Religion: Bad! Bad! Bad!

Okay, so I’m a little concerned; maybe even fed up with all the bashing of a really rich word.

The word is RELIGION.

What got me going this morning was The Church Report’s “must see” video that has gone “viral” entitled Why I Hate Religion But Love Jesus. Now, I get what people mean when they talk negatively about religion when it means, simply, going through the motions and thinking that makes us okay with God. My beef is over the fact that a very good word, carrying a meaning that not only does, but must exist in the life of every fully devoted follower of Jesus.

Where I come from religion can and should be the expression of my cultural presuppositions, my belief system and my world view (thanks, wikipedia) all having been shaped by the presence of Christ in my life and the truth of God’s Word engrained in my soul. That’s good religion.

To be certain, some definitions of religion point, if you’ll excuse the technicality, form that does not follow function. But even Scripture uses the word in a variety of ways. To the Athenians (Acts 17:22), Paul recognizes the multiplicity of gods, telling them, “I see that in every way you are very religious.” Paul writes the Colossians in 2:16 not to let anyone judge them regarding their diets or how they do or do not observe the Jewish festivals. The Hebrews writer notes (Heb. 10:11) that the “religious duties” of the priest (note that this is written after the cross) cannot take away sins.

But then, James brings religion into another light when he writes, “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:26-27 (NIV)   So, it appears that there is good religion and there is bad religion. Check out 1 Tim. 5:3-4 about the care of widows.

From my point of view, religion is how a person lives out their system of beliefs. Nothing more. Nothing less. Bashing the word without specifying what one means does not serve the meaning of the word nor the teaching of Scripture.

“I’m for Jesus and against religion” may be a provocative sound bite, but  a rather shallow representation of truth.