We (in the church) make SUCH a big deal about being ‘Anti-Religion’. We often say things like:

I’m not religious, I have a living faith with Jesus Christ.

Organised religion is totally man-made and gets in the way of true faith.

I hate religion as much as you.

etc

How biblical is this? In the majority part - it’s great. Jesus shuns the pharisees and Sadducees for their short-sightedness in matters of the extra rules that man has imposed upon man in the name of a divine power. 

In the book of James (who was Jesus’ half-brother) he actually tells us that there’s a type of religion that is pure and undefiled. Yeah read it again:

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. 

James 1:27

The way we use the word ‘religion’ often coincides with the verse from Colossians

These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. 

Colossians 2:23

The difference is that it demarcates between just ‘religion’ and self-made religion. 

This actually shows an awful lot. It shows that not ALL religion is bad. That is, not ALL rules and regulations are bad - which then must mean that the reason for the religion must be important to God - this reason is those without a whole family, and keeping ourselves pure. 

Family. Purity. THESE are the things that we should be religious about -to fight for - because these are things that even if our heart isn’t in the right place at the beginning, by the end of the process we would have matured and understood more of why they’re important.

For example: who hasn’t got annoyed at having to go to a family meal, and in the end really enjoyed it because of deepening relational and family ties with those that are remarkably similar to you? And who know someone that’s never been drunk, and not deep-down been impressed that they’ve done it - and wished that maybe we’d done the same?

There are 3 times in the New Testament where we’re told to imitate what someone further down the line is doing. We aren’t told to develop a heart attitude first and then be holy. 

Some things can only come with experience. 

Only for the King

Jx