The Fundamental Problem with Religion
I will preface by saying this blog was derived by serval conversations I’ve had. It is not the end all be all.
I’ve heard it said that Christianity is boring. Just a bunch of rules. People telling you what to do, what to wear, what to say, how to act, how to speak, where you can go, what movies you can watch, what music you can listen too, who you can be friends with, etc. Within each of these and various other categories there is measuring system as well. If I listen ONLY listen to Christian radio I am better than those who listen to alternative music. If I only watch movies rated PG and below I am better than people who watch R. If I dress up to church I am better than those who don’t. On the flip if I intentionally where jeans and dress down, I understand the TRUE character of the Lord better than the “traditionalist”. If I listen to mainstream, I understand grace and mercy better than others. The lists goes on. In our minds we grade everything and decide for ourselves what is acceptable and what isn’t. Spending a lot of valuable time feeling better than other christians or trying to agitate them with our “forward” thinking. Judging and criticizing in our minds.
In most christian cultures we have these rules. We grow up this way. Some are spoken and some are implied and assumed. We rarely question them, because thats just how it is. This is true in the USA and in the many churches I’ve seen around the world. Most tend to swing in one semi extreme direction or the other. Truth OR Mercy. Whats more important. The question I have is what exactly are all these rules doing? How are they affecting our relationship with Jesus? The extremes. Whether you realize it or not both sides have rules. Traditionalists and Liberals. Both judge and critique in their respective way.
Most would argue they protect the relationship with Jesus. We have rules so that we live the way Jesus wants us to live. I would say they harm it. Now before I continue I want to say, I have thought about both sides of this equation. How do you help move masses of people in the right direction unless you give them parameters in which to operate in? That being said, I believe that within the confines of developing a relationship with Jesus, rules take away your responsibility in the relationship. Think about your job. As a manager at Starbucks I give my partners on the floor a position and they operate within that position. They know what is expected of them. Essentially, unless they have a problem I need to fix, they don’t need me. They understand what needs to be done and do it. They follow the Rules. We dont talk about life and the expectations are not up for discussion. In a job this works great. We are timely and efficient. They are great partners who follow my direction and the task is complete. The goal is not relationship. Its task oriented. I fear that in our walk with Jesus its gone from Relationship focused to Task focused. Rules, in and of themselves, are not wrong and we do need parameters but when they replace the conversation and intimacy with Jesus we have a problem. I don’t have a list of rules with my friends. We spend time together because we want to. We talk about life. Our joys, fears, plans, desires. When we hurt each other we talk about it. We feel it. We learn from it. A rule is not born from our mistake but relationship grows deeper. Conversation happens, forgiveness and reconciliation. Intimacy and Love are born. Our friendship is dynamic. Growing and changing and we learn more about each other. Conversely when everything is about mercy, there is no growth either. Mercy covers everything. I can do whatever I want because Jesus will forgive me. I dont need to know Him, because He has to forgive me. That is not relationship. I have relationship with my friends because we know each other. I love them and I wouldn’t want to do anything to hurt them. Out of my love for them, I choose not to do things that would harm that friendship.
I believe as Christians we follow a set a rules to keep from growing in intimacy with Jesus. Work is easy. Go in, do what needs to be done, leave. Its not intimate or emotional. My relationship with my friends is hard. I have to learn about them, figure them out. Rid myself of pride when I’m wrong and ask forgiveness. Call them when I’m happy and tell them about whats going on. Its active and dynamic. Our friendship grows stronger with time. It takes time, and its a process.
Jesus wants intimacy with you. He wants you to know Him, and to grow to love Him deeper. He wants to talk to you about your life. Hear your hurts and struggles and walk with you through pain as well as cheer you on in your triumphs and celebrate the joys of life together. Jesus is Relational. Religion is Rule based. Anyone can follow a list. It takes work and commitment to walk in relationship with someone.
