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"???