Local Church Discussions - View Single Post - Reports Of Religion's Extinction Exaggerated

Cal · 03-31-2011, 08:25 AM

Some people are religiously opposed to religion.

I think, again, it's all about our focus. Our focus should be to help people have a relationship with Christ. We are not charged to eradicate "religion." When helping people, in some cases we may feel led to let them know that they are set free from empty ritual in Christ. But we don't need to be on alert to shoot down any empty ritual we think we see.

So many of these discussions come down to semantics. I saw a film in college called "Meanings are in People." The point was that meanings are not in words but in what people think words mean and imply. It's a mistake to warn a person about religion when "religion" to that person means sincere devotion to God.

As Paul said, who are we to judge our brother? Yes, if someone is bound up in meaningless ritual that is taking the place of Christ we should help them to see that they have been set free. This is what Paul did for the Galatians. But for some people rituals are helpful. It is not our place to turn up our noses at them.

03-31-2011, 08:25 AM	#18
Cal Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: USA Posts: 4,333	Re: Reports Of Religion's Extinction Exaggerated Some people are religiously opposed to religion. I think, again, it's all about our focus. Our focus should be to help people have a relationship with Christ. We are not charged to eradicate "religion." When helping people, in some cases we may feel led to let them know that they are set free from empty ritual in Christ. But we don't need to be on alert to shoot down any empty ritual we think we see. So many of these discussions come down to semantics. I saw a film in college called "Meanings are in People." The point was that meanings are not in words but in what people think words mean and imply. It's a mistake to warn a person about religion when "religion" to that person means sincere devotion to God. As Paul said, who are we to judge our brother? Yes, if someone is bound up in meaningless ritual that is taking the place of Christ we should help them to see that they have been set free. This is what Paul did for the Galatians. But for some people rituals are helpful. It is not our place to turn up our noses at them.