| 1. | the state of being connected or related |
| 2. | association by blood or marriage; kinship |
| 3. | the mutual dealings, connections, or feelings that exist between two parties, countries, people, etc: a business relationship |
| 4. | an emotional or sexual affair or liaison |
Many times I have been asked "Are you religious?". I just mention God's name, and I am asked this question! Haha well to ease their understanding I usually say "yes" because I know that they think that Christianity is a religion... but my answer is really "NO!" I am not religious at all... although I am a christian! Christianity is not a religion. Religion in my opinion is a negative word. I have explored very little about religion admittedly but from what I have heard, religions are not nice at all. I don't mean to sound offensive to anyone, we all have the right to believe what we want, but this is my opinion on how I feel.
In a lot of religions their gods, apart from non existent, aren't loving god's. As far as I know some of the god's in these religions choose who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. In some religions if you commit a really bad sin you go to hell, even if you believe in your God and practice the religion... apparently it is not so bad if you commit a little sin though. Buddhism is probably the nicest sounding of them all but people who follow it are worshiping someone who is dead. I certainly don't understand worshiping idols either...
" Why would I ever worship would and stone, things that can not hear or speak at all?" -Bethany Dillon (singer songwriter) Well said!
At SMASH camp last year, I was a leader for the first time. I didn't have my own small group to lead but I helped lead with Jenn Owen. Jenn was in the first aid team, and she needed me to be her back up just in case she needed to use her first aid skills elsewhere during small groups! We had 5 in our small group and most of these girls new each other. There was a girl in our group called Sarah who had been a christian before, well she attended church anyway and I suppose she believed mostly, but now she had fallen away from it all. She didn't expect to feel so welcome at the camp because she had been to churches who had made her feel un-welcome. When she arrived she was in tears because she was so welcomed by everyone. After hearing the nightly messages, and after seeing how we worship, she had dozens of questions. She told Jenn and I and our small group about her life and how she finds it hard to believe that God is loving. We answered so many questions that helped her out. Anyway on one of the days she asked us a question that we could sort of answer but she still wasn't satisfied... she said that there are many religions, and she wanted to know which one to pick? Westy was walking by, checking on the groups, not long after we had tried to answer Sarah's question....so we decided to invite him to sit with us, and Sarah asked him the question. Westy told us that he had done a lot of research on religions, and he decided in the end that Christianity (even though it isn't a religion) is the best one... he said if there was a better one, he would follow it but there isn't. Sarah spent the rest of the week asking questions and she eventually became a christian.
Hmm just a random thought, Christianity isn't actually about Christianity (if you know what I mean?)... in fact the term Christian is only used in the bible once I am pretty sure. We are believers who have faith in God and follow him, we were named Christians because I guess it needed to be named something other than believers?
Anyways so religions aren't really that great in my opinion... I am sure they have their good sides, but as Westy said, Christianity is the better option!
So if Christianity isn't a religion, then what is it? It is a relationship. It is hard to get your head around but the Father (God), the Son (Jesus) and the Holy spirit (Jesus's spirit) all have a relationship, they are one, therefore we must be one with God. Our God is a very loving God. He loves us so much that he gave his Son to be the ultimate sacrifice. Jesus was obedient to God. God was in agony along with Jesus when he was brutally killed, but it had to happen so that we could be saved! Now God wants us to have a relationship. We all rebel against God, no matter if we believe in Him or not, we are all sinners. God also loves even if we don't believe. We choose to believe in Him, and if we do, we are rewarded, and can have a wonderful relationship.To God all sins are equal, because ALL sins seperate us from the lord. Murder is worse act than lying but it isn't a worse sin.
Anyways so those are my thoughts. If you disagree with anything I have said please comment. If you agree and have anything to add, or have any questions, please comment. I also apologise if this offended anyone, please comment if it did, but please also understand that this is my opinion. My opinion is based on what I have learnt over the years.
Anyway xoxo
God bless
Love me !
3 comments:
To clarify for all those reading, the term 'Christian' doesn't appear in most translations of the Bible because the term wasn't founded until the 4th Century AD by the Roman Emperor Constantine, who became the first Pope. Before that, well, maybe the peoples had a name of some description, but mostly I guess they referred to themselves as followers/disciples of Jesus Christ.
Leaving other religions aside for now, many people ask 'what's the difference between a religion and a relationship? Are they actually any different, or is it just terminology?' Religion and relationship is a common expression of segregating the two types of Christians - those who are truly saved, and those who call themselves Christians but aren't. It's not for me to judge souls, but generally, religious people are in far graver danger of hell.
