Tired of Religion
Joke time.
A Jesuit, a Dominican, and a Franciscan were walking along an old road, debating the greatness of their orders.
Suddenly, an apparition of the Holy Family appeared in front of them, with Jesus in a manger and Mary and Joseph praying over him.
The Franciscan fell on his face, overcome with awe at the sight of God born in such poverty. The Dominican fell to his knees, adoring the beautiful reflection of the Trinity and the Holy Family. The Jesuit walked up to Joseph, put his arm around his shoulder, and said…
“So, have you thought about where to send him to school?”
What’s the goal of religion in 2020?
Frankly, that depends on whom you direct the question.
Some may claim it a necessary organizing structure for mitigating societal ills.
Others may arrive at the conclusion that it is a wholly useless derivative of fairy tale telling control freaks.
Me?
I’m somewhere in the middle…
Though, if push came to shove, I would likely lean more towards the conclusion of agnostics than to that of fellow Christians.
But before you discount this opinion as heretical, hear me out.
Religion as I define it, is a set of rules put in place to be pursued as to achieve some specific end.
In fact, you could apply this word to anything that maintains some sort of structure elevated to such a position where it evades common sense. Not because such structures are inherently illogical, but, because if the knowledge was common everyone would know; rendering rules superfluous.
So yes, theistic traditions are religions.
But, so is capitalism.
And sports.
Even higher education has become religious to a degree (puns, lol).
Don’t believe me?
Try and allow Ben Shapiro onto a college campus and see what happens.
My theory is that religion is not a concept reserved for temple dwellers, but is in fact a standard way of living in our present day.
Nearly every action we take from the moment we rise to the second we fall asleep is governed by a set of rules that pervade the reality in which we choose to exist, and determine subsequent courses of action.
I’m not talking about hidden biases which derive from religious exposure, I am referring to a collective tendency to consciously relinquish our personal desires in order to follow some pathway to ‘success’ set by another person.
Because, that’s all it is.
A path to “God”.
A path to money.
A path to power.
A path.
But, made by a person… just like you.
So, whichever ends you decide are worth striving for, recognize that if you go about it by playing a game someone else created — you’re following man made rules.
Also, recognize that God doesn’t do guidelines.
Not anymore at least.
God does grace.
Religion, therefore, is an outdated pattern that parallels a paradigm of overreliance.
What I’m suggesting, is a new way to live.
Because… rules are fake.
But hey, go ahead.
Idolize a set of regulations if you want to.
Just know, that if you continue down the beaten path — you’ll more times than not find yourself arriving at a destination that doesn’t look quite like what you expected.
Another quick question I want you to ponder before we proceed.
What’s the difference between a cult and a religion?
Or is there one?
Here’s what Joe Rogan had to say in one of his stand up routines:
“In a cult, bulls**t is created by one person who knows its bulls**t, in religion… that person is dead.”
Maybe he has a point.
Honestly, I just thought it was funny.
Because these days, the line between cult and religion seems largely arbitrary. One clear example of this is the Catholic Church, which in my estimation has all the makings of a classically conditioned sect of crazed participants; only, since a billion people seem to agree with the notion that old guys in robes hold the keys to eternal life, we let it slide.
As a Christian, I recognize I’m skating on thin ice here.
But honestly… I don’t care.
I just call it how I see it.
History of Catholicism.
I’m a big believer in context, so let’s start from the beginning.
The original name used to denote the early church was ekklesia katholicos; which means ‘Universal Church’. Ignatius, a disciple of John, was the one who brought this term into the realm of Christian thought.
Today, the word ‘Catholic’ is more likely to imply a suspension of critical thought than of anything universal.
In addition, the term ‘Ecclesia’, which comes from a Greek idea referencing the political assembly of citizens, has now morphed into our current concept of church where political power is concentrated within the leadership.
Before, the collective had the power.
This is clearly no longer the case, as now all of it is consolidated amongst a few bishops and pastors.
Even in ‘regular’ non-Catholic churches, our idea of ekklesia has become that of a professional Christian who preaches at everyone else. Nowhere in the New Testament is this common practice, yet this is how we’ve decided to proceed.
