Aviva Directory » Local & Global » North America » United States » States » Michigan » Cities & Towns » Traverse City » Faith & Spirituality

The focus of this portion of our web guide is on belief, faith, religion, and spirituality in the City of Traverse City, Michigan.

By definition, belief can be as simple as the acceptance that something is true or real. In the context of religion, it might simply suggest a belief in God, but not necessarily the worship of a deity. For example, the Bible tells us that Satan believed in God and recognized that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, yet Satan was not a worshipper.

Faith is more difficult to define because it means something different to every individual. In the context of religion, faith might be described as the thing that allows an individual to believe in something that cannot be proven through empirical evidence. Faith adds trust, obedience, and worship to belief.

By most definitions, religion is an institutional system of beliefs, attitudes, and practices, usually conducted in the service to, or the worship of a god or supernatural being. Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism are examples of religions.

Spirituality is the way in which an individual expresses meaning or purpose in life. In the context of religion, it might imply a greater involvement in religion or religious service. In the absence of religion, spirituality might be a worldview.

Belief, faith, religion, and spirituality are often used interchangeably, and appropriately so in some contexts. However, they are individual words with unique definitions and are not truly synonymous.

In Traverse City, Christianity is, by far, the most common religion. Protestants outnumber the Catholics, but Catholicism is the largest single denomination in the city. The Catholics are followed distantly by the Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Mormons, Pentecostals, Episcopalians, Baptists, and other Protestant or Anabaptist denominations and non-denominational churches.

Other than Judaism, no other religions are claimed by even as much as 0.1% of the population in Traverse City.

Although Judaism accounts for only 0.2% of the population, the city's Jewish congregation has a long history. The oldest continuously operating Jewish synagogue in Michigan is in Traverse City. Perry Hannah, often cited as the city's founder, contributed the land upon which a Jewish synagogue could be built, although he also donated land for a Congregational Church.

Construction of the Jewish Temple Beth El was completed by the spring of 1886, and its founding trustees included several local civic leaders, including Julius Steinburg, who built the city's second opera house above his mercantile store, which remained in his family for more than fifty years.

Regardless of the particular religion, denomination, or sect, places of worship or ministries in Traverse City, Michigan are appropriate resources for this category.

 

 

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