Religion Versus Faith

I do not hold to “Organized Religion” mainly because this just
causes too much conflict. Here is the plain truth lack of faith or belief

    Harrington (2006) stated “It is no secret that today there are deep divisions in our society and in our churches.” (Uniters, Not Dividers, p. 39)   Religion causes conflict and lack of faith or belief in God is the reason for violence. Peoples skewed views of God; their own personal interpretations of God and His word are the reasons for violence, strife, hunger, and hatred in the world. Christians believe in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, they believe in the word of God written in the Bible, and should not put their faith in any ones interpretations of the word of God or how they think we should worship Him. God will provide all we need to follow Him. He sets down the ways we are to act and the path we are to follow in the Bible. Religion takes away from that and is nothing more than a way to do the least and reap the most. Religion is man-made, used to package faith into a neat, not too demanding, diluted version of God; it is people who turn religion into something other than faith which ultimately corrupts belief in God.

      It is these divisions among Christians that dictates how we are viewed by non-Christians. Christians believe that unless one believes in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit he/she is not a child of God and will not enter into heaven unless one has been converted to the Christian faith. Christianity is not the only faith many different peoples and cultures have different belief systems and should be respected. Christians are one of the few faiths that actively seek to convert non-believers and members of other faiths.

     For centuries Christian’s have been trying to convert people they believe to be ‘heathens’ to the Christian faith. The colonist who first arrived to the Americas tried to coax Native American peoples to attend church and become Christians, which they equated with being civilized; indeed they would go to the camps and gather up the Native American children taking them to school and to church. They would try to teach them Christian ways and to give them a good ‘Christian’ upbringing. For all their good intentions, Christians have given God a bad name.

     Jehovah’s Witness actively send their members door to door engaging people in conversations about God and how and what they should believe to get into heaven. They solicit pamphlets and other propaganda on their beliefs and interpretations of the word of God. They will hand out their leaflets and other materials to passerby trying to engage them in a debate over religion.

     Missionaries journey to ‘third world’ countries preaching to the natives and trying to convert the natives. They often come on the pretense of providing food, medicines and clothing but along with that will come a sermon on how they need to repent their wicked ways. The Bible does not say that to serve others they must be of ones faith. Sharing the word of God is food for the soul but should not be used to change the beliefs of another.

     A more effective way of sharing about God, is to live life in the manner set by God. Be a living example to people who do not have the same beliefs or any beliefs. Allow them to come to God on their own. Testifying is a way of showing your love for God and allows others to see what belief in Him can do for them. It is not necessary to preach “Fire and Brimstone”, that is to say one does not have to resort to method of saying repent or go to hell. This only serves to push people away and does nothing to bring them to the Lord.

     Denominations are a main component that creates divisions among Christians by only promoting certain aspects of the Bible as their doctrine. Take, for example, two of Christianities leading denominations; Baptist, which can be found in the Bible and follows the teachings of John the Baptist, and Pentecostals, which also is found in the Bible and relates to the Day of Pentecost, world aflame press tract, “The day of Pentecost was observed in Jerusalem fifty days after the celebration of the Passover, which commemorated Israel's deliverance out of Egypt. It is significant that this day was chosen by the Lord to begin the fulfillment of Joel 2:28: "I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh...."( 2005) Both believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and both preach from the King James Version of the Bible; however there is where they start to differ, by what they preach from the Bible.

     Baptist’s beliefs differ mainly in what they consider to be saved; Gentle, D,

Baptism by immersion is not unique to Southern Baptists, but it is certainly one defining distinctive. Baptists consider Christian baptism to be an ordinance for believers only, properly administered by immersion only, and as a symbolic act, not having any power in itself. The act of baptism pictures what Christ has done for us in His death, burial, and resurrection. It pictures what Christ has done in us through the new birth, enabling our death to the old life and resurrecting us to walk in newness of life. Baptism gives testimony to a salvation already received; it is not a requisite for salvation. It is an act of obedience to Jesus Christ. > >

If one has not been baptized in the acceptable ritual such as being completely submerged in a river or pool while a preacher says a prayer over him/her then he/she is not being obedient to God. Once baptized one is saved for the rest of his/her life; one is guaranteed salvation regardless of sins committed. As long as a prayer of forgiveness is said daily one can live his/her life no different then when he/she was a ‘sinner’. This though cannot be said for all Baptist, for each church has autonomy from each other they set their own bylaws and do not have to follow one doctrine, it can differ from church to church for even within the denominations there is still conflict on how to believe and what is acceptable.