Not as a united body of imperfect people continually engaging with one another as we strive to become perfected in Christ.
Nope.
Instead, we’ve acquiesced to a consumer culture of metrics-based success that tells us we need to prioritize butts in cushioned seats over hearts in love with Jesus.
Words are important, as they contain within their syllables the engrained ethos of a group at some point in time. In my view, both “Catholic” and “Church” in today’s iterations constitute cases of verbal appropriation.
Call it what you want, semantic drift seems to be a more popular phrase.
All I know is, whatever Ignatius meant when he penned terms immortalized by the Apostle’s Creed, no longer reflect what I see manifesting in our 21st century world.
I like Wikipedia.
Here’s what they said.
“The Catholic Church [according to them…] is a continuation of the early Christian community established by the Disciples of Jesus. The Church considers its bishops to be the successors to Jesus’s apostles and the Church’s leader, the Bishop of Rome (also known as the Pope) to be the sole successor to Saint Peter, who ministered in Rome in the first century AD, after his appointment by Jesus as head of the church. By the end of the 2nd century, bishops began congregating in regional synods to resolve doctrinal and policy issues. By the 3rd century, the bishop of Rome began to act as a court of appeals for problems that other bishops could not resolve…”
Okay, let’s stop here.
See any problems?
“…Sole successor…”
“…Doctrine…”
“…Policy…”
“…Court of appeals…”
…How about now?
Maybe not.
But this is my essay.
And, my bible seems to talk about ALL of God’s people being “co-heirs with Christ” or that we should have “faith on EQUAL footing as the apostle Peter”
I don’t see any scriptures talking about subservience or appellate courts…
But, maybe I’m missing something?
Phrases indicative of hierarchical structures are based in secular modes of governance. They anchor on the idea of management & administration.
Only, Jesus was rather explicit in his mission to free people from the managers of human progress.
Pharisees and Sadducees. Maybe you’ve heard of them?
God was a lot more concerned with forming something akin to a decentralized organization focused on transformation, than with empowering a top down arrangement overly occupied with strict obedience.
The central tenant of the faith from its inception was one based on freedom from a worldly structure…
Not the adoption of one.
This is what amazes me about our churches today.
Both Catholic and otherwise.
We seem keen on adopting a worldly way of survival, then only afterwards trying to fit Jesus in our ready-made structures. Partnering growth strategies with marketing schemes and calling it holy.
Is that really what Jesus wanted?
Lets’ continue in our history lesson.
Fast forward to the days of Emperor Constantine. A statesman, who successfully aided in the spread of Christian ideals throughout the Roman Empire.
His strategy feigned altruistic motives, but please be clear — Constantine was a master politician who simply moved to prevent rebellion, legalizing Christianity and allowing it to flourish under the banner of Roman law.
But here’s the thing.
It was under the banner of Roman Law.
Constantine (whose himself didn’t adopt a Christian worldview until on his death bed) understood something very important. Christianity was no religion, and Jesus was a revolutionary.
And if these Jesus followers were right, then their God was the only way…
This meant, that most of the worlds power centers as constructed would cease to exist. All the energy would return to the people, which is awesome for the people, not so much for the managers.
The only way to keep this growing contingency of practicing Christ followers in line, was to appease them with favorable laws. This made Christianity spread, sure. But it also set the stage for many who cared more about gaining influence than following Jesus.
Remember Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament?
He was imprisoned, beaten, and generally disliked by most of his contemporaries. Though, it was through this struggle that his faith was made even more formidable.
What Constantine was able to successfully do, was less obvious, but more nefarious.
He removed suffering. But in doing so, he also diluted the very potency of an ever-expanding church, making its followers less likely to revolt, and paradoxically more likely to implode.
Bear in mind that the early church was known for meeting in small homes and sharing meals in intimate settings.
The new anglicized version, call it ‘church 2.0’, was instead known for its opulent traditions and high art.
The ekklesia was transformed from a living organism that inhabited the hearts of its people and threatened the powers of its day, to a dead set of rules and inanimate building structures. Accessible only to those in authority, and largely subservient to Roman law.
