Quote:
Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah
I don't think that and I didn't say that. I said that Witness Lee defines religion as meaning that, but it doesn't mean that. Read the New Testament, the term is defined in the New Testament and it does not mean that.
According to James "religion pure and undefiled with the God and Father is this, to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation".
Now as you point out, according to Jesus "apart from Me you can do nothing".
Therefore a logical person would put these two together to say that the New Testament defines religion as a "looking after orphans and widows in their tribulation by being joined to Jesus as the vine in obedience to the Lord's command to love your neighbor as yourself".
It is very alarming to me that Witness Lee felt it necessary to denigrate this term.
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What you described in James there is true religion. Lee did not really denigrate this term "religion". In fact, if you read LIFE-STUDY OF JOHN MESSAGE NINETEEN, Lee says that Judaism is the only real, genuine and true religion. Many Protestants would not speak so kindly about Judaism. Lee says that religion is good, but it is not the living person of Christ. It is on the basis of religion not being able to give life, that Lee speaks against it. It goes something like this - religion is good, but life is better. If we have life, then religion is a negative thing.