Thursday, June 05, 2008
What is religion and can God exist with out it? (Revised)
A question was once posed to me, if there was no Religion, would Faith still exist?
That question got me thinking and has led me to a new question; can Religion exist without God and can God exist without Religion? My response to the first question is yes. There are plenty of religious people in the world, of all faiths who have missed the boat completely on God. I have seen this first hand in the Christian Faith and sadly, at different times in my life, I have been one of those people.
Regarding the second question, can God exist without Religion? Most definitely. God did exist prior to creation of man and earth. However, when I started to think about where Religion came from and how it started, I discover that it was God who had introduced Religion to man.
Let me define what I believe Religion to be so that we all can have an understanding of what I am trying to say here. I see Religion as an institutionalized system of practices and structure, wherein faith is practiced and exercise, through worship, teaching, and obedience. (I specifically left out relationships and community living. I believe for the most part, healthy relationships and communities to be organic subsequent actions of Faith not religion.)
I also understand that I am writing this post from a somewhat relative stance, of which I believe the Christianity Faith and History to be true. I hope that does not muddy up the water and that we can all still look at this from outside of the box and deconstruct it for better understanding.
God told Adam and Eve not eat from the Tree of Knowledge and to tend to the animals. That was their structure God had provided for them, wherein, if abided by, they were honoring God. It was God who gave Moses the Ten Commandments. It was Jesus who instructed us to love God with all of your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.
Are these not rules and regulations that God has imposed for us to practice and when we do so, we honor God? It appears to me that God started the ball on Religion. I know Religion is bigger than just the Ten Commandments, but they do provide a sense of structure and order and is that not the purpose of Religion?
I am not arguing that Religion is bad nor am I saying that religion is just a set of rules. I do want to make the point that rules are not bad. Instead of rules, perhaps I should call them “Devine Suggestions”. They are in place for our protection and good; however, unfortunately, the “suggestions” or rules become law, which leads to legalism. And God did not impose legalism. Jesus is quoted as saying “I come to bring life to the fullest” and “that my yoke is light”. Which is the opposite of living in bondage of rules, regulations and laws. When it comes down to it. We (man and women) are our own worst enemies when it comes to having a pure, holy relationship with our Father the Creator.
Your comments, feedback and opinions are welcomed.
That question got me thinking and has led me to a new question; can Religion exist without God and can God exist without Religion? My response to the first question is yes. There are plenty of religious people in the world, of all faiths who have missed the boat completely on God. I have seen this first hand in the Christian Faith and sadly, at different times in my life, I have been one of those people.
Regarding the second question, can God exist without Religion? Most definitely. God did exist prior to creation of man and earth. However, when I started to think about where Religion came from and how it started, I discover that it was God who had introduced Religion to man.
Let me define what I believe Religion to be so that we all can have an understanding of what I am trying to say here. I see Religion as an institutionalized system of practices and structure, wherein faith is practiced and exercise, through worship, teaching, and obedience. (I specifically left out relationships and community living. I believe for the most part, healthy relationships and communities to be organic subsequent actions of Faith not religion.)
I also understand that I am writing this post from a somewhat relative stance, of which I believe the Christianity Faith and History to be true. I hope that does not muddy up the water and that we can all still look at this from outside of the box and deconstruct it for better understanding.
God told Adam and Eve not eat from the Tree of Knowledge and to tend to the animals. That was their structure God had provided for them, wherein, if abided by, they were honoring God. It was God who gave Moses the Ten Commandments. It was Jesus who instructed us to love God with all of your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.
Are these not rules and regulations that God has imposed for us to practice and when we do so, we honor God? It appears to me that God started the ball on Religion. I know Religion is bigger than just the Ten Commandments, but they do provide a sense of structure and order and is that not the purpose of Religion?
I am not arguing that Religion is bad nor am I saying that religion is just a set of rules. I do want to make the point that rules are not bad. Instead of rules, perhaps I should call them “Devine Suggestions”. They are in place for our protection and good; however, unfortunately, the “suggestions” or rules become law, which leads to legalism. And God did not impose legalism. Jesus is quoted as saying “I come to bring life to the fullest” and “that my yoke is light”. Which is the opposite of living in bondage of rules, regulations and laws. When it comes down to it. We (man and women) are our own worst enemies when it comes to having a pure, holy relationship with our Father the Creator.
Your comments, feedback and opinions are welcomed.
