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Religion generally makes for bad press these days a good gossip story in the local rag or more serious concerns in the coverage of war and terrorism.
The majority population in UK associate the term ‘Religion’ with negative connotations.
At home I was told “Talking about religion and politics only causes arguments”; while attempting evangelism at my first job (in the early 1960s) it was common the be rebuffed by the older guys; “Religion causes wars”! Who was I to argue with those who had been active in WW2, given the violent history of the world’s religions including the Christian one?
The influence of two world wars in the last century has not featured much here in discussing the decline in religious practice and adherence in the West. Shortly before WW1 there was a major revival in wales in which 100,000 converts entered the Welsh chapels. They did not just lose heart and drift, most of the men were lost in the Great War and their potential for the churches went with them. Prior to 1914 the most prominent work in Christian missions was carried out by Germany and the UK, two ‘Christian nations’, who were to be locked together through two bloody wars.
The effects of liberalism and 18th Century higher criticism seems not to have affected the UK’s evangelical pulpits or congregations but it did affect many Protestant Churches, dumbing down, hardening or disaffecting the populace. Others may have jumped ship and bolstered evangelical churches which were and largely remain well attended.
James mentions a pure religion that is acceptable to God so logically he had in mind another form of religion that was impure and unacceptable (James 1:27). As we have seen the Pharisees of the time for all their preciseness in the Law of God were largely rebuked for their ‘form of religion’ which followed the letter but missed the heart of the Law.
Although their religion used only the ‘right’ and scriptures, ‘right symbols’ and ‘right ‘rituals’ specifically authorised by the Lord ‘their religion’ was void of God’s life and marked as hypocritical, self-serving and full of pride by Christ Lk. 8:9-14, while Paul counted all that he knew of it as dung Phil. 3:8 in comparison to knowing Christ.
It is easy to become like a Pharisees we just have to stop resisting the temptation of our weak egos to put others down to improve our own sense of importance or self-worth, get on a soap box and tell others how they should live. In fact this is exactly how many objectors view our Christian religion. We need to take note – it cannot all be without reason.
For others religion means sets of beliefs, forms of religious rites, symbols and practices which they have no interest in. And if the Pharisee can engage fully with God ordained Law, rites and symbols, it is equally possible to embrace those elements encompassed in Christian religion and yet not to possess anything of the life of God. We may be moved emotionally by ‘High Mass’, ‘Gregorian Chant’ or ‘Shine Jesus Shine’ and be assured that we have the true religion of Jesus while our hearts are far from Him and we are under His condemnation.
It is no wonder given ‘all that’, that some Christians when communicating the gospel, in an attempt to avoid the negative connotations of religion, say they have nothing to do with religion, they are talking of “a relationship with Jesus Christ.”
The enjoyment of religion that does not impact our inner motivations and outer works of mercy is not worship; in fact it is idolatry – and the enjoyment or elation is the god. The outward idol may be a statue, the Bible or an icon etc. In reality it is self-worship, we may become ensnared by legalism, ritualism or a host of other-isms and in effect become our own idol doing what is self-pleasing, self-affirming and leaving the Lord at the margins.
I will add a few quotes from: ‘Benefit of the Doubt’ pages 55-56 by Greg Boyd
“In Jn. 5 Jesus confronted some religious leaders … These leaders thought they possessed life by diligently studying scripture. What made these leaders feel accepted and secure before God was that they knew their Bible and were confident they embraced true Bible-based beliefs … Jesus, of course, wasn’t suggesting that there was anything wrong with their diligent study of scripture … the issue wasn’t about ‘what’ they believed: he disputed the way they believed it.”
“He (Jesus) was trying to get them to see that there is no life in knowing the Bible and embracing Bible-based beliefs unless they lead to him. By trying to wring life out of things that have no life apart from Christ, these leaders made an idol out of the Bible and their Bible-based beliefs”.
Religious hypocrisy – religion without reality is dangerous spiritual state. If we play religion without sincere repentance, simple faith and a desire for holiness we are in a bad way. Our religion at best is natural, intellectual and or emotional – ‘such religion’ has an empty form of godliness but denies its power (2 Timothy 3:5). This state of affairs cannot exist for long, ‘nature hates a vacuum’ and ‘devils find work for empty hands’.
