http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IAhDGYlpqY
So this video that was flew around facebook at an unreal rate gave me a couple of concerns, (though I would trust his intentions and faith)’ it wasn’t as much what was being said it was what he was saying.
“As for religion I hate it, in-fact I literally resent it!”
So lets say someone looks up religion in the dictionary to find out what he’s saying
“Religion; a belief in and worship of a god or gods.”
Is this what he hates? He hates the fact that people will believe in and worship God?
He wants to dump ‘religion’ so he can believe in and worship Jesus as God. Ironic?
Now I, and I assume most people reading this, will assume that he is talking about ‘false religion’ which is an entirely different thing all together. ‘False religion’ is leading people up the garden path, a method for power-hungry women and men to control others and manipulate people to deepen their sense of dominating power that they selfishly crave.
So I would think if viewed in the wrong context this video could be very ‘miss-read’ and perhaps dangerous so thought i’d share a couple of thoughts.
If being ‘religious’ is a response to God’s grace then i love it, and it should be encouraged however if it is to earn God’s grace then i also hate it! The truth is that looking through different eye’s, religion means different things, to some it simply means being part of the church, and to others it means mindless bits of repetition.
I don’t think Jesus came to get rid of either of those!
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets (old covenant/old testament/torah); I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them (fill it up with meaning, to fulfill what the torah/OT were looking forward to)” Matt 5:17
So if God saves a ‘religious’ person their mindless bit’s of repetition suddenly become full of life! And i don’t think Jesus wants to say ‘ok your saved now, no need to say your prayer everynight, just when you feel like it!’ that’s not the life Jesus calls his followers to! It’s a life of worship and obedience of following in your own life but also together with other believers! So how does one try to live in proper response to God’s grace without checking his/her action/behavior/belief/mission off others, the only outcome to this, is a regulated church, not a freewilly relationship. Instead being a Jesus follower should be a dedicated relationship assisted by the church. It’s easy to rebel against the system and seems to be popular, but we must make sure we’re not looking for freedom that’s outside the bride/body of Christ.
Standing on Grace
“We all detest hypocrisy, an empty show is just the worst
But blaming religion for contradiction
Is like staring at death, and blaming the hearse.”
Fr. Pontifex http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru_tC4fv6FE&feature=related
“The seeming honesty and sincerity of this guy and the many Christians who sympathise with what he is saying is admirable. However, it is unfair at all times to completely misrepresent words, and all that they imply, and in doing just that to actually misrepresent the person you say you love.”
Matthew McCracken http://whatsmccracken.tumblr.com/post/15844623663/why-i-am-religious-and-love-jesus-some-thoughts-in?ref=nf
andy lamberton 