In our last discussion, I confessed to you that "I Hate Religion", and I hope that you properly understood what I meant. If not, I'm really sorry.
I hate that.
In this post, I'd like to take the next step: If I hate religion, what am I (and what are you) supposed to do about it?
When it comes to things that we "hate", we typically aren't neutral about our behavior towards them, are we? For example, if I tell you that I hate snakes, it means the following:
- I don't like seeing them in the yard
- I don't like seeing them in a zoo
- I don't like seeing videos of them eating other animals
- I don't think it's funny when people make snake sounds to try and scare me
- If ever confronted by a snake, I would most likely: a. scream (probably like a girl, though I can't be certain), b. throw the nearest heavy object at it, and c. run away
In other words, when I say "I hate snakes", I mean it. I don't mean "I would prefer not to be around them", or "Those pesky snakes, I declare!" No, I mean that you will be able to TELL that I hate snakes if the subject (or an actual snake) comes up.
And I will most certainly not have a pet snake.
You might be thinking to yourself, "Of course you wouldn't have a pet snake if you hate snakes!" Good for you. You're thinking logically. Now, let's transfer that same logic over to the idea of "religion". If I say that I hate religion, that feeling should be accompanied with some obvious behaviors on my part towards religion, shouldn't it? For example, when I say that I hate religion, that should mean:
- I don't like it in myself, and when I see it, I recognize it & remove it
- I don't like it in others (because I love them & want the best for them), so I try to help them understand the truth about "religion" & help them remove it from their lives
- I proactively teach others about this issue because I think it's important
- I don't think it's funny when people make jokes about it (unless you're talking about that really funny joke where a Water Closet [bathroom] gets confused for a Wayside Chapel [church building] in a wacky correspondence between a curious woman and a foreign schoolmaster. Now THAT'S funny. Look it up. You'll laugh.)
So it might be a silly question to ask, "Am I going to keep religion around as a 'pet'? The answer is "no", but let's talk about what it might look like if we are keeping "religion" as a "pet", because I'm not so sure we understand this sometimes. When we keep religion as a "pet":
1. We feed it - This might mean that we keep "coming to church" long after we realize that we are completely disconnected from God; or it might mean that we "play politics" within the Lord's Church, treating it like a social club that exists for our benefit. Whatever the specifics might be, we "feed" our false/ineffective religion as if we care for it and want to keep it.
2. We make excuses for it - It might sound like this: "You'll have to excuse my religion; it's just too tired to do anything", or "My religion would do better, but it just hasn't been trained properly. I'll get around to it soon, though". The problem with this is really the same as the problems that come up when we make excuses for our actual pets: STOP MAKING EXCUSES FOR YOUR PET & ADDRESS THE PROBLEM!!!
3. We have a love/hate relationship with it - When we have a pet, we can go from warm & fuzzy hugs to a rolled-up newspaper pretty quickly, can't we? Although this is actually part of the normal process of disciplining a pet, I would describe this approach (for our purposes) as more random and arbitrary, and less consistent. We would often rather continue this love/hate relationship than to properly train our pet.
4. We give it a "name" - Every good pet has a name, and most religious people are no different. "I'm a _________", or "I'm a ______________", or, to mix things up a bit, "I'm a church of ___________". The truth is, God has given our "religion" some perfectly good names, so why do we keep picking new ones?
5. We clean up after it - When "religion" makes a mess (as it always does), we tend to clean up after it, realizing that it is really our fault.
So, to sum things up, let's all try to have the same attitude towards the wrongs kinds of religion that GOD has.
And let's try to act like it.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
I HATE RELIGION - PART ONE
I haven't blogged in a long time, but after last night's Sr. High Bible study, I felt the need to do so.
The title for the study we began last night was, "I Hate Religion", and if I'm being honest, I'm not sure there is a truer statement that I could make at this point in my life. I suppose there would be some statements that might come close, such as:
- "I'm losing my hair"
- "I love my wife"
- "I would like to be Batman"
However, "I hate religion" is #1 with a bullet right now. Let me explain why...
First of all, I don't want you to get the impression that I'm talking about YOU and/or your "religion" when I say this (although I might be, so stay tuned...). This is more about ME and the personal issues that I have had with "religion" for as long as I can remember.
Religion (for the purposes of this discussion) is simply "something a person believes in and follows devotedly" (Webster's). So, based on this definition, let me clarify what KINDS of religion I hate, because obviously I don't hate them all (that would just be rude and unfair):
1. Self-made religion - This is the kind of religion that we make up for ourselves; we do this when we "cut-and-paste" the things/teachings that we like from the Bible, from other religions, from our own personal desires, etc. This is basically like a religious "Art/Science Project", where we gather & assemble the pieces, put them together however we see fit, and then present it to others as "religion".
