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One of the real surprises on this theme is the rare use of the word “religion” in the New Testament. Only three times does the word itself appear, and two of these are in a negative sense. This is a little unsettling for one grown accustomed to Christianity as a religion.
Jesus is credited today with having founded about the greatest religious movement in human history. But the very book devoted to his life is virtually silent mi the subject of religion. It becomes apparent that “religion” needs to be reexamined.
Someone has equipped: “As all rivers lead to the ocean, so all religions lead to God.” But all rivers don’t lead to the ocean. The Jordan River and its tributaries flow into the Dead Sea, and evaporate! And, after one look at the life of Jesus, we are left wondering if any religion leads to God.
If the Christian faith is merely a set of rules to live by, then we have nothing more than a sect of Judaism. If the creed we affirm (written or unwritten) is our merit badge to acceptance, then we have reduced the faith to an intellectual consensus.
Actually, a person’s religion reveals more about the person than about God. For example, if someone is trying to appease God, this immediately uncovers an erroneous concept of God. Once assured of God’s love, appeasement becomes unnecessary. So a religion of appeasement assumes a reluctant and unfriendly god.
But in spite of all this, we humans are incurably religious. All of us have religious faith. Religion offers a sense of order in a chaotic world. Religion is often a defense mechanism, enabling us to cope in a difficult situation. Our religion also provides a circle of friends and a sense of belonging.
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