Why I Don’t Care About Religious Issues!
I posted this in June of 2007 and I wanted everyone to know that I still feel the same way. Religion is a drain on thinking people and we all need to care more about each other and less about the issues of religion.
I am so sick and tired of religion in general, and unfortunately mankind is responsible for this terribly confusing mess we have. I get phone calls or e-mails where people want to talk about this issue or that issue and want to know my stand. Well, today I want to completely level the field of religious issues and tell everyone exactly where I stand.
Now here is the reason I don’t care about any of these things: They have nothing whatsoever to do with weather God loves us or not or why I should love anyone. Jesus Christ did not go to the cross (which was the ultimate example of love) because of something good we had did or something bad we had did. He went to the cross to demonstrate his love for us regardless of our performance. THAT IS DIVINE LOVE. THAT IS HOW OUR FATHER LOVES US.
Rom 5:6-8 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Christ came to take us out of the law of sin and death and deliver us over into His kingdom of light and love. He came to show us how to love and unfortunately mankind has made a complete mess of His example. Study his life and you will see how people of all walks of life flocked to Him because they felt this unconditional love. Paul tells us it is the only thing we owe to each other.
Rom 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
Now we don’t always pay what we owe, but remember Christ paid the full debt of love for every single man or woman that has ever lived or ever will live on this earth. Yes, he encourages us to also walk in this divine love because he knows this is where real peace is found as we journey on this earth. I can say with a great deal of passion that when I quit caring about all the above issues and just started loving people by the power of His grace I found such a peace that testified to my heart that I was where I needed to be spiritually.
I am not trying to say that I completely understand or always practice this divine love, but it has given my life real meaning and purpose that gets me up each new day with a smile. Walking this journey of love is different for each one of us because all of our circumstances are different, but when we quit judging each other and start loving each other we really start to live. Paul also gave us a wonderful start on defining this divine love:
1 Cor 13:4-8 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails.
So, for me, I will continue to believe that Christ loves every one of us based on who HE is rather then on what we’ve done. I will also continue to strive to love like he does, without judgment or bias. And for all the rest of mankind’s religious issues, well, I think you know how I feel.
I am coming to realize all that really matters is that we care about people, in caring for others we fullfill all that the Law was ever really asking of us.
Cliff the love of Christ surely is in your heart and mind. So many times I still get caught up in judging others my hearts desire is to see others with only the love of Christ.
I love the end of that verse that love never fails and I know that His love is not going to fail any one.
Love in Christ Dan
Marco….Do you think we can possibly learn what we need to know about love in one lifetime, much less put it into practice? I do agree with you that what really matters is that we care about people but this clay we live in provides us with many obstacles that keep us from our goal. This, I don’t think is by accident. I believe we were placed in these earthly bodies to learn not only what true love is but also to put it into practice in every part of our lives and I am more convinced then ever that we need more then one try at it. Study the works of Origen of Alexandria who was one of the great early church philosophers and you will see some very interesting things on this subject.
God , too, hates religion!
I am convinced of it!!
Now here is the reason I don’t care about any of these things: They have nothing whatsoever to do with weather God loves us or not or why I should love anyone. Jesus Christ did not go to the cross (which was the ultimate example of love) because of something good we had did or something bad we had did. He went to the cross to demonstrate his love for us regardless of our performance. THAT IS DIVINE LOVE. THAT IS HOW OUR FATHER LOVES US.(Cliff)
This quote is not religious?? Sorry, but this way of thinking is completely religious. Youre making a claim that Jesus is God, if that isnt divisive I dont know what is. Your heart may be in the right place, but I would question where your brain is when writing a post like this. Come on man, a non religious person would make no reference to any religious writings when discussing spiritual matters.
Good Point Titfortat, but I didn’t say I wasn’t religious, I said I didn’t care about religious issues. I am still a believer in what Jesus Christ came to teach us and that would qualify me as religious. It dosen’t matter to me if the person down the street or across the world believes in Jesus or not. I still fully accept that we are connected.
Wow what a powerful post, and I have been coming to the very same conclusions! What a lesson it is, to love unconditionly. As for Jesus being a religious ‘issue’ . Jesus did not come to give us another issue, or religion but to show us the Love of God……………thank your for your insights!
blessings, in Christ.
Cliff- What you said in your post may have “religious” overtones. However, the fact that you state that you try to love everyone without judgment or bias puts you in a very small group of folks down through the ages who have tried to do the same. One of those folks, who pretty well succeeded, IMO, was a man named Jesus.
It doesn’t matter to me if the person down the street or across the world believes in Jesus or not. I still fully accept that we are connected.(Cliff)
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Yes indeed Cliff. This is the crux of the matter and deserves to be looked at more closely. That ‘connection’ that seems to run through all of us, no matter what colour we are, or background, or experience, or where we are in the world, is the spirit. These days people seem to be opening up more and more to this spiritual realm that is beyond our taught-type thinking. It comes from a feeling that makes itself felt deep within. It appears to happen more when we are with others or observing others, and when our hearts are open. It feels familiar like ‘coming home’ and it expands our vision. In it we begin to understand things we could not ’see’ before. As we turn more to this realm it feels like our feet are planted on firm ground. Also what Titfortat says is true. The more we live from that reality within, the more pure our speech becomes, and words like ‘God’ begin to drop off. In fact, talking about things in a religious way seems to take us out of that spiritual realm and back into that mode of thinking that has set ideas and values.
