Date Posted:05:13:34 10/27/04 Wed Author: Mike K. Subject: Does God really hate Religion? In reply to:
Chris
's message, "Absolutism, authoritarianism and activism" on 14:45:00 10/26/04 Tue
God Hates Religion
This statement is blunt, bold - and false.
Consider these verses:
1Tim 5:4
"But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God"
James 1:27
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. "
Now, this should balance your view: God does not hate religion, and Christ is not opposed to religion. God probably doesn't enjoy us building our own system with which we measure everything around us, but God enjoys very much if we have religion in the context mentioned above.
By the way: UBF is not religious: do you see them spending their time looking after orphans and widows? ( btw: please realize that neither Paul nor James limits "looking after the underprivileged" to the Church - there is NO precondition to charity work, and in the early times that very well meant also looking after those who were worshipping idols i.e. not following the same "party line"!)
