What is the difference between formal religion and personal beliefs?

Cynthia Miller: What is the difference between formal religion and personal beliefs?
Everyone has a belief, code of conduct, or some form of guide lines for their life. Whether it be you reflecting society’s beliefs or following a doctrine of your religion, everyone beliefs in something. Yet in terms of formal religion and personal beliefs how are they similar…how are they different?

Religion, the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices, is often referred to as those who are not religious as almost a form of bondage, restricted to the expectations and practices of the church. Although some people involved in a specific religion complain about the rules and difficulty in following their religion, religion is a choice. Furthermore the decision as “which religion’ is also a choice. Formal religion is definately more strict than personal beliefs as, for the most part, a specific doctrine is followed while personal beliefs more pertain to the individual beliefs and values of a person. Yet these two are similar in that they are both personal choices…following a religion or not…which religion to follow….The choice is up to you, but life with no God and no faith in anything but yourself is not much of a life at all.

Answers and Views:

Answer by H Gruber
I guess free thinking. Good question.

Answer by Fang
Formal religion is a political tool.
Personal beliefs do not require politics, but often do.

Answer by Eric
Many people within say, the Catholic religion, do not choose to do so. They are born into it and are taught to follow the “rules” so to speak. That is religion: rules, regulations, rituals, ordinances, and all of the other “do’s and don’ts.”

Personal beliefs tend to mostly be more flexible in nature. There can still be plenty of doctrine, it is just not as important in many instances. For example: I do not follow a religion as much as I follow Jesus Christ. Personally, I do not believe that God demands us to live by rules in order to be saved, or sanctified, or justified. Life is not about a list of things one must do versus things one must never do. You can’t go down the list and check off all of the stuff which you have done, tally up the score, and find out whether or not you qualify to enter into heaven. But many people think that that is how it works. The Bible does not teach this concept, men do. Does baptism provide salvation? No, it does not. Should we perform it? Yes, we should. Should I speak in tongues? No, it is not necessary but it can happen. Must we gather together in cathedrals, large auditoriums, or sanctuaries? No, it is not necessary to do so if you are a Christian. Man teaches us that it is necessary. Should we gather together to praise and worship God? Yes, we should do this. On and on it can go. My personal choices affect how I live each day in serving Christ Jesus, rules don’t affect my daily life, they only restrict it. It is why Christ had clashes with the Sanhedrin over the Sabbath Day.

Answer by JW625
Definition of Religion: A form of worship. It includes a system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices; these may be personal, or they may be advocated by an organization. Usually religion involves belief in God or in a number of gods; or it treats humans, objects, desires, or forces as objects of worship. Much religion is based on human study of nature; there is also revealed religion. There is true religion and false.

Most religious organizations have produced bad fruitage. It is not the fact that groups are organized that is bad. But many have promoted forms of worship that are based on false teachings and are largely ritualistic instead of providing genuine spiritual guidance; they have been misused to control the lives of people for selfish objectives; they have been overly concerned with money collections and ornate houses of worship instead of spiritual values; their members are often hypocritical.

Obviously no one who loves righteousness would want to belong to such an organization. But true religion is a refreshing contrast to all of that. Nevertheless, to fulfill the Bible’s requirements, it must be organized.

Heb. 10:24, 25: “Let us consider one another to incite to love and fine works, not forsaking the gathering of ourselves together, as some have the custom, but encouraging one another, and all the more so as you behold the day drawing near.” (To carry out this Scriptural command, there must be Christian meetings that we can attend on a consistent basis. Such an arrangement encourages us to express love toward others, not only concern about self.)

1 Cor. 1:10: “Now I exhort you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you should all speak in agreement, and that there should not be divisions among you, but that you may be fitly united in the same mind and in the same line of thought.” (Such unity would never be achieved if the individuals did not meet together, benefit from the same spiritual feeding program, and respect the agency through which such instruction was provided. See also John 17:20, 21.)

Your Religion Really Matters
2 When Jesus Christ walked the earth, there was a religious group known as the Pharisees. They had built up a system of worship and believed it had God’s approval. Yet, at the same time, the Pharisees were trying to kill Jesus! So Jesus told them: “You do the works of your father.” In answer they said: “We have one Father, God.”—John 8:41.

3 Was God really their father? Did God accept their form of religion? Not at all! Even though the Pharisees had the Scriptures and thought they were following them, they had been misled by the Devil. And Jesus told them so, saying: “You are from your father the Devil, and you wish to do the desires of your father. That one was a manslayer when he began, and he did not stand fast in the truth, . . . he is a liar and the father of the lie.”—John 8:44.

4 Clearly, the religion of the Pharisees was false. It served the interests of the Devil, not God. So rather than viewing their religion as good, Jesus condemned it. He said to those religious Pharisees: “You shut up the kingdom of the heavens before men; for you yourselves do not go in, neither do you permit those on their way in to go in.” (Matthew 23:13) Because of their false worship, Jesus called those Pharisees hypocrites and poisonous snakes. Because of their bad course, he said that they were on the way to destruction.—Matthew 23:25-33.

5 So Jesus Christ did not teach that all religions are simply different roads leading to the same place of salvation. In his famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: “Go in through the narrow gate; because broad and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are the ones going in through it; whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are the ones finding it.” (Matthew 7:13, 14) Because they fail to worship God in the right way, most persons are on the road to destruction. Only a few are on the road leading to life.

6 A look at the way God dealt with the nation of Israel makes it clear how important it is to worship God in the way that he approves. God warned the Israelites to keep away from the false religion of the nations round about them. (Deuteronomy 7:25) Those people sacrificed their children to their gods, and they engaged in unclean sex practices, including homosexuality. (Leviticus 18:20-30) God commanded the Israelites to avoid these practices. When they disobeyed and worshiped other gods, he punished them. (Joshua 24:20; Isaiah 63:10) So their religion really did matter.