Boyd continues:- “There is a demonic self-reinforcing quality about idolatry that can be discerned in these leaders. By trying to derive false life from their confident knowledge of scripture … these leaders made an idol of their knowledge …they were not hungry for the true ‘Bread of Life’ because they had stuffed themselves with the false life of their idol. … The idols that trapped them … looked very spiritual and) made them confident they were OK with God.”
The wisdom of religion that is self-orientated with features identified by James is a religion of this world, earthly and natural in a toxic environment and soon becomes demonic James (3:13-18).
Boyd concludes:- This episode demonstrates the way we believe what we believe can transform what we believe into an idol that actually blocks us from getting life from Christ … this happens whenever we are confident we are OK with God because of what we believe rather than because of our relationship with … (Jesus Christ) … If what makes us feel ok with God is our confidence in the correctness of our beliefs, then our confidence in our beliefs is, in effect, our god.
The same is true of anything else religion that has won our confidence if it is anything other than Christ Himself!
The following link provides a further critique:
All Along the Watchtower 
A good post to meditate upon, Rob.
There is a right and proper use of things as well as an improper use of things: a baseball bat is rightfully used to hit a baseball and wrongfully used to bash somebody’s brains in.
A sign, symbol or ritual can be used to invigorate a community while inviting individuals to a deepening understanding of a mystery that is inexpressible by a mere usage of words or it can be simplistic (this stand for that), or it can be pharisaical where something done or symbolized is more important than the thing it represents or signifies. A song can be used to enhance or detract from what a rite is purposed to express: the difference is what is ‘the purpose’ and effect desired. Mindless adherence, is, of course, merely group think and can be viewed as ‘idols’ if the symbol no longer takes one’s mind to Christ and to contemplation of His countless Mysteries.
One aspect which you did not address is having proper reasons for jettisoning those things seen as possible ‘misuse’ not for their actual misuse but because they either personally perceive it to be so or because they harbor a new desire to ‘remake’ or create another ritual or symbol by eliminating these things of rightful origin and even, at times, replacing them with something more acceptable to the mindset of the individual or the state of the world of the day. These usually turn out to be rather dubious and mundane in what they ‘purpose’ to replicate; more intellectual, banal, or emotional than spiritual.
It is useful to establish the proper and improper use of these things and of what is useful and that which is of no use in the context of what a ritual is trying to convey through every avenue to a soul’s understanding; sign, gesture, word, music, sight, smell, etc.
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BTW, your link does not work, Rob. 🙂
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No problem with those comments Dave.
The only example that comes to mind is a comment I read by Rev. Cannon Michael Green (an Anglican). He suggested at one time that his church drop the practice of infant baptism for a generation. The non – church going populace in UK associate the baptism of their babies entirely as a name giving ceremony – at least the many I have known do. And the Revs’ suggestion was probably one he suggested to correct that error. I’m not commenting on the rightness or otherwise for his position given his place in the church it just illustrates how a symbol can lose its meaning for some and leave us asking – what should be done in that situation.
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I was going to comment as Dave Smith has about the link. I also wanted to add that such is our nature that anything can distract us from God, as you indicate, but it follows that anything can be the instrument of deepening our relationship. Folk are all different, and what works for one won’t, often, for another.
For me, the personal relationship cannot be separated from the church as community, we’re part of the body of Christ, not the whole body, which, for me, has always gone against the idea one comes across that it is ‘me and God alone.’
Interesting post – much to think on. Thank you.
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Thanks Geoffrey I found that a number of Biblical symbols and rites have worked well enough for me and it would not be my place to comment a=on many that I am unfamiliar with and unsure what they are supposed to mean.
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My feeling exactly, Rob.
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Rob, your anti-liturgical bias is so strong that it clouds your thinking. Pray tell, how can we evaluate our relationship with Christ if we don’t have some standard bearer to bounce off of? Now if we use the Holy Spirit and only our own infallible and well developed brain, we wonder around like Bosco. If on the other hand we loose sleep every night because we missed one daily mass seven months ago, fail to read the bible at least 3 hours daily, and have $17 dollars in the bank that we should have given to the church, we probably are not able to function in society.
