Religion is Bad?

I've had a few encounters with folks in recent weeks who hold a point of view summarizing that religion is "bad". Personally, I've never understood how this naive generalization has ever held any ground (as noted in a previous blog in response to a certain "Hate Religion/Love Jesus" video). I agree, in principal, that being "religious" IN VAIN, is not the path that leads to salvation (though it can invite the opportunity), nor is vanity God's desire.



I recently commented on a picture on Facebook stating, "you call it religion, I call it a relationship". This mindset presupposes that religion and relationship are at odds and can't co-exist. This logic seems careless when contrasted against a practical example, "do you love your mother or do you love your father?". I proposed a humble consideration to the author of this post, expressing that, "it's because of the religion, that we can know of the relationship in the first place".

Stating religion is "bad" because of the short fallings of a few sinners, is like claiming the institution of marriage is "bad", because of the adultery of a few spouses. Surely, we can quickly identify the flaw in that logic.

Perhaps it comes down to simple definitions. What do these people mean by "religion"?

DO THEY MEAN RITUALS?

...Such as Baptism, like when Jesus said, "unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:5)? Or like when Peter said, "baptism now saves" (1 Peter 3:21), and "repent and be baptized...for the forgiveness of your sins" (Acts 2:38)?

...Such as anointing the sick, like in James 5:14, "Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord"?

...Such as the tradition of gathering on the Lord's Day, "On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread" (Acts 20:7)?

...Such as communion, like when Jesus commands, "do this in remembrance of me" and when Paul says, "Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?" (1 Corinthians 10:16)?

...Such as incense, "And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel's hand" (Revelation 8:4)?

DO THEY MEAN REPETITION?

...Like when Jesus teaches us how to pray, "The Our Father"? "This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name..." (Matthew 6:9).

...Like when Paul instructs the church to, "pray continually" (1 Thessalonians 5:17)?

...Like when John tells us that the angels proclaim day and night surrounding the throne in heaven for all eternity, "HOLY, HOLY, HOLY" (Revelation 4:8)?

...Like continually offering spiritual sacrifices, "offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:5)?

DO THEY MEAN OBEDIENCE?

...Like when Jesus says, "if you love me, you will keep my commands" (John 14:14)?

...Like when Jesus says, "if you deny me before men, I will deny you before my father in heaven" (Matthew 10:32)?

...Like when Jesus says, "but if you do not forgive others their sins, my Father will not forgive yours" (Matthew 6:15)?

...Like when John tells us we are judged by what we have done in response to faith at the end of the age, "and all were judged according to their deeds" (Revelation 20:12-13)?

I've always found it a humorous contradiction when those who hold such a vile attitude towards "religion" pray daily, go to church weekly, pray the same prayer more than once, sing a repetitive chorus, read scripture, baptize, anoint with oil, wed, pray the sinner's prayer, listen to a pastor's sermon, forgive, keep Jesus' commands, etc. Wouldn't any one of those be considered repetitious, ritualistic, obedient and...RELIGIOUS?

We can even take a step back from this further and look at our actions as a society. We recite national anthems, stand in honour of government officials and pledge our allegiance. We have celebrations, parades, processions, and we place value on our possessions. This lifestyle screams of a secular "liturgy" of sorts, all the while a Christian liturgy is deemed ritualistic, repetitive and "un-biblical" by so many opponents, claiming this religiousness takes away from our faith practice.

I believe this conflict is rooted in misunderstanding through an ignorant attempt to escape accountability. Tradition gives history context, just like how religion reveals to us who God is, and provides a measuring rod for us to test the authenticity of truth.

Have sinful actions been performed in the name of religion? Undoubtably yes. However, I'd propose that religion is no more capable of performing vanity than the institution of marriage is capable of performing adultery. Sinful actions rest with the individual choosing to partake in them.

I'd suggest the solution to this conflict is in the HEART of the individual, not the definition of the word "religion".

"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 by the world" (James 1:27).