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Posts Tagged ‘religion is a waste of time’

THE CONUNDRUM OF COMPLEXITY

Posted in It's Not About 'Religion', tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 6, 2025| 1 Comment »

When the actor famous for portraying Harry Potter says he has a “problem with religion,” I just nod my head in silent agreement.

I’ll bet when you think about religion, the most you can come up with is judgmental, stone-hearted people telling others they’re going to hell, correct? Well, I’m right there with you.

So let’s talk about something that I regard as quite different: faith/spirituality. I can tell you that as a follower of Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is the Son of God), I DO NOT have all the answers and I don’t know of a single honest Jesus follower who thinks any different.

That said, Jesus followers DO have answers to many of life’s most pressing questions, like why are we here (to have a relationship with our creator and tell others about Him), and is there life beyond death (yes!). But many, many others remain unanswered. And that’s OK because God is God and we are NOT.

Are humans complex? Heck YES. Just consider all the denominations in the Christian faith: Roman Catholic, Baptist, Orthodox, Pentecostal, Alliance, Methodist, Presbyterian, Anglican, Lutheran and many more. Regardless of what they think of each other, that certainly proves that Jesus followers are an example of the complexity Daniel Radcliffe mentions.

When Radcliffe, an atheist, says we humans often change our minds on issues, I agree. And that’s a GREAT reason, in my opinion, to follow Jesus of Nazareth.

Without an unchanging moral centre upon which to base your life, consider these questions:

  • How do you know if your opinion on any issue is right?
  • How do you know that you won’t change your mind on something important, then embarrassingly wonder how you ever believed the opposite viewpoint?
  • How do you know if your actions are really, REALLY correct? If it’s just your opinion, then it’s based on nothing but your subjective worldview.

I’m not wise enough, virtuous enough or mature enough to have a worldview that’s solid enough to base my life upon. Let me be bold and declare I think the same way about Radcliffe’s worldview. And YOURS.

By following Jesus of Nazareth, I know there’s lots of room for complexity (unlike religion) while still sticking to the objective truth of doing the good things for other people that you would want them to do for you (the “Golden Rule”). The truth of setting aside my selfish, self-centred ego and trusting something (Someone!) bigger and better than me. The truth of accepting Jesus’s radical statement – made to anyone willing to listen – that “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

If you give any credibility to Jesus and His statements, what are you going to do about the previous paragraph? Our culture insists you should ignore it and go shopping, but I bet that if you’ve read this far, you’re ready and willing to resist that siren call.

I suggest looking reading the four original accounts of Jesus’s life, ministry, death and resurrection (the “Gospels”). Take your questions to a Jesus follower (my email: fdking@hotmail.com) and keep your mind open. It could change your life for the better!

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WASTING TIME WITH RELIGION

Posted in It's Not About 'Religion', tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 6, 2012| 3 Comments »

Are you as fascinated as I am with the spirituality of celebrities? In recent years, the media told us about pop singer Katy Perry not having a childhood because of her strict religious parents (they wouldn’t even let her buy non-Christian CDs), and about Brad Pitt (who grew up the son of very conservative Christian parents) saying his upbringing was stifling.

Now there’s another celebrity speaking out about faith.  Singer Brian Johnson, the 70-year-old member of AC/DC – I love his wolverine-in-heat singing style – told the website popeater.com that he doesn’t believe in religion.

“I believe all religions are bad,” he said. “I think they’re a waste of time.”

From a Christian perspective (and that was Johnson’s childhood environment), he couldn’t be more right. Religion is about rules and appearances – follow the rules and make sure you appear to have it all together. If you don’t, prepare to be criticized and ostracized.

Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is the Son of God, has no use for this kind of thinking. He told the self-righteous religious leaders of His day (those are likely the sort of people Johnson is thinking about) that they were hopeless frauds.

One of the original source documents of His life records Him telling a crowd of people, “Instead of giving you God’s Law as food and drink by which you can banquet on God, they [the self-righteous religious leaders] package it in bundles of rules, loading you down like pack animals. They seem to take pleasure in watching you stagger under these loads.”

In the case of Katy Perry (famous for her outlandish outfits and the hit song ‘I Kissed a Girl’), she told Vanity Fair magazine her parents wouldn’t let her say ‘deviled eggs’ or ‘dirt devil’ and the only book her mother ever read to her was the Bible.

Now this may be a case of parents fearful of losing their child to all the attractions of our superficial, often-misguided culture. But that fear caused them to go to such laughable religious extremes that Perry abandoned her faith.

These were the same kinds of extremes Jesus dealt with. His followers were collecting food during the Sabbath – a holy day of rest for serious Jews – when those obnoxious, rule-obsessed religious leaders found out and accused them of breaking Jewish law. As before, Jesus refused to knuckle under.

“The Sabbath was made to serve us; we weren’t made to serve the Sabbath,” He told them.

Notice what keeps happening? Now, as in ancient times, religion keeps getting in the way of people having a life-changing relationship with God – a relationship that ultimately guarantees us a place in Heaven with Jesus.

I’m not saying all rules are always bad; can you imagine the mayhem that would result if we tried playing hockey or soccer without rules? Those guidelines help us understand and enjoy hockey and soccer, just as the guidelines Jesus supported help us understand and enjoy a relationship with God, through Jesus.

If this makes sense, are you willing to give God (as opposed to religion) a try?

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