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I don’t know Bob’s liturgical practices, but my feeling that they are no where near those of the Catholic Church in the Mass. I don’t even know if Bob has been to a Catholic Mass or even how often. Certainly, to a Non-Catholic the Mass can seem overly structured.
Gregorian Chant like the Rosary is hypnotic by nature, the only thing about both is they should put you into and maintain you into the appropriate trance.
My reading of Bob’s comment is that the completeness of the Mass is, “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord” and our answer is, “Thanks be to God”…now go out and do it…
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My points were that sincerity of heart is far more important than the means or style employed to convey our worship. I worked and lived for 6 months in S. African townships. They repeatedly sang and danced with joy and enthusiasm towards the Lord using one short song in Afrikaans “Danka my liva” – “thank you for my life” and very few other words but it moved me greatly to live with those with so little who were so full of thanks towards the Lord.
Also I was just suggesting that we cannot trust that our emotional reactions to worship of whatever style are acceptable to the Lord if they lack true spiritual virtues – our enjoyment of the experience without these can easily become an idol.
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I was not intending to make any anti-liturgical comments, I have too little knowledge of any liturgies or what they intend to convey to be critical of them.
Set liturgies have never been part of my church experience but where believers seek to follow Christ together as a community there is plenty that we bounce off one another that acts a corrective to our wayward ways. Elders in these churches would not be slow in bringing guidance’s in the right way if they were to become concerned.
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All the first three responses above are excellent comments mostly with which I fully agree. I am rather busy today and I will get a response to each out by tomorrow. I thought I had given the Bible idolaters rather more space and a harder time than any ritualises (Which I define as something different than a correct use of ritual) – so let’s see if we can find greater agreement them. Thanks for each response.
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I would rather concur – Ithought you had been fair in your attribution of the various types of idolatry – ncluding Biblioatry. Look forward when you have more time, Rob.
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I agree as well, C, though there is the subjective element of the individual or group who is making the analysis or judgement as to who is making of these things idols and who is not; especially so, if one has not the acumen or intimate experience of a ritual or the usage of the prayer of the mind, body and soul expressed in more than mere words which are totally inadequate to the immensity of the mysteries of God. In such a case one ends in stripping the heart and soul from a ritual and leaving a bare bones form of worship that can range from pandemonium to outright demeaning of the worship that is due to God. Not that I think Rob is pusing for such a thing but it needs to examined in such a context as there is more to the subject than first meets the eye, the ear, the nose, the taste or the touch of the sybols which in some instances contain a Supernatural Reality far more real than what the objective, temporal value indicates; for example, the super-substantial bread of the altar and the special treatment that one accords to the Supernatural Reality . . . or not, depending upon how developed one’s eyes of Faith have been developed.
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Indeed. I have having an interesting discussion with a man in my own church who holds that we are not reequired to believe the Creed or to obey the authority of the Pope – so lack of the eye of faith is not confined to one church community!
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Indeed, it seems to me job number one in our modern times to restore the ideas and purpose of the the fullness of our faith within our own parishes. Much is lost but if we should ever regain our own, it certainly would make a world of difference in trying to relate to others outsided of the faith.
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The spiritual directors of whichever community one is part of I think would be the first to be concerned for their flocks and any erring members.
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Religions
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I have found the John reference to be increasingly powerful and thought-provoking in recent years: “but these are they which speak of Me”. My relationship with God is not what it used to be, but I know it is there… As someone once wisely said, ” You cannot be angry with someone who doesn’t exist.” But as I find myself turning back to God, because I have seen His goodness, I feel ashamed of myself. Love should be constant, trusting throughout the ups and downs… I have been fickle, unworthy of God’s love. Worship seems to be at the heart of what Rob installing about, and people worship God for all sorts of reasons. But it would be well to ask ourselves WHY the kind of idolatries he describes exist. If people are getting swerpt up in the music and the “Christian culture” that should tell us something about emotions, wanting to belong. Wanting to be genuine, conformity etc…worthy of a post or two.
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Hi Nick,
Please forgive me for butting in on your personal feelings but I do not think that shame is an emotion our Lord wants us to linger in once we have sought forgiveness for any of our short comings.
For me it only tends to weaken my resolve to continue in His ways and I think it has more to do with my perfectionism. I find Romans 8:1 is a good corrective for my plight.
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