Religion

I read an article about how religion makes you an exclusive, group-thinking nitwit who accepts all manner of hooey in the name of belonging. You will, this article suggests, turn off your brain, adopt hate, and generally ruin lives.

This is, unfortunately, largely true. Religion, when defined as "man's attempt to reach God" or tied to politics, is going to be a highly negative thing.

But the Bible defines pure and good religion as taking care of those who don't have anything and not being polluted by the world (James 1:27).

Christians -- and, I'm guessing, a few others -- will tell you something more. Their religion isn't a system as much as it is a relationship. And what practices and disciplines are in place help them keep their eyes off themselves and provide reminders to love others.

Granted, it is easy to find examples -- even in my own life -- where we haven't been loving and done things for the wrong reasons. How many people actually look outward and love? If I'm any indication, not many; I've got a long way to go. All the more reason to share the good news of what religion should be and what ideas we should follow.

 ~Luke
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