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I Hate Religion

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The Church is full of ritual Christians.

We’re full of people that have been converted to Christianity as a religion.
We’re full of people that know the right steps, know the right words, even know the right process for spiritual growth.
The problem, they just go through the motions.
One of the things that sets Christianity apart from other world religions is the relationship aspect to our faith.
It’s one of the things that should get the most of our attention.
We should be abundantly thankful that God allows relationship.
So often, though, we exchange fellowship with our Creator for rules and methodology.
We exchange the promise of a relationship with our Savior for a process.
We exchange relationship for religion.
I’m at that point now.
I’m tired of going through the motions of the Christian life.
I’m tired of feeling like I’m OK because I’ve done my daily routine.
I want relationship.
I want intimacy with God.
You should too.
More and more of it.
The more you have, the more you should want.
The more you have it, the more you should want it.
I hate religion.
I love relationship.

10 responses to “I Hate Religion”

  1. Kiesha @ Highly Favored Avatar
    Kiesha @ Highly Favored

    Amen to that! This reminds me of one of my favorite songs from the Shekinah Glory Ministry Live CD called "Like Never Before" – in the song William Murphy says, "I want more of you…not another house, not another car, not another pair of shoes…but I want more of you, Lord… More of your power…more of your glory…"

    Reply
  2. janemyatt Avatar
    janemyatt

    Very well said. I'll never forget a couple of years back when I saw Mark Driscoll's message on this topic. I thought, "Finally, someone who feels just as I do!" I just wrote a post related to this, on the serious consequences of legalism. Thanks for this!

    Reply
  3. Jonathan Pearson Avatar
    Jonathan Pearson

    @janemyatt… Feel free to share a link to that post. Thanks for commenting!

    Reply
  4. Jonathan Avatar
    Jonathan

    Amen. And I hate self-help.

    Reply
  5. JeffHolton Avatar
    JeffHolton

    Ironically, I used to parrot this idea like a mantra. I was so into relational Christianity that I turned it into a religion.

    So I traded it in for a more religious Christian group, and I found that it exponentially deepened my relationship.

    I'm just sayin'…

    Reply
  6. Jonathan Pearson Avatar
    Jonathan Pearson

    @Jonathan… Is this blog still showing up "self help" on Stumbleupon?

    Reply
  7. Jonathan Pearson Avatar
    Jonathan Pearson

    @JeffHolton… Anything can be taken to it's extremes. I'm not against an organized denomination or a tradition, I'm against worship becoming a duty (which Jesus condemned in the Pharisees) rather than heart-felt worship and living.

    Reply
  8. Jonathan Avatar
    Jonathan

    No, no. There's no "Self Help" category that I saw. I just got an email that someone on twitter was following me who teaches self help. So, I @ him and told him Jesus was better than self help!

    I haven't heard back. Wonder how he's doing….

    Reply
  9. Sam Avatar
    Sam

    I'm in a supreme struggle with this very idea. I have grown very weary of the "we're all Repulicans/Democrats/whatever" political clubbiness that has infiltrated the American churches, to say nothing of the absolute insistence that our particular understanding of every last detail of doctrine is right, and our poor benighted brothers/sisters in the (insert rival denomination here) church just don't see it. I'm still trying to recover from the sin-flogging I got in earlier church experiences (following my conversion) that my relationship to Christ is one based in fear as it is, and I'm not talking some vague "fear"–I mean the kind of trembling regard one has for one's potential torturer, since the Father holds the fate of my worthless soul in His hands, and His judgment is not only harsh and eternal, but final and irrevocable. And maybe my understanding of grace is wrong; maybe I do not have enough works (front-end or back-end) piled up to confirm my faith, assure my salvation, whatever. I haven't been back to my church since June, trying as I am to get my depression under control (can't show up to church depressed; we're supposed to be cheerful in the knowledge of salvation we may or may not have, right?), and I keep reading passages of Scripture where torment and destruction are promised all God's enemies. I fear God. Greatly. And I don't see how this kind of fear can possibly be fertile ground for love. But that is what I've gotten out of my Christian "religion." I believe, but I am beaten down, and thus I fear I am damned.

    Reply
  10. Jonathan Pearson Avatar
    Jonathan Pearson

    @Sam… It seems like you've been hurt by some "religious" people in the past and have adopted a kinda earned salvation mentality. I would point you to a verse you probably know (John 3:16) and tell you that He hasn't damned you. His Son has all your junk covered. Please email me at jonathanfpearson (at) gmail (dot) com. Would love to talk to you more! I look forward to it. Thanks for reading and sharing!

    Reply

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