What to think of claim that "Christianity is not a religion"?

[Tristen]

The word religion can have varied connotations; depending on the source of the definition or argument being made.

Many Christians balk at the term 'religion' because Jesus heavily criticized the religious leaders of His culture. In this context, religion means legalistic adherence to a system of rules - which is is contrary to the grace and fellowship offered through Christ to Christians. So many Christians like to make a distinction between what is 'Christian', and what is 'religious'.

I personally have no problem with labeling Christianity as a religion - defined as an organized belief system governed by a set of doctrines in common.

I think most Christians would understand the distinctions being made, but refusing to call Christianity a religion tends to confuse non-believers. They interpret the claim as a specious, semantic attempt to artificially differentiate our beliefs from all other beliefs.

[MorningGlory]

23 hours ago, other one said:

you will still be conscious and miserable in hell whatever you want to call it....   and making it more complicated than needs to be for most people to understand doesn't help them grasp the choices we have to make.

Heaven good, hell bad and that's about all that 99% of the people need to know.

Hell is no less a bad experience as Heaven will be good on the other end of the spectrum...

I think I'll have to agree, OO; the simpler the message, the more that will heed it.  Christianity is not a complicated thing and is free to anyone and everyone. 

[MorningGlory]

6 hours ago, Neighbor said:

Seems to me that the religion of Christianity is not at all simple, it involves deeply uprooting transformation and indwelling of God and an ever continuing walk in the faith of Jesus where  a Christian does indeed take up their cross and follow Jesus.

But hey that is just me.

But it IS simple!  Come to Jesus, believe in Him, keep His commandments, spend eternity with Him.  Simple.

[Tristen]

29 minutes ago, Cobalt1959 said:

Actually, religion is just man's interpretation of how he can bribe, serve, or cajole God into reconciling with him.  I do this earthly thing and God feels sorry for me, or is sated and takes me back.  It's always mans idea of what he has to do, or can do to make God take him back.  As such, simple Christianity is not a religion.  Christianity is the only way one can reconcile themselves to God, and as such, it is not a religion.  It is simply the way it is.  Other religions such as Buddhism, Islam, Krishna, etc take the Christian premise and say "Nah, that isn't the right way to do it.  We'll switch it up and invent a concept that makes it more attractive to us."  Other religions always rely on self to get the job done instead of Jesus.

Yes, I addressed this connotation of 'religion' in my original comment.

The issue is entirely semantic - i.e. which definition of religion you choose to adopt.

I find that your preferred definition of religion a hindrance in my discussions with non-believers. But I have no problem using it with Christians, who are aware of the scriptural context and who presumably have some understanding of the Christian distinction between law and grace. When engaging with non-Christians, my job is not to win a debate, but to encourage them closer to fellowship with Christ. I find semantic arguments over the term 'religion' to be distractions from that goal.

[Tristen]

3 hours ago, Cobalt1959 said:

Your response is rather odd since I never stated I was posting to "win some debate," so I don't understand where that somewhat ludicrous statement comes from.  I've explained the differences between "religion" and Christianity to non-believers many times exactly as I did above and they didn't seem to have any difficulty understanding the concept.  Do you think the non-Christians you are talking to are too stupid to understand the difference?  You can use whatever method you feel is expedient, but I wouldn't go around assuming yours is somehow better than someone else's.

I didn't mean to imply that you were trying to win some debate. I was merely explaining why I am happy to use a definition of religion that includes Christianity when talking to non-Christians - i.e. since continued engagement is more important to me than nominal arguments over the preferred definition of the word religion. My experience is obviously different to yours. When I hear Christians tell non-Christians that Christianity is 'not religion but relationship', the waters invariably get muddied by arguments over whether Christianity qualifies as religion or not. I am happy to explain that Christianity offers fellowship with God. However, I'm not prepared to dig my heels in, just to win a debate over the definition of religion.

[JohnD]

Judaism IS a religion.  God's religion. Which God gave in part to show the world religion doesn't work.

Now there are and have been hundreds of thousands of religions since Cain was a little boy.

Religion is mostly blind faith with superstition and tradition mixed in... a means of controlling people, guilting people, scaring people, and giving them impossible standards to live by (all subject to mere mortal men's judgment / discretion).

So, what do you think?

Is TRUE Christianity (the light yolk of Christ and forgiveness of all sin) a religion?  

[HarvestLabourer]

Thank you.
In the Christian Bible we find the pure religion.

Quote

1. Is christianity a religion?

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this,
To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
James 1:27

[angels4u]

1 minute ago, HarvestLabourer said:

Thank you.
In the Christian Bible we find the pure religion.

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this,
To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
James 1:27

1

Quote

In the Christian Bible we find the pure religion.?

In the Christian Bible?

How many other Bible's are there?

Can you tell us what pure religion is?

 

 

[Heleadethme]

4 minutes ago, JohnD said:

Judaism IS a religion.  God's religion. Which God gave in part to show the world religion doesn't work.

Now there are and have been hundreds of thousands of religions since Cain was a little boy.

Religion is mostly blind faith with superstition and tradition mixed in... a means of controlling people, guilting people, scaring people, and giving them impossible standards to live by (all subject to mere mortal men's judgment / discretion).

So, what do you think?

Is TRUE Christianity (the light yolk of Christ and forgiveness of all sin) a religion?  

Well, I would just call it what the bible calls it...........a way......the Way......to life.  Jesus being that Way, that we now are to follow.  It is a way of life, the way of life to life, rather than a religion per se.

God didn't give His way a name, but men have done that.......same with ancient Israel, He didn't give them a religion per se, He simply gave them His word, His instructions/laws that they were to follow in simplicity, without giving it a name.  To my understanding, JudaISM came later and was heavily influenced by the Babylonian captivity, is that correct........I'm guessing you know more about those things than I do, if you're a studious type of person.

[OneLight]

Let's see.

Religion, as shown in James 1:27 (Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.) is what man does.

Salvation is what God did for us as spoken of in Ephesians 2:8 (For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God)

Relationship is the love between man and God as spoken of in Matthew 22:37-40; Mark 12:29-31 and Luke 10:27 (So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”)

Christianity encompasses all three.