Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘why is religion bad?’

LIFE BEYOND RELIGION

Posted in It's Not About 'Religion', tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 18, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Lots of fascinating statements in this meme, eh? Let me throw you one more: I follow Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is the Son of God) and I most certain AM anti-religion.

In fact, judging by the statements in the meme, many other Jesus followers are anti-religion. Let’s go through the list:

  • I most certain am anti-sexism.
  • Any thinking Jesus follower is anti-racism because we know that all people have equal value in the eyes of God. There are NO exceptions to this truth.
  • The same truth applies to LGBTQ people. God LOVES them and offers them the same gift He offered me: a new, transformed and eternal life, starting RIGHT NOW, through faith in His Son.

    How do I know these things? One of the four original-source biographies of Jesus’s physical life on earth says: God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not face everlasting destruction, but will have everlasting life.

That’s an all-encompassing statement; there are no footnotes indicating any exceptions. So no matter what you believe or what anyone has told you, ALL people have equal value in the eyes of God.

  • I oppose abuse of any kind and so do all Jesus followers I’ve ever encountered. That doesn’t mean any of us are within shouting distance of perfection. Just like atheist/agnostic people or folks from other faith groups, we can make mistakes in the heat of emotion or through insecurity or self-centredness. No one is above temptation.
  • Anti-war? Like many people, I take a more nuanced position. Consider this: what would the world be like if Nazism hadn’t been defeated through war? I don’t like the answer and I suspect you don’t either.
  • As for the last statement in the meme, after reading this far, do YOU believe that religion is anti-you? If you’re with me, then skip religion and follow Jesus instead.

Before you ask, let me answer: NO, following Jesus doesn’t mean you obsess on observing petty rules, feeling superior to others and judging people based on their behaviour, their clothes/jewelry or how “good” you think they might be.

The thing I try to remember, the thing I NEED to keep me humble, is the FACT that no matter how good I think I am, it’s not good enough. Did you know this — Jesus told anyone willing to listen that “you are called to something higher: Be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

Really? Yes, really. That’s why I call myself a Jesus follower. By claiming Him as Lord, Saviour and best friend, I benefit from Jesus’ death on a Roman cross. That death wipes the slate clean for ALL His followers. This means all the wrong things I’ve done, and all the right things I’ve failed to do, are GONE. God sees me like He sees Jesus: perfect in every way.

Just as important, when I became a Jesus follower, I opened the door to Him coming into my life RIGHT NOW and making me the person God designed me to be. That process won’t end until this life is finished and I go to be with my creator in Heaven.

Sound interesting? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

Read Full Post »

COMPETITION? WHAT COMPETITION?

Posted in It's Not About 'Religion', tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 11, 2023| 5 Comments »

Has this ever occurred to you – that “religion” (a nasty term I want nothing to do with) and science are in some sort of wrestling cage match – and science has religion in a choke-hold?

That’s certainly the point of this meme, helpfully provided by an internet atheism community, and it suggests that “religion” doesn’t work. Guess what? I’m a man of faith and I absolutely agree.

Religion is all about what Stephen Hawking called “authority,” along with following rules, looking good in front of others and judging people who don’t appear to have it all together. Yech. Sounds awful, doesn’t it?

So let’s talk about faith/spirituality instead. And let’s wonder why on earth anyone would believe faith and science are competing. They absolutely are not because, as Hawking noted “there is a fundamental difference” between them.

Consider this: science deals only with the natural world, while faith/spirituality overlaps significantly into the supernatural. So they have almost nothing in common. That’s why there are many spiritual thinkers in the fields of engineering, physics and astronomy, chemistry and biomedical sciences.

(In fact, Wikipedia lists more than 60 scientific thinkers that follow Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is the Son of God. I wrote about some of them here: https://wp.me/p2wzRb-e9)

I hope that by now, you are willing to consider that science and faith can and do get along quite nicely. That means YOU can still be science-oriented while exploring a life of faith. That’s certainly the case for me; I like science because it shows me how God does stuff. 🙂

Like those 60 thinkers mentioned earlier, I follow Jesus because it makes the most sense and it helps me to understand this world and what I believe is the life to come. Now here’s the thing: Jesus told anyone willing to listen that in order to get the best of this life and the next life, “You must be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect.”

Oh, man. I’m absolutely nowhere near perfect (just ask my wife) and I can safely write that you aren’t either. So what’s the solution? It’s simple: follow Jesus. Declare Him, with serious sincerity, to be your Lord, your Saviour and your best friend. Then start reading about Him (there are four original-source biographies available that detail His physical time on earth) and connecting with other Jesus followers.

If you do that, Jesus will come into your world and start the life-long process of making you more like the person God created you to be. And when this life ends, God will see you like He sees Jesus: perfect in every way. That means you’ll spend eternity with Him in Heaven.

Sounds like a pretty good deal to me. Do you agree? Yes or no, click/tap the ‘share’ button below and let’s have a conversation.

Read Full Post »

FROM RELIGION TO SOMETHING BETTER

Posted in It's Not About 'Religion', tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 15, 2023| 6 Comments »

The National Post headline said “Canadians’ faith in God is ‘decoupling’ from their attachment to religion“. Given that this is a spirituality blog, you might think I regard the survey results in this article as bad news.

You would be wrong.

Says the article, published in April 2023: According to a survey carried out for the Association for Canadian Studies, a curious demographic trend in Canada is that spiritual or religious belief has persisted despite the famously steep decline in church attendance and other formal religious observances.

This “decoupling” shows up everywhere from the strictest Abrahamic monotheisms [Christianity, Judaism and Islam] to more mystical and polytheistic faiths.

So why am I — a follower of Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is the Son of God — not depressed at this trend? Because I left behind the stone-hearted, negative, judgmentalism of “religion” a long time ago. And Jesus has no problem with that.

In one of the original-source biographies of His life, Jesus said this to anyone willing to listen: Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.

See? Jesus knew — and still knows — that religion causes nothing but spiritual and emotional fatigue for most people. These are the folks who keep striving, unsuccessfully, to be “good” enough, pray enough, sacrifice enough and give enough to satisfy sky-high standards. And if they believed they met those standards, then they would probably become just as arrogant and unforgiving as so many other religious people.

The solution is to skip religion and focus on Jesus – His remarkable teachings, gobsmacking miracles, horrifying death and incredible resurrection.

— With an open and inquiring mind, read the four original-source biographies of Jesus’ physical life on Earth. They’re simple called the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

— Ask Jesus followers about Him (including ME: fdking@hotmail.com)

— Go even more radical and ask God to open your heart and mind to what He’s trying to tell you about His Son.

Many people would advise you not to waste your time on this. But I’m confident that since you’re here and reading this, you somehow know that checking out Jesus is important.

I believe you’re on the right track because if you sincerely welcome Jesus into your heart, your mind and your life, He will start making you into the person God created you to be. That’s what’s He’s doing with me. And that process won’t end until this life is finished and I join Him in Heaven.

So what do you think? Post your comments below and let’s have a conversation. 🙂

Read Full Post »