Religion is man's outward appearance to man that he has a relationship with God. Faith is man's inward appearance to God that he has a relationship with God. (c) 2009, Ernest Polk, DD

Heb_11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

God rewards faith not religion. There are no false hopes in God's faith relationship with man. What has God said that he has not performed?

I appreciate Ernest Polk’s reply, above, but have something to add. Faith certainly does provide an inward “witness” to one’s relationship with God, especially through Jesus Christ. However, genuine faith also provides an outward witness, which was the argument of Apostle James in chapter 2 of his letter. “14 What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself” (Jas. 2:14-17 NASB). THAT kind of faith (with no corresponding deeds) is meaningless, and fruitless.

A life of faithful, fruitful works would also be recognized as “religion,” but Ernest’s point (I believe), is that a “form of godliness” that lacks the real power of a faithful relationship with God is a hollow kind of religion, and a fruitless form of “faith.” And this, in a wide variety of forms today, is a source of false hope. False, because any hope it may offer is not based on truth (because truth is rooted in a living relationship with God).

Scripture quotations in themselves are empty, like any other maxims; faith in Christ, the Living Word, is what releases their truth and hope and power. Affirmations and declarations that do not spring (in the one who makes them) from genuine faith in Jesus have no supernatural power, no matter where they are found or who originally spoke or wrote them. Bible promises are not magical incantations; apart from faith in the present-day speaker, they are empty—verbal forms of truth, lacking the power thereof. (Think of the wooden form for a patio before the concrete is poured.)

So, if a religion is a mere form of (artificial) faith-relationship with God, its platitudes of hope are empty and powerless beyond a possible, momentary psychological lift. Bible promises call us to believe in (trust, rely on, surrender to) God who spoke them, not to simply quote them. It is HE that backs His words with life-giving, hope-bearing power.

In the Bahá’í view—drawing exclusively on the writings of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, and the Universal House of Justice—religion can give false hopes to the vulnerable when:

1. The light of true faith is obscured by superstition, ritualism, and dogma

• ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá warned that superstition and dogma “obscure the fundamental reality,” leading to darkness, dissension, and depriving people of the true, unifying power of religion (bahaiworld.bahai.org).
• When rituals overtake spiritual rebirth and belief replaces virtue and service, religion becomes a counterfeit—offering hollow promises instead of genuine transformation (bahaiworld.bahai.org).

→ Vulnerable individuals seeking reassurance may latch onto these empty forms—only to find no real inner change or strength of character.

2. Sectarianism and exclusivist ideology divide and disillusion

• Sectarianism and exclusivist ideology result in wars, faithlessness, and moral decay (bahaiworld.bahai.org).
• Shoghi Effendi notes that the eclipse of true religion leads to societal breakdown: moral corruption, economic suffering, loss of hope in the vulnerable (bahaiteachings.org).

→ Vulnerable people may find themselves promised unity and hope—but instead encounter exclusion, strife, and institutional failure.

3. Fanaticism masquerades as spiritual strength yet consumes faith

• Bahá’u’lláh and Shoghi Effendi warn that blind zeal and religious hatred are “world‑devouring fires” that devour both spirit and society (bahaiworld.bahai.org).

→ Vulnerable individuals, attracted by certainty and protection, may be drawn into fanaticism—only to be corrupted or exploited.

4. Idolizing religious forms instead of nurturing inner transformation

• Bahá’u’lláh taught that religion’s true purpose is to “ennoble the inner being” by cultivating divine virtues (bahaiworld.bahai.org).
• Shoghi Effendi emphasized that without ethics, faith is powerless—not a live hope, but a fragile ideal (bahaiteachings.org).

→ Vulnerable seekers, urged into external religiosity, may feel uplifted temporarily—but remain spiritually empty and fragile.

Summary Table

False PromiseBahá’í ConcernImpact on VulnerableRitualism & dogmaSpiritual light replaced by hollow forms Disillusionment, lack of inner growthSectarianism & divisionReligion fractured, not unified Isolation, broken trust, instabilityFanaticismFaith consumed by hatred and zeal Vulnerable to manipulation, extremist influenceFaith unaccompanied by ethicsEthics are essential to make faith work False comfort, lacking resilience in crisisEmotional substitution, not sincerityHope misplaced in feelings not spiritual depthEmotional fragility, disappointment when hope fades

A Baha’i Path to True Hope

Rather than rejecting religion outright, Bahá’ís believe the solution is revitalizing religion so it offers authentic support:

• Restoring spiritual authority and unity beyond sects—uniting the whole of humanity under divine guidance .
• Encouraging consultation, openness to truth, and freedom from attachment to personal ideologies (bahaiteachings.org).
• Promoting ethical education and spiritual transformation, ensuring faith expresses itself in service to others.

In essence: From a Bahá’í perspective, false hope arises when religion becomes a hollow shell—centered on ritual, exclusivity, or emotionalism. Vulnerable people, longing for meaning or stability, can be misled. The Bahá’í answer is to restore the true spirit of religion: unity, moral purpose, spiritual growth, and genuine divine guidance.

Psa_118:8  It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.

The vulnerable are made vulnerable by man putting trust and hope in man not God. This is the religion that Jesus rebuked of the Pharisees and Sadducees. The vulnerable are made resilient by having faith, trust, and hope in God.

Num_23:19  God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

God made man in his image. Therefore in our faith we reflect the image of God to show Man who is God. God is good, God is faithful, and God is love. Seek good and live, hate evil, and love good. In this faith we have no false hopes because we believe God rewards them that diligently seek him.

There are no false hopes having faith in God. God is faithful. Like Abraham the faith of the vulnerable is counted as righteousness and justified by faith. God has fulfilled his word in the best example of the African American experience in the United States. Man's religion and laws made them vulnerable. The vulnerable's faith in God challenged evil, sought good, hated evil, loved good, and went forward in faith that delivered hope.

Saying more would lead to a message, thesis, or book on the confusion of religion and faith.