What is the difference between religious and believer..?

Is being religious make someone a believer or a believer makes someone religious...? It's been 9 or 10 years since my last visit to church.. Since my mother left to work overseas 10 years ago, I chose not to go to church anymore... I am now 28 years old and I still choose not to go to church until my mother goes home but I never lost my faith in God.. I always have His words in my heart and soul and I live by His words everyday though it's been a very long time since the last time I went to church... I don't believe that going to church will make someone holy and righteous... In most cases, well as far as my community is concerned, those church-goers disgust me... They go to church, they pray but then once they go out of the church, they gossip, they laugh at someone's dress/clothes, they diss someone's hairstyle, they curse, they hit their kids for being noisy while hearing the mass, etc.. My question is, are church-goers just being religious but not necessarily believers of what they hear from the preacher...? What's the difference between being religious and being a believer? Thank you for your opinions....