing and trusting God is present and active, inspires us to be whom God created us to be and embrace all life has to offer.
“Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10)
Religion is our walk with God; how we express our love for, and trust in, God. Creating (or renewing) relationships with God and God’s children is the intention of religion. Worship, prayer, Scripture study are all ‘religious’ practices that help determine how we treat others and monitor our own behavior.
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27)
Faith alone is enough for God’s grace – but living out our faith through loving actions and words is our gift of gratitude to God.
Kathryn Whitaker, Fallon Nevada South Stake Young Women President
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, www.churchofjesuschrist.org
Religion, or religious institutions, can provide support, community, and authority to help us actively practice our faith in Jesus Christ. Faith in Jesus Christ, however, requires more than weekly church attendance. Faith is not just believing that Jesus Christ lives; faith is a principle of action and power where we must put into action the principles Jesus taught that lead us to salvation. More than a passing belief, faith motivates us to follow His perfect example, to do good works, obey the commandments, repent of our sins, and overcome temptation. Religion can help us nurture our faith to keep it strong.
Pastor Brennen Behimer, Parkside Bible Fellowship
www.parksidebible.com, 775-423-3855
On-site worship services Sunday mornings at 8:30am and 10:15am
The word “faith” is used in many ways. One man said, “Faith is like an empty, open hand stretched out towards God, with nothing to offer and everything to receive.” Here faith means receiving both an ultimate truth and a free gift, i.e., forgiveness and righteousness in Christ. In contrast, the word “religion” often refers to efforts put into serving and pleasing God. The concepts are more important than the words. As sinners, we need God to reveal what is really true, and we absolutely require the free gift of salvation which we could never merit by our own efforts.
Rev Dawn Blundell, Epworth UMC
www.epworthfallon.org, 775-423-4714
Worship Sunday mornings at 9:00am & 11:00am, sermon at 9:30am on Facebook Live and KVLV Radio AM980
We all trust something, or someone. We base our life on it, even if the only thing we trust is that no one and nothing can really be trusted. That’s all “faith” is: trusting or believing in something or Someone. Religion tells us who and what is worth believing, and how to live as a result. I am a Christian because life has taught me that nothing and no one is as trustworthy as God, and that nothing and no one is as worth following as Jesus. I deeply respect other religions as well; for me my Christian religion – flawed and broken in certain ways, and profoundly beautiful in other ways – keeps me focused on love, which is the only thing in the end that really matters.
Adam Bayer, base chaplain Naval Air Station Fallon
Past and current messages on Facebook (Naval Air Station Fallon Chapel), which live streams Sunday mornings at @10:25.
*The views or opinions expressed herein are solely his, and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of the Navy, Department of Defense or the United States government.
Faith is “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1).” Faith is what one “believes” about God and other matters. This means faith is right or wrong: if we believe in something that exists (e.g. COVID is a virus), we are right; if we believe in something that does not exist (e.g. unicorns), we are wrong. Neither sincerity, nor practice of belief, are faith. Religion, however, is the practice of faith, and religion reveals one’s sincerity of belief. Accordingly, faith is the foundation for religion. If one’s faith is correct, religion may or may not be correct. An incorrect faith, regardless of sincerity of religion, results in improper living. One must determine belief before practicing religion.
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