Religion and the problem with it

A question was posited to me "Did Jesus hate religion?"
Now to some who view Christ as religion this may sound a bit preposterous.
To the ordinary everyday person who hasn't read and studied this may have some merit.

In fact it does have some merit in that Christ wasn't against "religion" Christ was against the perversion that the religious leaders had made it. In the time of Christ they were so corrupt and self-serving that they had made it into something people could not possibly follow. They made it like this so they would stand above the "little" people and show how pious and good they were.

Christ was all about the message and the Truth. The outer part of the life showing the inner conversion.
James has said show me your faith without works and I will show you my faith by my works.


.James 2:18

Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

Here he is maintaining that a faith without something to show it by is a dead faith. Works can not save us but they do show the people around us what our faith is. The motive is as important if not more so than the action.

Christ was righteously stirred to anger by the religious leaders of His day who had made the Law so much a burden that the people forgot the true meaning of Worship and praise. 

Matthew 23:5

⁵ But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments

phy·lac·ter·y

/fɪˈlæktəri/ Show Spelled [fi-lak-tuh-ree] Show IPA

noun, plural phy·lac·ter·ies.

1.

Judaism. either of two small, black, leather cubes containing a piece of parchment inscribed with verses 4–9 of Deut. 6, 13–21 of Deut. 11, and 1–16 of Ex. 13: one is attached with straps to the left arm and the other to the forehead during weekday morning prayers by Orthodox and Conservative Jewish men

The leaders of His day made a huge show of the action of following the law with out the mercy compassion and faith that was the purpose of the Law.

We have the same here in the states:

Jim Jones took his church to Guyana and they drink a grape flavored punch laced with cyanide and committed suicide at the words of a "religious" leader.

David Koresh in Waco Texas had his own little faction going and they followed the man right into death instead of the Message of Christ.

Christ was about the intent of the heart, the fellowship of believers, the God who gave us all being worshipped and Praised for His mercy and grace.

God gave us His Word in His Son. Then He gave us His Word in the Holy Scriptures. That Word is simple: Christ is the Salvation the world has longed for. Believe on Him and thou shalt be saved.

People are so hungry for truth and hope that if anyone comes along offering hope they will blindly follow even though the person they are following is woefully under qualified to provide that hope.

Hope can only come from God and that hope is of things yet unseen but certain. Our hope is of our Heavenly Father and the salvation given to us from our sins and the penalty of that sin and to that eternal life He has promised us through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jerry Falwell had a ministry and that ministry was good pure and decent. A home for unwed mothers, A home for alcoholics to recover, A Bible college, A radio station that reaches the world, and a television program that gets the Word out.

So when deciding what label to apply to yourselves there is none greater than Christian.

¹Chris·tian

noun \ˈkris-chən, ˈkrish-\

: a person who believes in the teachings of Jesus Christ

So when this comes to your mind please remember that the Message of Christ, The Gospel, The Good News this is what we are following and what we are getting out to a lost and dying world that needs this message. 

 When you are in a church follow the teachings of a good Godly man who is teaching you. Keep your eyes open to the Word of God as we have this Word ourselves to verify what we are being taught. However, when any man tries to add to or take away from the simplicity of the Gospel then you know that it is not right.

Romans 3:3-4

King James Version (KJV)

³ For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?

⁴ God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

Mark 16:15

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁵ And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature

That is our commandment that is our purpose. We should do this in our daily walk, talk, and in all we do. Show them the Good News of Christ. We have what they need.