Guest 15 May 04 - 08:21 AM, you seem to think we should all accept your definition of religion and faith, and the way you make distinctions between the two. Thanks, but I'd rather use dictionary definition, as it contributes to clarity in the conversation, rather than to obfuscation. I'll stand by the definition of Christianity as a whole as a religion, and Catholicism and the many sects of Protestantism, as religious denominations.

From Merriam-Webster.com:

Main Entry: re·li·gion
Pronunciation: ri-'li-j&n
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English religioun, from Latin religion-, religio supernatural constraint, sanction, religious practice, perhaps from religare to restrain, tie back -- more at RELY
1 a : the state of a religious b (1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
2 : a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices
3 archaic : scrupulous conformity : CONSCIENTIOUSNESS
4 : a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith
- re·li·gion·less adjective