Christianity Without the Religion magazine - February

mcarans said:

The latest Christianity Without the Religion magazine:

Christianity Without the Religion magazine - February : cruciformity

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Interesting, aparently there is no hell, no judgement of believers or unbelievers we are all going to go to heaven. A God of love who doesn't say depart from me you workers of evil.

mcarans said:

To which article in the magazine are you referring?

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The very first one.

mcarans said:

The latest Christianity Without the Religion magazine:

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Is there a way to read it without signing up for redit?

Hammster said:

The name of the magazine is a lie.

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True, but it is a common statement among evangelicals.
They have come up with a totally incorrect definition of "religion."

On this forum and elsewhere, I have brought up the verse in James where it talks about "pure and undefiled religion," and they claim that what James says is NOT "religion."

Dave-W said:

True, but it is a common statement among evangelicals.
They have come up with a totally incorrect definition of "religion."

On this forum and elsewhere, I have brought up the verse in James where it talks about "pure and undefiled religion," and they claim that what James says is NOT "religion."

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It's good to be aware what tens of millions of those outside of our faith think of the word 'religion' to mean.

Today, in America, the common parlance, usage, for religion is something like this, as best I can tell:

Religion (modern American usage):
1. Any belief system involving doctrines and believers that believe in those doctrines, who hold those beliefs as central in their lives. Anything can then become a 'religion'.
Examples: Buddhism, Capitalism, Secular Humanism, Christianity, Football, Harry Potter, etc.
The key being that the person truly makes this system and its rules and principles their primary focus and emotional home.

2. Any belief system about transcendent things, a 'higher power' or hidden order that pervades the Earth and Universe.
Examples: Christianity, Islam, Transcendental Meditation, The Tao, etc.

3. More narrow meanings...

So, while you and I are fine to call a religion something else, like any organized belief in the one, true God, or perhaps a wider definition, the above though are the most common usage in actual use in ordinary American conversations among diverse groups of Americans. It's good to know so that we don't end up saying to them Christianity is only like Harry Potter. I like to quote occasionally (not every week though) in more diverse groups: James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

We can accurately paraphrase it, keeping exactly what it means I think like so:
"Religion that God the Father accepts is to care for orphans and widows, the poor, sick, those in distress, the oppressed [*], and to keep oneself from the mistakes and wrongs of the world like greed, prejudices, hatreds."

(* - each of these are from scriptures)

Halbhh said:

It's good to be aware what tens of millions of those outside of our faith think of the word 'religion' to mean.

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Many evangelicals and pentecostals understand "religion" to mean any empty ritual or external adherence to rules intended to make one's self acceptable to God. Self-works.

Here are some examples from this very forum:

timothyu said:

Perhaps many miss the point that Christianity became a religion when the worldly within used it for their own purpose rather than the original intent as a way of life contrary to the traditional ways of man. Christianity could not help but attain the same dual nature as mankind as mankind recreated it in their own image, with those of the world rather than the Kingdom, eventually becoming the ruling majority there also and as usual.

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greenguzzi said:

Christianity is a religion, but following Christ isn't.

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PGL said:

The source of all religion is the natural self of man, the expression of the fallen nature of the flesh exercising dominion over the soul. As evidenced by these verses and by the history of all the religions of the world, the result of this source is always division and confusion. God is not the author of confusion. Who is?

In discussing the world's religions, I am putting them in the same category with pagan religions. The relationship of the world's religions to paganism is a documented historical fact, indeed, the ancestry of both categories of religions can be traced back in origin to the Babylonian worship established by Nimrod. What, then, is the true purpose of religion?

The entire purpose of religion is to externalize spiritual truth: to substitute worthless outward rituals, symbolism, and self‑effort for the truth that can only be apprehended in spirit. There is some "truth" in all religions, but it is truth that has been so distorted and mixed in with falsehood that it becomes not only useless but also deadly. How much we underestimate the subtlety of Satan!

What can be said with respect to the religions of the world is this: Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius and all other such religious figures are still buried in the grave; but Jesus Christ alone is risen from the dead!

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Thanks for sharing the magazine. I had never heard of it. If I had to take just one quote out of the first article to sum up the theme, it would be this one:

Dave-W said:

Many evangelicals and pentecostals understand "religion" to mean any empty ritual or external adherence to rules intended to make one's self acceptable to God. Self-works.

Here are some examples from this very forum:

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Yes, that's definitely right, yet another meaning, very common, and in widespread use also. Empty ritual, a pretension. It's another to keep in mind along with the ones I listed we need also to know for when we talk with those not yet knowing the gospel. I think one of the most important moments to communicate well we have is when we have a chance to share the gospel with those never having heard any accurate version of it. Therefore, we have to be aware what those still lost may mean when they use the word 'religion', so we can avoid merely an argument with them about what is 'religion' (a complete dead end argument if we start to merely dispute definitions).

Halbhh said:

s, that's definitely right, yet another meaning, very common, and in widespread use also. Empty ritual, a pretension.

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Except that is a MISUSE of the word.

Dave-W said:

Many evangelicals and pentecostals understand "religion" to mean any empty ritual or external adherence to rules intended to make one's self acceptable to God. Self-works.

Here are some examples from this very forum:

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In my experience it's primarily "Christian Anarchists" or their close cousins the Anabaptists that say that on this forum.