Imagine what it would be like if a sports team did not have any coaches. Players may have some idea of how to play the game, but there would be no one to hold them accountable for learning and following the rules. Throughout each season, coaches develop their players, strengthening their gifts and helping them overcome their weaknesses. If the coaches were not there, the players may not have the opportunity to develop, nor would they be challenged to grow. Good coaches are known for developing trusting relationships with their players, motivating them to not only perform their best on the field or court but also inspiring them to be better people in life off the field or court. As such, it is easy to see that coaches are an integral part of sports. You cannot separate sports from the coach.

In a similar way, you cannot separate religion from faith. There is a trend in our society where people refer to themselves as being faithful or spiritual but not religious. People sometimes declare they have a belief in God but feel no need to be associated with any religion. This may simply be because of their misunderstanding of the relationship between faith and religion, or it may stem from a belief that they do not need any type of structured religious practices. When this stance is taken, people define who they think God is, what rules or standards of life they feel are important to follow, and are not challenged to grow and develop their relationship with God.

In this Life Night series, called “Bad Religion,” teens will have an opportunity to understand that Christianity combines personal faith and religious traditions, which ultimately inspires them to become authentic disciples of Jesus. Our faith enables a person to believe in, follow, and interact with God. Our religious traditions, on the other hand, help us develop intentional personal faith in order that we may come to worship God in a deeper and more profound way.

We are all created by God, so we desire a relationship with God. We were designed with a specific purpose by God. We were created to know, love, and worship God, so the desire to be in a relationship with God is actually written on our hearts (CCC 27). Our religious traditions exist to help us develop and foster our faith. Without a set of religious practices, we would be stumbling around in the dark. Just as players on a team look for direction and guidance from their coach, people of faith look for direction and guidance from the Church. The Church shows us how to know God in a world that can be dark and shows us the way toward holiness, growth, and peace.