There have been a lot of things circulating around in my mind since the election took off and so did the discussions in our class. After reading a lot of the posts and exploring political websites there has been a question looming in the back of my head. We often hear the phrase, "faith and politics," but I wonder, is this different from "religion and politics?" This idea of a separation between faith and religion is something I have been thinking about since that first class where we watched the videos of Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy. I found it really interesting that this issue actually came up in readings for two of my other classes, it seems that I could not avoid the issue! Below I am going to include a few of the quotes that I came across while researching this issue, or simply reading for my other classes. I think they hold some interesting ideas and perhaps topics for discussion.

First, I simply typed the two words into dictionary.com to see what the words actually mean by definition.

Faith-

1.	confidence or trust in a person or thing: faith in another's ability.

2.	belief that is not based on proof

3.	belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion

4.	belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc.

5.	a system of religious belief

6.	the obligation of loyalty or fidelity to a person, promise, engagement, etc.

7.	the observance of this obligation; fidelity to one's promise, oath, allegiance, etc.

Religion-

1.	a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

2.	a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects

3.	the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices

4.	the life or state of a monk, nun, etc.

5.	the practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith.

6.	something one believes in and follows devotedly; a point or matter of ethics or conscience

7.	religions, Archaic. religious rites.

8.	Archaic. strict faithfulness; devotion

So, from dictionary.com's perspective it seems that there is a subtle difference between what defines one's faith and what defines one's religion. Religion seems to include a ritualistic, ceremonial aspect that is not necessarily included in faith. Also, religion is necessarily a set of beliefs that is held by a group of people, rather than faith that could simply be one's personal beliefs. I thought #5 under religions was interesting,

5.	the practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith.

Religion, then, is the observance of faith. I thought that was an interesting correlation between the two.

In my other theology class, the major seminar, we recently finished a book entitled, "Christianity and the Religions." While reading through this book I found an interesting quote that I think pertains to my thought on this issue. The author writes, "There is no religious life without religious practice. Nor is there, in this sense, any faith without religion." When I read this quote I was a bit taken aback. I am not sure that I agree with this idea that without religion there can be no faith. I think there are many people who feel a firm connection with a higher power but do not identify themselves with a particular religious sect, or perhaps are in the midst of searching for one. I think faith can exist without religion, and i think even further perhaps faith is a necessary foundation of religion. I do not think that religion comes before faith, I think faith comes before religion. In my opinion, the more proper quote would read, "Without faith, there is no religion."

This idea of having faith without religion is discussed in another of my classes although under the terms of religion and spirituality rather that religion and faith. It is discussed in my Social Work class which looks at it in light of working with clients of various religious backgrounds. The class is specifically in human behavior in social systems. Therefore, we look at religion as a particular social system. In the book, they differentiate between religion and spirituality:
Religion is defined as "The institutionalized social organizations that promote social cohesion through the transmission of values and beliefs shared by members as they relate to enduring human concerns."
Spirituality is defined as "The individual quest of seeking answers to enduring human concerns through means that transcend everyday experience or rational inquiry."
Here, my social work book differentiates between the institutionalized social organization of religion and the individual quest of spirituality. I think in some ways spirituality could be interchanged with faith in this context, although spirituality perhaps indicates more of a search than faith does.

So, it does seem that most sources would differentiate between faith and religion. But what does this mean in terms of the political sphere? The first thought that I was having when I watched the video that first class on John F. Kennedy was whether his bracketing of religion meant a bracketing of faith. In our current election, it seems that there may indeed be a significant difference between faith and politics. In an article that I came across entitled “Personal Faith and Candidate Image in the 2008 Campaign” I read about the impact that a candidate’s faith can have on the general public. It seemed that both in the 2008 as well as elections of the past, a candidate’s faith has had a positive influence on their support. However, does this pertain to all forms of faith, or just that of the majority voters. The article states, “Historically, strong personal faith has often been an asset, particularly if a candidate was a member of what was perceived as a “mainstream” faith.” This was interesting to me in light of some of the speculations of the candidate’s faith, or should we say, religion. For example, Mike Huckabee is accused of his fundamentalist evangelical views, Mitt Romney lost votes from many republicans who were “scared” of a Mormon president, and Barack Obama is often accused of being Islamic. But these issues, at least in my opinion, are issues of religion. I think that there is no doubt that almost all of the candidates have been vocal about their faith, which is scene positively, but it is often their religion that can get them in trouble. Mike Huckabee has faith whether he believes in evolution or not, Mitt Romney has faith whether he reads the Book of Mormon or the Christian Bible, and Barack Obama has faith whether he prays to Jesus Christ or Muhammad. The point is, I think what is important in our next president is faith, not religion, and I think when we talk about the issues it may be important to differentiate between the two, because it seems that they do not mean the same thing. What is important is a figure who has a belief in a greater power, in something bigger than him or herself and an overarching set of values that will make positive change for our country. What is less important, in my opinion, is the institutionalized expression of those values, in the end, is it not all the same God?