Just to be up front about it, I think the sentiments of the video are largely in the right the place. Jesus is lifted up, honored, and respected. Amen to that. So what problem could I possibly have with the video? Am I chasing ghosts? Splitting hairs?
Before I try to answer the question, let’s take a look at some of the video comments on YouTube:
“God Bless You!! I agree completely. Everyone at my church, including me, does not call our selves Christians, but Christ-Followers!!! Thanks for the great video!!”
“This poem is well said. Being a Christian has nothing to do with Religion. Instead it is a relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen & Amen”
“Are you retarded? He made it about Christianity half way through the video, implying all other religions suck. Believing Jesus was the son of god, believing sin and believing the bible and living your life on those premises means you are following a religion. Now, you're clearly a religious person, so I'm not going to bother arguing with you because religious people have a tenancy to disregard all logic and substitute their own for anything they don't like.”
“I hate the church" "Now don't get me wrong I love the church”
“Saying you hate religion but love Jesus is like saying you hate rodents, but love squirrels. If you believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the son of the Abrahamic God whose only purpose was to forgive sin and open heaven, that's religion right there. That's Christianity at it's barest.”
Personally, I agree with the last post. I find it rather disingenuous to claim that you hate religion, while being so utterly religious...as one of the posts indicated. Being religious is not necessarily opposed to having a relationship with Christ or vice-versa. It is not one or the other, but both. People tend to forget that having a relationship with God is, by its very nature, a deeply religious affection.
God is holy, holy, holy. And by this very fact, He demands much more than just “a relationship” from us. I don’t even know what “a relationship” is supposed to mean. It’s such a vague term that anybody could mean anything by it. The Bible, however, gives us specific doctrines, instructions, and even practices to which we ought to adhere, believe, and obey. This is not to say that the relational aspects, devotion, or sincerity are not important, but to point out that such things actually have a divinely prescribed content to them, according to the very words of God! There is a reason why God chose prayer and not divination or sorcery, for example. There is also a reason why He commands us to love Him with not just our hearts, or sentiments, but also with our minds. This doesn't just mean having “good thoughts” about God, but also includes actually studying the things about Him, what He has said, and how He reveals Himself throughout history.
The video really demonizes religious people, especially other Christians. Jesus did not speak against anyone merely on the account of them being religious. This claim is false. (Indeed, He didn't even speak out against them just because they were a Pharisee or Sadducee). He spoke out against them mainly because they were 1) self-righteous and 2) attempted to prevent others from entering the kingdom. These are the actual reasons Scripture gives. They were not chastised for “being religious” or “too logical” or “following a list of laws.” Actually, if anything, they were picking and choosing which laws to follow, while breaking other commands, not being rational about Scripture, and elevating their traditions above the religion they professed to follow, which is what many of us do today. As far as people of other religions go, we are not to pass judgment upon them. As demonstrated in the Apostle Paul’s conversion, God can take the worst of sinners and change them into the greatest of saints.
As the comments up above demonstrate, there is much confusion over the video. It isn't difficult to understand why, if one stops to consider it for a moment: Does the author mean that those who are “religious” are automatically judgmental, legalistic, and without grace or mercy? Or is the author merely being creative with the word “religious” in order to redefine the term just to make a point? Personally, I do not know. I hope the second option is what he’s doing. At least, I lean in favor of the second possibility. The first one would be rather hypocritical right?...and ironically so.
Nonetheless, whichever way is intended, why use the word “religious” in order to signify something bad? I can understand using words like “legalistic,” “judgmental,” or “hypocritical,” but why this word? What does it mean? According to Webster’s, it means:
1: relating to or manifesting faithful devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality or deity religious person>religious attitudes>
2: of, relating to, or devoted to religious beliefs or observances <joined a="">religious order></joined>
3: scrupulously and conscientiously faithful
So what bad thing, exactly, is referred to in any of these definitions? Aren't Christians (or “Christ-followers”) supposed to manifest faithful devotion to God? Aren't we supposed to have beliefs about God and engage in certain observances? And shouldn't we be scrupulously and conscientiously faithful to our God?
One might object by pointing out that being religious could be—and often is—bad because of its devotion and relation to false gods. That may be so. However, could the same be said of faith? Wouldn't you, then, agree that faithfulness is also bad, since it is more often than not wrongfully, and sinfully, invested into false deities and practice? But I am guessing that you shirk at that idea, right? So, if this is the case for you, why the double-standard? Are you taking for granted that being religious is actually according to God’s created order and according to His command? If so, we do not judge the design by the way it is abused.
Original posted on Facebook January 12, 2012
Well said, my brother. He makes some really valid points and says a lot more than he needs to in order to make his point, I feel in an effort to use poetry to express it. We can't throw the baby out with the bathwater. We can't let "religious" be a term that makes people cringe either. It's beautiful and when it's a Christ-centered lifestyle, there is nothing to be ashamed of.
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