How did this happen?
First, we got sidelined by glamour.
Symbolism is powerful, and Constantine knew this. He played the role of magnanimous leader quite well; and recognized the potential for things like intricately designed sculptures and beautiful architecture.
This seems all good, until you note in these grand gestures lie little or no trace to the humble beginnings through which the original church was established.
In short, we became distracted by the things of this world.
And it’s hard not to be. I mean — have you seen these buildings?
I could imagine it difficult not to feel a sense of awe upon entering such a palace, yet, these structures — just like today’s religious practices — were man made.
It seems to me that Rome wasn’t really “Christianized” as much as Christianity was “Romanized”.
Second, we no longer trusted ourselves, instead deferring to authority.
The Bible in this time period was still in flux. As a young text of immense power, it was subject to varying interpretations as different people who all claimed to have access to Truth would put their own spin on things.
I’m sure you’ve heard of books such as The Gospel of Thomas or the third letter to the Corinthians.
Extrabiblical texts that didn’t quite make it into cannon, yet remained in wide circulation among Christ followers. Both then, and now.
This proved to be a problem that wasn’t so easily solved.
The Council of Nicaea was our human attempt at forming an agreed upon set of books that would be included in what we now know as The Canonical Bible. It should be noted that Constantine (who at the time was still not a Christian) formed the head of this meeting and in fact called together the relevant leaders who would debate and eventually settle on the inspired scriptures in their current form.
Again, this is all well and good, but takes the focus off what was important.
Which was… The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the birth of a new type of human.
The Bible is a great reference point. In fact it is THE reference point, but ultimately — as you become a “new creature” capable of discerning right from wrong, The Law inhabits your very soul.
This means, you are free from rules and regulations.
As a matter of fact, you BECOME the rules and regulations.
There is no more need for condemnation, as we become conduits of light and life… we become The Church.
That is the good news.
But, it came to be hampered by an litigious society bent on conserving power for. So, we reverted to a paradigm of ‘professional Christianity’ that glorifies temporal leaders instead of edifying The Eternal God.
Paul did more for the church than any man who has ever lived (save Jesus). Yet, at no point in his ministry did he accept glory for himself.
To be sure, he actually rebuked those who venerated him, as well as other merely human teachers.
So how have we today come to the wild conclusion that one individual is to be elevated above everyone else?
Somebody please, show me where in scripture it states that we remain stuck in old ways of doing things. As if we haven’t increased in understanding since the days of Moses, or Martin Luther for that matter.
It’s time we grow up out of a Ten Commandment’s type of faith.
If we are truly in possession of the truth we claim to have, maybe we should begin acting like it.
Maybe, instead of being influenced by a culture of commercialism — we should begin to do the influencing.
Rules are easy, they require no thought.
Only that you accept another’s conclusions and follow accordingly.
But we are not robots made to follow algorithms… we are human beings, made to follow God.
Obedience is not a goal in and of itself.
Rather, it is a byproduct of grace.
Not a responsibility.
A response.
Yet even today, Christians tend to play this game of mental hopscotch with the idea of full submission.
“Sure, religion isn’t perfect, but we still need rules & regulations.” (false)
“Okay, but people need role models to look up to in order to have clear direction” (false)
…or, my personal favorite…
“How are we supposed to reach people if we don’t have a stellar worship team?” (come on)
It’s 2020 guys.
Wake up.
Jesus.
That’s it.
That’s the answer.
Rules don’t fix us, they only reveal hidden agendas that illuminate the depravity inherent in our natural state. Simply put, they make us bad.
Like, when mom specifically said NOT to do something… what did you immediately feel like doing?
Go and reread Paul’s letters to the early churches.
If you forgot, or don’t feel like it, fine.
Here’s an excerpt from Romans 7.
4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.
7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.
9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
Seems pretty clear to me.
I can concede that The Law (in itself) is perfect.
But it is only perfect in that it calls us out for our latent physical desires.
Not that great for prevention, but awesome for awareness.
To be fair, awareness was necessary in the days of Moses.
God was still a foreign concept, and people had no desire to be good.
But now, I believe the opposite is true.
