The problem with religion

A couple of years ago a friend and I from bible school were visiting his family in south Texas for the weekend. Sunday morning we planned on meeting his parents for church, but my friend had never been so he wasn’t sure exactly where it was. We ended up pulling up to an old white church with a big steeple. We walked in immediately and realized we probably weren’t in the right place.

Everyone in the place stared at us like we were aliens. It was hilarious, every man was wearing a suit and all the women had their hair in a bun and dresses down to the floor. My friend and I were wearing t-shirts, jeans full of holes and flip flops. We decided to stay, uncomfortably and then for the next hour were shouted at about how hot hell was and how we better repent of all our sins and get our lives right with Jesus before we start burning!

I thought I might light on fire right in my seat the way those people were looking at me.

My friend and I laughed it off as we ran out the church, but when did our outfits start determining our spiritual condition?

There is a real God doing beautiful things and there is a Church full of people passionate about the way of Jesus. I am not writing about the real church, but the impostors. There is an institution called church full of empty religion. It’s time we make that distinction very clear.

Have you ever felt disillusioned by churches? Have you seen the binding rules, the obligations, the empty rituals and thought this is what church is?

Have you seen people stand up and speak in the name of Jesus but sound nothing like him? People have preached many sermons, fought many wars and killed many people in the name of God. For many centuries, in cultures and regions the name of Jesus has been misrepresented, exploited and abused.

If you have seen the signs held high that God hates fags, greedy televangelist lining their pockets with money, corruption, scandals and oppression for those outside the group you have not encountered the message of Jesus but the cheap substitute called religion.

Religion murdered the Native Americans, molested children and killed Jesus. People and text books assumed Jesus was master minding the atrocities we have encountered and seen over the centuries.  We thought Jesus was on the churches side of the battlefield but we were wrong; he was with the “enemy”. Jesus was with the ones we oppressed.

Jesus never came to set up a political or religious system. He didn’t want to make Christianity the national religion, we did. Systems we create always have to have an enemy, someone to oppress. It used to be the Muslims, the Jews; the Salem witches or anyone who opposed the church.

Today it’s the liberals, or the gays or the abortion advocates or the atheist.

I was religious, probably up until 3 weeks ago. I remember going to church, reading my bible, trying to not sin and feeling so empty. I remember feeling angry at God because I was seeing all this crap in the church and seeing fake people doing things that were so shady. I started blaming God or wanting to check out because it was all so fake and phony.

But looking back, God had nothing to do with it. Along the way, I had lost sight of God and grabbed onto something else that appeared to be the same. Religion tends to look a lot like what Jesus is about. That’s how someone can go to a lot of churches their whole lives and never look anything like Jesus.

Religion likes when we talk about the bible or Christianity as long as we don’t act like Jesus. Religion wants us to go to church, but not encounter God. It’s all the principles or programs but none of the power.

Stop getting duped, God and religion do not have the same agenda.

When we force our message through condemnation, guilt, fear or politics we have joined a religious movement. When people become the target of our hate or scorn, when anyone who opposes our way or agenda becomes our enemy we have become a religious mob.

Jesus never forced his way, demanded his rights, fought for his agenda. He did not hate those who persecuted him, fight back or seek revenge.

Religion can hate people Jesus will not.

Religion can kill people Jesus will save.

Religion can oppress, confuse, abandon, hurt, deceive, and disillusion us but Jesus,

He will make you whole.

It’s time.

Turn your eyes back to Jesus.