The only problem with "Art/Science Projects" is that they are usually mere representations of reality. For example, the volcano I made in Elementary School wasn't an actual volcano (to the relief of everyone else who entered the contest, as well as everyone within a 10-mile radius of the eruption); and our self-made religion isn't real either. In fact, it is counter-productive, harmful, dishonest, and unacceptable to God. See Col. 2:16-23 for a description of this.
2. Self-deceiving religion - This is the kind of religion that we have practiced for so long, we have begun to believe that it is actually true, despite the fact that we know it not to be. It isn't that we are stupid people (I guess some of us are, if we're being fair) who don't realize that our religion is phony; no, we would simply prefer not to be reminded of that fact; because this, after all, is the religion that we WANT. As an example of this, I actually AM Batman. See James 1:26-27.
3. Empty religion - This is the religion that doesn't mean anything to the person who claims to practice it. These people are "going through the motions" for some reason(s), but there is no meaning to it. Maybe they do it to please other people, or maybe they do it for the potluck fellowships. Whatever their reasons might be, this religion is worthless and - at the risk of sounding redundant - empty. If it helps, they are just dressing up like Batman and not actually fighting crime (picture Batman shopping at Target, if that helps you - "Look Robin...candles!!") Col. 2:8
4. Compartmentalized religion - This is the religion that fits nicely into one part/area of our lives, but never affects us as a whole person. It may not be self-made or empty, but it is equally useless. In actuality, we may be very excited about our religion when we've compartmentalized it. After all, if we only participate in the encouraging/self-serving parts of our religion/faith instead of actually living it out every day, I suppose it might seem like something to get excited about once or twice a week. See Amos 4:4-5; 5:21-24; 6:1,4-8.
5. Hypocritical religion - This is the worst one, right? This goes beyond everything we've looked at so far, doesn't it? This is a person who is actively pretending to be a Christian. These are the people who are responsible for emptying the church pews, right? What is the #1 reason people give for either leaving the Church or never becoming part of it? "Those darned hypocrites!" Whether this is a legitimate excuse for those people or not (by the way, it isn't), hypocritical religion is something that I hate; especially when I see it in myself. This is the equivalent of someone turning on the Bat-Signal, only to find out that the guy who shows up is overweight, never works out, and couldn't care less if you get mugged. See Mt. 23.
Allow me to also clarify WHY I hate these kinds of religion:
1. They are the enemies of true spirituality - We will never actually be the kind of people God wants us to be until we know what that looks like and then decide that we want to be. When we desire anything less, we basically say to God, "I don't really want what you're offering. I think I have a better idea." This simply won't work.
2. They are the enemies of true spiritual growth - One of the drawbacks of these different perversions of "religion" is that we don't get to experience genuine spiritual growth. It is one of the trademarks of a true disciple, and is conspicuously (and quite obviously) missing from those who are "faking it" - See 2 Pet. 1:5ff
3. They are the enemies of evangelism - If you haven't noticed, those who aren't Christians (the lost) are usually not super-excited to learn more about the "religions" we described above ("Yippee!! I wanna dress up like Batman and shop at Target too!!!"). If you and I haven't had anyone ask us about our faith recently, it may be because we don't really have one, or because we have traded it in for something else. True evangelism requires true religion on the part of the evangelist.
4. They are a cleverly disguised and cheap substitute for true discipleship - I'm not sure how Satan convinced so many of us that our man-made "religions" were going to be good enough to please the Lord, but we were fools to believe it (Mt. 7:21ff). Jesus makes it crystal clear what He expects from us, and we know better than to think that CHURCH ATTENDANCE = DISCIPLESHIP, or YOUTH TRIPS = DISCIPLESHIP. See Lk. 9:23-24; 14:25-35; etc.
5. Because God hates them too!!! - When we read passages like the ones in Amos (mentioned earlier), we see that God feels just as strongly about these cheap imitations of religion as we are supposed to. If God hates something, I might want to pay attention to what that "something" is, right?
So, how do you feel about these false/imitation "religions" now?
Do you hate them as much as I do?
Do you hate them as much as God does?
Do you hate them enough to do something about them in your own life - if necessary - so that you can help others with the same struggles?
Next time: What can/should we do when we come to the point where we hate "religion"???
The title for the study we began last night was, "I Hate Religion", and if I'm being honest, I'm not sure there is a truer statement that I could make at this point in my life. I suppose there would be some statements that might come close, such as:
- "I'm losing my hair"
- "I love my wife"
- "I would like to be Batman"
However, "I hate religion" is #1 with a bullet right now. Let me explain why...
First of all, I don't want you to get the impression that I'm talking about YOU and/or your "religion" when I say this (although I might be, so stay tuned...). This is more about ME and the personal issues that I have had with "religion" for as long as I can remember.