      Pentecostal’s view is different. Being baptized is not a requirement. Asking for forgiveness and completely changing the way one lives his or her life is. If one says the ‘sinner’s prayer’, asks the Lord for forgiveness and to be cleansed of all his/her sins and misdeeds he/she will be saved. This, though, does not guarantee salvation; being saved requires constant vigilance by daily prayer and meditation, reading and studying ones Bible, going to church, and giving up ones ‘wicked’ sinful ways to live a life of humble service to the Lord.

     Labeling denominations is a common practice. One will hear of Baptist referred to as ‘Foot Washing’ or fanatical and Pentecostals have been called ‘Holy Rollers’; this name calling does not promote unity, community or love. This only fosters hate.

     The whole Bible needs to be taught. Christians need to see where they came from to know where they are going. It is not the intention of this essay to say that the entire Bible is to be followed verbatim. Some practices are no longer necessary, for example we no longer need to sacrifice animals or food to show our faith and obedience to the Lord, however if one does not know their history are they not bound to repeat it?

     Our focus needs to be brought back to God. Too much of our daily lives are spent not under the guidance of our Lord but under the mistaken belief that we are no longer in need of His council, wisdom, teachings, and love. Just look around today and see that, indeed, we are a people divided and confused. Let us ask ourselves. Are we willing to sacrifice our Children? Is this the price we would pay? We need to take our time to get back to the family and to the family praising God together. Let us take a look at our lives and see where we have neglected our family and not brought them together to praise and worship God. One Sunday a month or during the holidays, or every once in a while when one has time is not going to accomplish anything.  We need to have a daily dialogue with God and with our family about God. We need to pray to him for guidance and look to him for answers. Be examples to our children where to have faith in God is to have salvation and peace.  > >

     God is not the source of all that is wrong with this world; he does not cause the wars, nor does he cause hunger, disease, or greed. What causes these things are people with their misguided, skewed views of what service to God means and of what faith in Him requires of us. They allow evil and temptation to corrupt their beliefs. They disagree on even the most basic of things and fight amongst each other instead of turning to God for answers and guidance.

     God gave man free will; unfortunately, man has twisted this into a prison of war, distrust and malcontent. They believe free will is just an illusion and doubt that one can truly have free will and still follow the Bible. They choose instead to make their own interpretations of his word blaming God for their failures and their misery.  When they should be praying to God to guide them, to help them find the answers they seek. God is there if we choose to call on him, he has not forsaken us. We have forgotten him. Ones’ own since of Righteousness is what keeps him or her from being humble to God and causes the conflict we see in our community.

     Until Christians can learn to live the word of God and resist temptations there can be no community, no lasting peace. We need to return to the basics, live under one doctrine, the Bible, pray and seek council in God every day. Live with humility and understanding. Be tolerant of other faiths and cultures and do not assume that just because they do not believe as we do that they are not worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven.

     Celebrate the many different cultures and customs, share our customs and traditions. Do not throw away our Christianity instead embrace our faith and share Gods love for all his children. Faith requires sacrifice, trials, tribulations, suffering. Faith requires a commitment to ones convictions to follow God and his teachings unconditionally. Brennan Manning was the one who said best, “Authentic Christianity should lead to maturity, personality, and reality. It should fashion whole men and women living lives of love and communion.” (The Ragamuffin Gospel, 1991)









                                                  References

         
          Manning, B. (1990). The Ragamuffin Gospel. Portland, Oregon: Multnomath Press > >

Gentle, D. So Who are Southern Baptists? P 4.  Retrieved Mar. 18, 2006 from The Baptist Start Page. www.baptiststart.com/print/baptist_distinctives.html > >

World aflame press tract. (2005). Pentecost:  What's That? p 1. Retrieved March. 18, 2006 from UPCI.org. www.upci.org/doctrine/pentecost.asp > >

Harrington, D.J. (2006). Uniters, Not Dividers. America 194(4). 39, Retrieved Feb. 7, 2006, from EBSCO Host database > >

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