I’m losing my religion.

I have been around Christianity my entire life. I went to church every time the doors were open, my parents were very involved in church related activities, and I attended a Christian academy growing up. So, needless to say, Christianity was instilled in me from the moment I was born. At a very young age, I noticed that not every Christian thinks the same. There are different denominations who believe differently than the next. I grew up in a household where one was Pentecostal and one was Baptist, though both believed in Jesus, both had different views on aspects of the Bible. I went to a non-denominational church till I was about 15 and then I started and currently attending a Church of God. I also was exposed to different beliefs from teachers at school. So, I had several different influences and ideologies invested in me since I was very, very young. Don't get me wrong, no opinion was wrong, and no opinion was more accurate than the other, but they were all different and differences can cause division.

I think the idea of philosophy and religion has caused the church to forget what exactly our mission is, to be an example. To show God's relationship with the church. If we are so focused on maintaining the idea of religion in our church, we're missing the point. I have been hurt by the church. I have been hurt by preachers and teachers of the gospel and it really caused me to be scared to question some teachings. I have attended services and sat in classrooms with people who would preach or talk about something that may have been in the Bible but it wasn’t the whole story or the main focus of the story. I am not accusing anyone of false teachings, but in that moment, they were using religion as a means to scare, hurt, or teach someone a lesson. It wasn’t till I started questioning some things for myself that I realized that I was hurt by religion.

Colossians 2:20-23. *therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations- “do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” which all concern things which perish with the using- according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.* Paul literally states, if you are a born again Christian, why are you following regulations based around the doctrines of men? You may be thinking, that isn’t talking about religion, it is talking about laws of the land or referencing how they shouldn’t follow their paganistic ways. Which is a partial correct, if we are born again believers we have the convictions of ungodly things, but in the church, we can become blind to it. I am talking about those unwritten rules of religion the ones where you are supposed to look, act, talk, and present yourself a certain way. Okay, let’s continue to verse 23, “These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.” Interesting, the regulations of that time sounded wise but it is self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body. Religion has such a clean look from the outside. We hold higher standards for ourselves and for the people of the world. We tend to start judging or casting stones on those that aren’t exactly like us. When we become so focused on the idea of upholding the idea of religion that we cast judgment on people who don’t look like us, act like us, sound like us, dress like us, or think like us, we are stepping into some dangerous territory.

When I started writing about this, a group of people in Jesus’ day popped into my head, you probably have heard of them….. the Pharisees and the Scribes. These people were the religious heads and the government officials of the day. These men were educated and were put on a higher caliber than others. They presented themselves in a “holier than thou” way and wanted you to perceive them as God-fearing people. Allow me to bring your attention to Matthew 23:13-36, specifically Matthew 23:25, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence." Religion has a bad reputation when it comes to how it presents itself. The pharisees were people of intellect, they knew the laws and they knew the word of God. What they didn’t know was the relationship with God. Jesus proved something by not choosing these men as His followers, He proved that even though they know the Bible, it didn’t mean they knew Him, and that didn’t mean that they would inherit the Kingdom of God. Now this is 1 of 7 different “woes” that Jesus states, but this one really stood out to me. These religious people of the time appeared beautiful on the outside, they appeared righteous and in tune with God; but inside they were hypocrites, these were the men that didn’t believe Jesus was God, the same men that used His temple to sell goods, the same men that killed Jesus.

James 1:26-27, *if anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.* We are supposed to be set apart from the world, not in a way that pushes the world away from us, but in a way that pulls them nearer to us. Jesus broke the rules of religion to show that real, genuine relationship with Him is so much better than any rules of Religion. We are supposed to be pure from the world, not allowing sin to corrupt His church, but we are supposed to invest in sinners. Set those examples, show them the way to Christ. We are called to be examples of who God is, and what He wants. His desire is for everyone to be with Him one day. Pure and undefiled religion, we are supposed to look different from the world and set apart but never closed-off to it. We aren’t supposed to allow sin in our churches, but we do need to accept sinners.

Don't use your belief system as a means to win arguments, and cause someone else to confirm what they already believe. That we are hypocritical and judgmental. God is welcoming to everyone, so should we. We must guide new believers into the path of righteousness. I was taught several things growing up that I knew was more of "rule-following" rather than God's word. God cares about every aspect of your life. He has very specific instructions for your life, but when you are so caught up on the lifestyle of someone else that you discriminate against them, you are no better than the Pharisees. When you judge someone based off clothes that they wear and then talk about it with "like-minded" people, you are no better. If you are so caught up on someone's political belief that you don't even show kindness to them anymore, you are no better.

Religion has taught me about rules, and what to do but never the how and why. It has caused me to feel guilty about the things that are against the rules but aren't against God. My relationship with God has taught me to see people as God sees them, to focus on God even in the midst of politics, division, and hurt. To set an example like Jesus did. To love and extend love even if that means correcting a wrong or accepting that I may have been wrong. So, I’m losing my religion. I’m losing the regulations that are set to close me off from the world. I’m choosing to not judge someone based off their style- or lifestyle choices. I’m losing the idea that there is a rule book we must follow to be God’s favor. I’m losing the idea of using certain portions of the Word as a scare tactic to get you into heaven. I’m choosing to love you regardless of how you look, how you sound, what your past looks like, or what your present looks like. I’m choosing to be accepting of the sinner, but not the sin. I’m choosing to show the world that God is love and He loves you abundantly. I’m choosing to be authentically God’s, so He can use me to be an example for Him.

If you have ever been hurt by the “religious” portion of the church, I’m sorry and I’ve been there. I’ve felt the hurt and experienced the judgement. I want to encourage you to keep your head up and lean into God. Understand Him and not the Religion. We can get it wrong so many times. We can say the wrong thing, focus on the wrong things, and hurt people that we don’t mean to; but God loves you and He wants to know you. There comes a time where your beliefs may be questioned, or someone may judge you based off your beliefs. I want to encourage you to take the time now and truly understand why you believe the way that you do. Is it because God revealed things to you, or is it because you were taught it at a young age and it has just stuck with you?

Thanks for reading,

Em