why hate religion?

[Guest shiloh357]

What do most people think when I say "I hate religion?"..

I am going to do a poll on my web site as it is not a strictly Christian poll place ..

I may find I am concerned that we use the phrase with no basis for my concern if folks do not think of Christianity as Religion...

Does anyone else see how the phrase can be a problem to those who hear us talk ???

I think it has a measure of shock value and is good as a means of turning a conversation around to Jesus.

I would never say I hate religion without qualifying what I mean. It can and has served as a means getting people past the idea that Christianity is a religion. It opens the door to share with them that Jesus is not about relgion about restoring mankind back to God.

[Guest shiloh357]

You know what religion is like?

Religion is like a man who is married and he keeps the house in good repair, fixes the pipes, paints, patches the roof, keeps the car running smoothly changes the oil and does his own tune ups.

He keeps the yard perfectly manicured, fixes the fence, keeps the bills and taxes paid, brings home a good income, BUT he spends only 5 minutes a day talking to his wife. He enjoys the clean laundry and the meals she prepares, but he eats and runs out to do more work on the car or the house and ignores his wife the rest of the day.

That is how most of us treat God. We are busy teaching, and serving on committees, going on retreats and serving in Vacation Bible School, going on mission trips, but we give God a 5 minute devotion in the morning and then we forget about him the rest of the day. We enjoy the blessings He provides, but with every blessing we receive we are up and dashing about with hardly a "thank you."

We get caught up in serving the Lord, it becomes a replacement for loving him.

[LadyRaven]

What do most people think when I say "I hate religion?"..

I am going to do a poll on my web site as it is not a strictly Christian poll place ..

I may find I am concerned that we use the phrase with no basis for my concern if folks do not think of Christianity as Religion...

Does anyone else see how the phrase can be a problem to those who hear us talk ???

I think it has a measure of shock value and is good as a means of turning a conversation around to Jesus.

I would never say I hate religion without qualifying what I mean. It can and has served as a means getting people past the idea that Christianity is a religion. It opens the door to share with them that Jesus is not about relgion about restoring mankind back to God.

We should not be saying things merely for shock value and using terminology which is misleading simply to calm unbelievers down. There is a true religion, He came and restored our ability to discern and live it. Saying that Jesus has nothing to do with religion is misleading.

Scripture does refer to the religion and traditions of men, which is what most Christians who diss religion actually mean. But when we speak with unbelievers we must still use the biblical terms and phrases and leave society's preferences alone. We are to take them to the truth, they can accept it or not, but we must not dress the truth in society's clothing.

[healingoil]

The key is as shilo pointed out in the Greek. The two words used, one included only outward observance, the other included reverence.

Without faith, nothing we do matters anyway, which is what is going on with the reverence. Is our joy in the worshipping of God because He is God and we know that to be so, or is our joy in worship because we are seen by others as devout and we like the process and the songs and beauty and the candles and so forth? Those things are nice, but without faith they are simply going through the motions, however with faith they can be infused with true devotion and reverence and do glorify God.

Exactly!

[Guest shiloh357]

We should not be saying things merely for shock value and using terminology which is misleading simply to calm unbelievers down. There is a true religion, He came and restored our ability to discern and live it. Saying that Jesus has nothing to do with religion is misleading.

That is why I said that I never proclaim my hatred for religion without qualifying what I mean.

There is biblical Christianity AND there is the Chrisitan religion. A lot of people have religion. The Christian religion is based on performance based acceptance. It is based on striving to perform well enough, to jump through enough hoops, keep enough laws and be "good enough" to earn God's favor. The Christian religion is concerned with how long your hair his, how much makeup you wear, how much jewelry you wear and other meaningless, self-imposed rules. The Christian relgion makes demand after demand but it neither impowers you fulfill its demands, nor does it offer grace when you fail to meet its standard of perfection. Religion is burden that few can hold up under simply because there is no mercy in it. That is why so many religious people are some the most unhappy people in the world and unfortuately, THESE are the people most people think of when they think of Christianity. No one can breathe in the freedom of living the Spirit when they have relgion hanging as an albatross around their neck. Jesus offers us something different:

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

(Matthew 11:28-30)

Biblical Christianity recognizes that it is Jesus dwellin in us in the person of the Holy Spirit who is fulfilling the rightesouness of the law in our hearts, and that the law is not something do as much as it is something being fulfilled within us. Biblical Christianity is based on a loving relationship with God by virtue of our union with Him in Christ. It is based not on performance but on trust. Biblical Christianity speaks of a transformed heart, peace and reconcilation with God, a restored relationship, grace, mercy, true holiness, eternal life and hope for the future. It answers every need of human heart and reveals to man why he is here on this earth.

Scripture does refer to the religion and traditions of men, which is what most Christians who diss religion actually mean. But when we speak with unbelievers we must still use the biblical terms and phrases and leave society's preferences alone. We are to take them to the truth, they can accept it or not, but we must not dress the truth in society's clothing.

It is not a matter of dressing truth in society's clothing. It is a matter of showing the world that we are not promoting a religion.

The world is saturated with "religion. The Bhuddists have religion, the Hindus and Shintos have religion, so do the Mormons and Jehovah's witnesses. If we don't draw the distinction between Christianity and religion, then we run the risk of appearing to be offering nothing but just another religion.

In the eyes of many religion is made up of 31 flavors of which Christianity is just one of many viable ways to God. Jesus is just another member of the modern pantheon of religious teachers has no more authority and is no different the eyes of the unsaved world as Mohammed, Bhudda, Confucious or Ghandi.

All of those men had religion. We have to show why Christianity is unique and why we are not proclaiming a religion and that Jesus' claims make him far and away more unique and that He was not a "good religious teacher." I think you underestimate the average sinner's ability to know the difference between a relationship and a religion.

[tah]

You know what religion is like?

Religion is like a man who is married and he keeps the house in good repair, fixes the pipes, paints, patches the roof, keeps the car running smoothly changes the oil and does his own tune ups.

He keeps the yard perfectly manicured, fixes the fence, keeps the bills and taxes paid, brings home a good income, BUT he spends only 5 minutes a day talking to his wife. He enjoys the clean laundry and the meals she prepares, but he eats and runs out to do more work on the car or the house and ignores his wife the rest of the day.

That is how most of us treat God. We are busy teaching, and serving on committees, going on retreats and serving in Vacation Bible School, going on mission trips, but we give God a 5 minute devotion in the morning and then we forget about him the rest of the day. We enjoy the blessings He provides, but with every blessing we receive we are up and dashing about with hardly a "thank you."

We get caught up in serving the Lord, it becomes a replacement for loving him.

I totally understand what you are saying here..I found myself it that place for a long time..

The personal relationship was replaced with order and rule..

It was a sad stupid time for me..

But God was faithful to show me that I was not seeking Him ..

"Oh foolish Galatians.."

Galatians 3

1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?

2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?

4 Have you suffered so many things in vain if indeed it was in vain?

5 Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

6 just as Abraham

[Guest]

[Ovedya]

Did someone say "hate religion."

Yeah....I hate religion too.

BUT I LOVE JESUS!

[traveller]

Did someone say "hate religion."

Yeah....I hate religion too.

BUT I LOVE JESUS!

AMEN!

[tah]

I guess I am just the odd man out..

my conscience will not let me get away with that statement...

I cannot help but cringe when I hear it...

Blessings people....