Religion versus faith, why I hate religion or 'Imagine no religion'

November 10, 2:21 PMChristian Worldview ExaminerBill Belew

Previous Next

4 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Christian Worldview Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

I am with John Lennon on this one - "Imagine No Religion."

I hate religion as much as the next guy and gal hate it and, well, as much as anybody else hates it who would like to join the group.

Religion has been the source of far too many wars, deaths, hatred and all sorts of unpleasantness. Indeed, I hate religion. I don't like the word. I don't like what it means to most people. I don't like the wedge it is between rational folk.

Religion is what people do at prescribed times and in prescribed places in prescribed ways.

Religion is how folk deal with rites of passages - births, weddings, divorces, deaths....

Religion is what individuals fight about rather than find agreement in.

Religion can be infused in a culture and become uncompromising.

I hate religion. Okay, I said that already.

I am not a religious person. I am rather, a man of faith. My faith reflects in how I live my life everyday, from morning till evening, how I deal with/love other folk and treat them, (the Golden Rule). I don't go to church sometimes - holidays, feasts and such. I worship with other folk and when we get together we are the church. I don't pay dues. I give because I want to when I want to. I am committed to two things - loving God and loving my neighbor. That's it. No more, no less.

And, I don't want to fight. I want to get along. I want to be accepting, loving, tolerant, yet still have convictions that reflect my decisions but not how I see other people who are not like me or don't even agree with me or I with them.

I believe so I act. I don't just act at certain times and in ritualistic ways. The first is faith, the latter religion. And faith can transcend all cultures.

I hate religion, too.