Personal faith and religion differ in essence and in the way a person perceives new information.

Personal Faith and Ritual: The Dynamics of Belief

Personal faith and religion differ in essence and in the way a person perceives new information. Personal faith is a profound, inner experience in which a person encounters the Other, accepts Him as the path and truth, and feels responsible for one’s own spiritual state. Religion, on the other hand, is often seen as something external, ritualistic, and habitual—occupying a certain place in everyday life by satisfying emotional and mundane needs without demanding a necessarily deep, personal spiritual experience.

For example, one source notes:
"There is a rather widespread view according to which religiousness is something completely 'personal', 'intimate', pertaining only to the believer: it caters to his personal need for 'mood', for a way of life, and 'tranquility' (a quiet little lamp in an intimate corner so that sleeping and sinning aren’t so frightening... and it concerns no one else)..." (source: link txt). Here, the perspective is described in which religion becomes a mere household accessory without touching the depths of spiritual communication.

In contrast, another source emphasizes that true faith is based on personal experience and the sensation of Divine presence, which imposes on the believer the duty to uphold the truth that he has experienced:
"This understanding is opposed by another, by virtue of which religious experience causes the believer to feel a vivid and strong spiritual responsibility. To believe means to know the truth about God; it means to have genuine access to the Divine and to engage in living spiritual communion with Him..." (source: link txt).

The influence of this difference on receptivity to new information can be explained as follows. Those whose faith is a deeply personal experience and for whom truth is discovered directly in communion with the Divine often view new information through the lens of their established convictions. New information that contradicts their experienced truth may be perceived as a threat to that established truth, provoking resistance. In contrast, religion in its ritualistic or everyday manifestation might be more flexible, leaving room for reconsideration and expansion of views, since here faith is not necessarily associated with an unshakeable spiritual experience but rather is part of a cultural or social practice.

Thus, the difference between personal faith and religion is revealed both in the depth and character of the spiritual experience and in how firmly held beliefs can filter new information. Those whose faith arises from living communion with the Divine may be less receptive to change if new information contradicts their experience, whereas a more "mundane" understanding of religion leaves space for rethinking and adaptation.