Many Christians have taken up the notion that they aren’t “religious.” I’ve never really gotten the concept. I’m religious, my friends and neighbors understand this about me and that it deeply impacts the way I live and act. Call me crazy*, but I think this is a good thing.
*I know some folks will call me crazy anyway, to them them I *grin*
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Yeah, the whole “let’s do away with religion” idea is something I don’t really subscribe to either. I think it’s goofy to assert things like, “Christianity isn’t a religion, it’s a relationship.” By anyone’s definition, Christianity is a religion. I am a religious person, and I don’t have a problem with saying so. It infuses everything that I am.
I really think it all boils down mostly to either a) trying to make Christianity somehow feel more user-friendly to “non-religious” people, or b) a way of trying to distinguish Christians from all the other billions of religious people on the face of the earth, by insisting we’re not like them because we’re not actually part of a “religion.” I think both reasons lack depth of thought about religion in general, people, culture, as well as our own Christian heritage and ecclesiastical purpose on this earth.
I think it has more to do with not identifing with those people who say they are religous, but have no relationship with Jesus Christ. You know, the Christmas/Easter church goers who say they pray and worship in their own way. Or even the people who go to church fairly frequently, but have no love or compassion in their hearts. I don’t know if I can even define what religous means?! But I can see seperating religion from relationship when discussing salvation with a non-believer, especially someone who only has a concept of religion thru the media.
Cathi, I guess I just get tired of believers always feeling a need to define themselves by what they aren’t. Look at your response – there is a desire by people to not identify with other people by a change in language, but I’m pretty darn sure that most of the people who follow that course would also be unable to give a working definition of what “religious” means.
I’m religious. I am immersed in the practice of a faith which binds me first to God, and then to other believers. Specially, I’m part of the Christian Faith and it’s teachings, disciplines, and worship.