Welcome Endura and thanks for your comment. You will find a lot of diversity of thinking on this site and one of the things I personally cherish the most is finding people who can look beyond any particular disagreement and as Audrey says “find the connection”.
Don R, I do realize that because of my personal belief in Jesus that what I say will have religious overtones but I am grateful that you see in me that the Jesus I believe in would never separate himself from another fellow human. I also am convinced that we really are not separate in any sense of that word, so when I judge my brother I am judging myself because we are one and the same.
Audrey, I really get what you are saying more and more each day and I too believe we are reaching a time in human history where the human spirit within is having more of a say then ever in our past.
Steve Martin, Jesus bears out your point time and time again by the way he treated the ultra religious of his day.
TitforTat, I appreciate you more each year. You have made me a better man by always keeping me on my toes.
Cliff
I can agree with you on that. Religious or not youre still pretty cool in my eyes lol.
God is love. Period.
Wherever one goes there will be differences of opinion. That holds true in any setting where human beings gather. Even on a blog such as this. Sometimes I think I would just like to go into a dark cave somewhere and not have to deal with any of it. But, that’s on a bad day. Usually I just take it all in stride, realizing that, just like everyone else, I need human contact and the disagreements which sometimes rub me the wrong way are just part of it. Love to all of you!
I have a question do you think the God can touch people hearts even in churchs today.I was invited to a mens breakfest at my old church I am just wondering if God’s love and grace can open up some heart and mind tommorow.
love Dan
Dan, I don’t have any advice for you on this but one thing I do know is that you have a very sweet and loving heart and only a blind person would miss that. If your heart is telling you to go then give it your best shot.
Connie said: “Wherever one goes there will be differences of opinion.”
That statement could have just as easily come from the mouth of God himself because I think our very design is about being different. Now the real question is “WHY WOULD GOD DESIGN US THIS WAY?”
Could it be that our very purpose is to learn to truly love each other with the only real love (divine love), and this can only be learned through a process where we are constantly challenged to see past our differences?
AND PS Connie……I’m so glad you didn’t hold up in a dark cave because you have so much light to share.
Thanks Cliff! And Dan, of course God can touch people’s hearts even in churches today! He is God, after all!!!
The church I go to looks very religious (outwardly).
We have candles, an altar, stained glass windows, the pastor wears vestments…but we are NOT religious.
The message that goes forth in our church is all about God acting…FOR US.
When we take it upon ourselves TO DO something to ascend to God, or to try and become more acceptable to God…we are religious.
We don’t do that. The direction is all from God to us. The Word that goes out from our pulpit, isn’t about shoulds, oughts, or musts…it is about the grace of God for sinners (th gospel)
Thanks!!
Cliff, I love your heart. I wish we lived closer together so I could really get to know you better.
Wonderful post.
So, Steve, who informs you that you’re a sinner? Religion does that, with Moses’ law. This puts a separation or a veil between you and your Father. Your heart does not condemn you. When you see yourself from the realm of the spirit, there is no separation, you are pure and therefore not under the sentence of death. In point of fact in this realm there is no death. THIS is the gospel.
Audrey,
God’s law tells me that I am a sinner. (no religion there)
Religion would be me , you , or anybody else trying themselves to be right with God by ‘doping something’. That is religion.
That is ‘DOING’ …not doping…I’m a dope…
Steve that is your perception of religion, there is a big difference between perception and actual truth, but I have come to realize perception and deception jump in the bed often.
Cliff wrote:
“Marco….Do you think we can possibly learn what we need to know about love in one lifetime, much less put it into practice?”
Thats a big question Cliff, I am coming to realize love is eternal, it is without start and without end, so to box up 70 or so years of existence and say it has expirenced all there is to know (Know) about Love, which is God in essense, seems rather ludicrous. Also, the putting into practice, imo, is the knowing. This includes the learning of how to be loved.
The best part is the simplicity of it at the core level, “if you have expirenced love you have expirenced God”, in one degree (atleast) or another this speaks for all humanity. All humanity has/will expirence God, even in ignorance. But all the more as ignorance is washed away, and without wanting to sound religious, I will this once though, washed away by the blood of Christ that was freely given by a heart that loved wastefully.
Steve, any FORM of worship is religious, and puts distance between you and your spirit so that you begin to imagine a ‘god’ outside of yourself. As soon as that happens you see yourself as ’sinful’, and the immediate reaction is to look for some fig-leaves. Of course I see your point that there is nothing we can DO to become righteous. It is all done! The way has been made open. But while we cling to forms of worship WE CANNOT SEE THE WAY, so we blindly stumble. God is spirit and spirit is beyond time and sense. The only way to have a relationship with the spirit is within yourself, and that is where He is – in your spirit. As you touch this spirit realm a whole new world opens up to you and as Marco said above ‘the ignorance gets washed away’ – you begin to touch the life-blood of Christ and KNOW why he died, He handed over his life for your life so you can taste REAL LIFE that lasts forever. It is realizing that this same living water flows within everybody that is bringing us all together, eventually the whole world will be brought ‘home’ to find we are ‘loved wastefully’ (Marco)
Thanks Marco. I appreciate your insight into this.
love keeps no record of wrong