Religion (for the purposes of this discussion) is simply "something a person believes in and follows devotedly" (Webster's). So, based on this definition, let me clarify what KINDS of religion I hate, because obviously I don't hate them all (that would just be rude and unfair):
1. Self-made religion - This is the kind of religion that we make up for ourselves; we do this when we "cut-and-paste" the things/teachings that we like from the Bible, from other religions, from our own personal desires, etc. This is basically like a religious "Art/Science Project", where we gather & assemble the pieces, put them together however we see fit, and then present it to others as "religion".
The only problem with "Art/Science Projects" is that they are usually mere representations of reality. For example, the volcano I made in Elementary School wasn't an actual volcano (to the relief of everyone else who entered the contest, as well as everyone within a 10-mile radius of the eruption); and our self-made religion isn't real either. In fact, it is counter-productive, harmful, dishonest, and unacceptable to God. See Col. 2:16-23 for a description of this.
2. Self-deceiving religion - This is the kind of religion that we have practiced for so long, we have begun to believe that it is actually true, despite the fact that we know it not to be. It isn't that we are stupid people (I guess some of us are, if we're being fair) who don't realize that our religion is phony; no, we would simply prefer not to be reminded of that fact; because this, after all, is the religion that we WANT. As an example of this, I actually AM Batman. See James 1:26-27.
3. Empty religion - This is the religion that doesn't mean anything to the person who claims to practice it. These people are "going through the motions" for some reason(s), but there is no meaning to it. Maybe they do it to please other people, or maybe they do it for the potluck fellowships. Whatever their reasons might be, this religion is worthless and - at the risk of sounding redundant - empty. If it helps, they are just dressing up like Batman and not actually fighting crime (picture Batman shopping at Target, if that helps you - "Look Robin...candles!!") Col. 2:8
4. Compartmentalized religion - This is the religion that fits nicely into one part/area of our lives, but never affects us as a whole person. It may not be self-made or empty, but it is equally useless. In actuality, we may be very excited about our religion when we've compartmentalized it. After all, if we only participate in the encouraging/self-serving parts of our religion/faith instead of actually living it out every day, I suppose it might seem like something to get excited about once or twice a week. See Amos 4:4-5; 5:21-24; 6:1,4-8.
5. Hypocritical religion - This is the worst one, right? This goes beyond everything we've looked at so far, doesn't it? This is a person who is actively pretending to be a Christian. These are the people who are responsible for emptying the church pews, right? What is the #1 reason people give for either leaving the Church or never becoming part of it? "Those darned hypocrites!" Whether this is a legitimate excuse for those people or not (by the way, it isn't), hypocritical religion is something that I hate; especially when I see it in myself. This is the equivalent of someone turning on the Bat-Signal, only to find out that the guy who shows up is overweight, never works out, and couldn't care less if you get mugged. See Mt. 23.
Allow me to also clarify WHY I hate these kinds of religion:
1. They are the enemies of true spirituality - We will never actually be the kind of people God wants us to be until we know what that looks like and then decide that we want to be. When we desire anything less, we basically say to God, "I don't really want what you're offering. I think I have a better idea." This simply won't work.
2. They are the enemies of true spiritual growth - One of the drawbacks of these different perversions of "religion" is that we don't get to experience genuine spiritual growth. It is one of the trademarks of a true disciple, and is conspicuously (and quite obviously) missing from those who are "faking it" - See 2 Pet. 1:5ff
3. They are the enemies of evangelism - If you haven't noticed, those who aren't Christians (the lost) are usually not super-excited to learn more about the "religions" we described above ("Yippee!! I wanna dress up like Batman and shop at Target too!!!"). If you and I haven't had anyone ask us about our faith recently, it may be because we don't really have one, or because we have traded it in for something else. True evangelism requires true religion on the part of the evangelist.
4. They are a cleverly disguised and cheap substitute for true discipleship - I'm not sure how Satan convinced so many of us that our man-made "religions" were going to be good enough to please the Lord, but we were fools to believe it (Mt. 7:21ff). Jesus makes it crystal clear what He expects from us, and we know better than to think that CHURCH ATTENDANCE = DISCIPLESHIP, or YOUTH TRIPS = DISCIPLESHIP. See Lk. 9:23-24; 14:25-35; etc.
5. Because God hates them too!!! - When we read passages like the ones in Amos (mentioned earlier), we see that God feels just as strongly about these cheap imitations of religion as we are supposed to. If God hates something, I might want to pay attention to what that "something" is, right?
So, how do you feel about these false/imitation "religions" now?
Do you hate them as much as I do?
Do you hate them as much as God does?
Do you hate them enough to do something about them in your own life - if necessary - so that you can help others with the same struggles?
Next time: What can/should we do when we come to the point where we hate "religion"???
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