So what do we do?
Two solutions I’ve come up with; and they’re both relatively simple.
First find your gut, then trust your gut.
1. Find your gut
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you
Matthew 7:7
One of the problems I often talk about is a propensity for us to distrust our own insights and instead rely on the assumptions of another individual. This is natural when you’re young and dumb.
Yet, what I see happening, is that people stay locked in their youthful ideals and refuse to grow into a state of full understanding. This leaves a large swath of insecure high schoolers posing as adults, rife for being swindled by powerful purveyors of ‘truth’.
The ‘church’ isn’t the only offender, but be sure, it has had this whole social engineering thing down pat since the calendar switched from BC to AD.
Therefore, the only solution is to find truth for yourself. Nobody else can do it for you. Not even your pastor.
Sorry.
Jesus said to ask, seek, and knock. The imagery of doorways are an important motif throughout scripture, and in this context, it’s important to understand that we are already accepted inside. The result is predetermined, all you need to do is make a request.
It’s like, if you got an invitation to a party…
Wouldn’t you expect to be let in once you arrived at the door? Only, you still have to get up, get ready and go. Otherwise its another night of Netflix and cheese puffs.
(which isn’t that bad… but, it isn’t good either)
2. Trust your gut
Not everyone that saith unto me, ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 7:21
Finding yourself is easy. All you need to do is be honest.
Who are you?
YOU… ARE.
That’s it.
Now, trusting yourself on the other hand, that can be tough.
Because trust translates to dependence. You can’t just say it, you’ve gotta actually do it. But it’s tough.
We live in a crazy world where everyone seems to have arrived at some answer that they are simultaneously trying to convince you of.
Though, don’t you ever feel like… just maybe… they’re also trying to convince themselves?
Therein lies is the absurdity of believing anyone but you.
“The experience of the universe flows though you. No one else is experiencing what you’re experiencing, or what you have experienced, or what you will experience”
Michael Durst Ph.D., Napkin Notes On The Art Of Living
Only YOU know what YOU know about YOUR life.
So, why defer to anyone else on anything about… anything?
Are you really that unsure of yourself?
Maybe so.
But, this isn’t a bad thing.
In fact, It’s probably a sign of honesty.
Meaning you’re already on your way to truth…
Just, don’t stop at unsure.
Graduate to consciousness.
Become the confident person you know you’re supposed to be.
The thing is you can’t do it on your own — you don’t understand enough.
Also, you probably shouldn’t do it based on what someone else said — or else you’re setting yourself up to look pretty dumb in the long run.
The only way you get there, is to cultivate the sense of deep confidence which comes from believing the right things.
Belief is still important, because faith is the fuel for life.
But this time, don’t believe in a person, or in a system — but, in the source of everything that exists to begin with.
Trust that the one who created you has an eternal perspective.
Then you can’t go wrong.
Once you’ve found truth, you have two options.
Accept it and act accordingly.
Or, reject it and return to normalcy.
The choice is completely yours.
But don’t fool yourself into thinking you can have it both ways. Remember, trust implies dependence.
So sure, go to church.
Post your tweets.
Attend all the conferences.
Just know, that if you haven’t made the heart shift from self-reliance to God-reliance, nothing you do is impressing Him.
God doesn’t care about how eloquent you are.
Or how many people like your Facebook status.
Or how respected you are in the ‘church’.
He cares about one thing only.
Your heart.
You already know God exists.
Maybe, you’ve convinced your mind that you don’t — but your gut still knows.
Maybe, you’ve been let down before — though probably because you put your faith in a regular human being who know nothing about your life.
And, honestly that’s okay. We all mess up.
But; God is much more concerned with healing your pain,
than in receiving your empty praises...
So, be real with Him.
He already knows anyway.
He’s just waiting for you to realize as well.
All you’ve got to do, is be still — and KNOW.
Let down the walls of pretension, of hurt, of fear; and watch Him radically alter your perspective.
“Don’t overcomplicate how simple it is to live a blessed life.
Don’t underestimate how ready God is to give you what you truly desire.”
David Ramos
Just don’t wait too long.
Party is about to start.