Religious people have the following traits in their "walk" with God:
1. They love rules - how many Bible bashers do you know who love to condemn people with the word? Who say that things must be done this way, and only this way. Who love to criticise rather than help? This is the hallmark of religion, they love to pick out the sins of others and never correct their own hearts.
Relationships are different because: true believers love God. They fear and respect his word, and will correct others in love, but never use the word as a weapon on other Christians, never criticise or condemn to make themselves feel taller. There was a group of church leaders in Jesus' day called the Pharisees who were like this. Jesus' harshest words were reserved for them.
2. Religious people hate change: It's funny what divides churches. There are countless stories of church meltdowns not because sin was rampant, but because one group wanted the church organ gone and the other group fought tooth and nail for it to stay. Perpetual change isn't pleasing to God either - that's just trying to be 'hip' and pleasing yourselves. But religious people hate change. They like things to always remain the same, they like to control the environment around them instead of adapting to the times.
Relationships are different because: those people accept that the church needs to stay modern in order to feel comfortable to the greatest number of people. The church is made up of the people, not the buildings. Trying to keep the buildings stuck in an old time period ensures that more people will feel stuck in the wrong time period when it comes to church. Church and fellowship is a natural part of our lives, the more we deviate with what's "normal" for us, the more weird and alien a relationship with our father becomes.
3. Religion cares about your birth: This doesn't apply to every church, but some Christians seem focused about everything you did. Did you go to a Christian school? Were you raised in a Christian household? Did you go to Sunday school? Did you hang out with Christian friends?
Relationships are different because: all that matters is your new birth. Are you in step with Jesus? Are you having fellowship with other Christians? It's not about who you were, it's about who you are and keeping in continual step with God through prayer and repentance.
(cont.)
4. Religious people focus on the things that don't matter: Those Pharisees I told you about, you know what their two favourite topics of conversation were? Money and the Sabbath. In the grand scheme of things, if your life was an exam (which it sort of is), these two areas would be worth less than 5%. Having rest and respecting the Sabbath is a law, but the Sabbath was made for the man and not man for the sabbath, which translated means 'It doesn't necessarily matter which day in seven you observe, if you have to work Sunday that's okay as long as you leave out one day in seven to honour me'. The sabbath isn't really a big deal in most churches any more, but boy is money ever? Roughly one-in-four of Jesus' gospel messages are focused on money, but do you know why that is? Because people continually asked him about it. The son of god did not come to earth as some kind of supernatural accountant, come to give the world financial advice. But you'd be surprised how quick religious people are to major on the little things.
Relationships are different because: they focus on the major things without neglecting the little ones. Tell me, why would God need a billion dollars? Who needs money when you can make anything happen? The reason we give is to honour God first, then as a practical way of continuing the survival of the church. The two greatest commandments are to love God and love each other. Giving God his own personal GST ranks pretty far below those items in hindsight.
5. Religion never leads to joy or humility: Religion only encourages two trains of thought.
a) I'm a Godly person because I don't drink, swear, smoke, have pre-marital sex or punch women. I'm saved!
b) I'm a screw-up and a failure, I've tried and tried too many times, God's given up because I just can't do this and I'm not even going to try anymore.
Pride or defeat, that's where religion leaves you. Even if you're a non-Christian, you'll be pleased to hear that we too, as Christians, have seen people we'd like to punch in the face (or rebuke in love, whichever's easier) for being puffed up with pride and gloating, either verbally or in the way they behave, their superiority over the likes of you. It's these puffed-up church-goers who in effect create the B-types. They only believe they're a screw-up because they see how well everyone else is doing. The irony is, those puffed-up people, they're not doing fine. Just remember, not everyone who takes a seat in the pew on a Sunday morning will take a seat at the Lord's table.
Relationships are different because: there is always joy. Not in the sense that we are always happy, and not even because we know there is hope for life eternal. We take joy in the fact that God is with us, whether it's a blessed season, whether it's a season of trials. A person who's religious will whip you in a game of Bible Sale of the Century, but not understand the meaning behind all that knowledge. A person who's in a relationship will love, struggle, fall, laugh, cry, panic, get angry, get frustrated, repent, share moments and experience a time with God, whether it's seconds, days, months, years or decades until they die that's like any marriage - it's not all sunshine and roses, there'll be hard times, there'll be times when you want to throw in the towel and walk out, but it's a relationship that completes you. It's not without hardships. But it's not without joy.
Nicely said xx
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