[12thMan]

There's a distinction between religion and faith or having faith, more specifically. Though the two are kissing cousins -- religion and faith-- the former has to do with the systematic teachings of the church or a particular denomination, which are supremely important. Whereas the latter is a personal, devotion to God that manifests itself through deeds, actions, and words. So when people make the argument that they don't believe in God because of religion it's almost like saying, well, I Google mapped my morning commute to my new job, but I know of a better route because there's heavy construction happening on 12th St. Well that's all fine and dandy, but just because you chose another direction, doesn't negate the fact that route A still exists for the benefit of thousands of daily commuters. And just because people are turned off by religion or the church or put off by some scandal, doesn't mean that organization is irrelevant or isn't a holy institution.

On the other hand...

One can be very religious, have all the trappings of a Christian, go to church regularly and still not have faith or display affection and devotion to God. In fact, Jesus often clashed with the Pharisees over the strict doctrinal interpretation of scriptures, which were often too onerous drove a wedge between true believers and the religious crowd. They viewed the scripture as a collection of rules, ordinances, and precepts that would produce righteous behavior or make one holy. Christ didn't come to make us religious or give us faith for that matter, but rather grace. Something we can neither earn or deserve, but God and only God bestows and gives freely to all. I heard a wise man put it this way; religion is man trying to get to God, grace is God coming down to man.