people of faith

Question

Are people of faith and religious people interchangable?Thanks.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

.
To me, yes.

Iris_es · Answer

Generally both meaning can be similar but I don't think they are interchangable. People of Faith could be describe as the a persons faith towards subjects like Art, Music, an idea or even family relatives.
Personally I think religous subject or description should be treated sensitively.

Philip · Answer

Mister Micawber.
To me, yes.

By definition, I would agree, Mr. M. In practice, however, I'm not so sure.

New2grammar · Answer

Thank you, MM, Iris and Philip.

BarbaraPA · Answer

For me, they are NOT the same. I have had an increasing problem with "organized religion" and therefore no longer consider myself "religious." However, I have a deep and abiding faith in *** and a devout belief in our spirtual nature. I am a person of faith; I am not relgious.

So the difference to me is that "religion" describes a structured, organized belief system with rules and tenets, while "faith" is personal.

I recognize that people who attend regilious services regularly may not see a difference and that people who are agnostic or atheist may not see a difference, but for those people who, like me, are between, there is a difference.

Clive · Answer

Hi,
I would say that the term 'people of faith' is used 99.999999% of the time to mean 'religious people'.

However, the word 'faith' has other meanings, as a dictionary will indicate.
eg People can have faith in fortune-tellers, or faith in science, or faith in their friends, or faith in the answers they receive from English Forums.

Best wishes, Clive

New2grammar · Answer

Thanks, GG and Clive. I guess it's arguable but at least now I know the possibilities.

people of faith

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