Blog : Jesus w/o Religion

Jesus w/o Religion

10/18/2009 8:42 am

Last Read:
10/19/2009 7:29 pm

Religion is something we can do that gives us a sense we are doing something that pleases God so to assure our entrance into heaven.

Jesus came to free humanity from religion of its false gods and false idols. He wasn't just a founder of a "new" religion called, Christianity.

As the disciples were passing through a corn field on the Sabbath they stopped picked and ate. The Pharisees, took it upon themselves to interpret what could be done and not done on the Sabbath, questioned Jesus why his disciples were breaking the Sabbath. Jesus reminded them how David entered the House of God and ate what was unlawful. If God didn't get angry with David, why would he angry with his disciples? (Mark 2:23-26)

When Jesus went to do good on the Sabbath, healing a man, the Pharisees once again complained. They would of rather seen the man go unhealed than to break the Sabbath. (Mark 3:1-6)

Jesus didn't get angry with the woman at the well. He didn't get angry with the women caught in adultery, or the soldiers who nailed him to the cross, or even Levi, the tax collector, but he did get angry with the Pharisees who were deeply embedded into RELIGION.

(notes from Ken Armstrong, pastor from Medford,OR.)

... for love covers a multitude of sins. 1 Pet. 4:8 NLT

frootz

82 posts

10/18/2009 1:08 pm

I agree with you to the extent where you use the word Religion. It is a word which has not negative connotation on its own, but the meanings attached to it, the process by which it occurred, is what I find questionable.
A religion is a set of beliefs on which people act. To an unbeliever who does not know the associated meanings which (sadly, some as Christians have attached negative meanings to) this would sound contradictory and confusing.
It is this against which I speak.
You MEAN to say it is the fixation with man-made laws which was the sin against which Jesus protested. Did you ever hear Jesus speak out against RELIGION per se?
I am deeply embedded in religion, I am a committed Christian. I'm not perfect but I don't appreciate the way in which you've used the word Religion, and many other Christians do this to wax lyrical about the same issue.
Perhaps you could word it in a way so as not to throw a spanner in the works of our wording system / linguistic system.
Its a lot like the way the British use the word "wicked". There it is largely used among young people (and some old) to mean "cool". Although Britain purports to be a Christian Country (its leaders are Christian (mostly) the larger population is NOT. Of course there are many churches and many diverse denominations and a great many sincere loving Christians whom i've met and worked with there, but even one of the curates once used this term 'wicked' to mean cool. She also nearly had the youth group celebrate halloween when she was confronted by the vicar of the same parish. She quickly turned it into a halloween story...to be a point of note, that we DO NOT celebrate it...
Be that as it may, when words are "softened" or deliberately re-allocated a meaning for the sake of "a laugh" or "rebellion" we as Christians ought to take note, not be so gullible as to believe everything we hear (another leader's opinion) and generally, we ought to take stock and see how words function in relation to how we spread it to others. We have to speak simple truths as we best understand it, and I believe nowhere in the Bible does Jesus ever attack the concept of RELIGION. Why then do you do it?

Tom45

703 posts

10/18/2009 4:07 pm

Frootz, when you use the term religion you have understand it in the context in which it is talked about. You could say there is good religion and bad religion. James 1:27 says Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. A good example of religion.

As you defined religion, "A religion is a set of beliefs on which people act", which by the way a good example. Now take a look at the Pharisees, were they not using a set of beliefs on which they acted? Yet these beliefs, Jesus said, they were wrong. Therefore, wasn't their religion wrong?

Now to answer your question, "Did you ever hear Jesus speak out against RELIGION per se"? I would say, by the above example, yes he spoke out against bad religion.

Once again religion of its self isn't bad. Its how its used that makes it bad, and I believe the Pharisees used it in a bad way.

Let me add another question. Is there today, in modern Christianity, examples of bad religion similar to what the Pharisees did?

Thanks for your well thought out reply.

... for love covers a multitude of sins. 1 Pet. 4:8 NLT

GraceUnmerited

10/18/2009 4:37 pm

Amen!
It's not religion
It's relationship!
God bless.

"Come out and be ye separate saith the Lord thy God!"

Tom45 replies on 10/18/2009 5:03 pm:
Yes, that was the point of my blog.

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