A Ramble About My Religion

When my kids were little and we were living with my mom in Southern California, a couple of Mormon missionaries came to the door one day. It was a really hot day, and they had been out “on patrol” riding their trademark bikes in their trademark white shirts and black ties. Mormons may be accused of many things, but they will always be snappy dressers. They were sweating profusely and obviously hot, so I invited them in for something to drink. I think I gave them either water or lemonade, and if nothing else I figured they could use some time in air conditioning, otherwise they might have dropped from heat exhaustion. After allowing them to give their normal schpiel, and politely refusing to inquire more—I had, by that point in time already, studied out the Book of Mormon and the Mormon Church quite thoroughly—they finished their drinks, cooled down a bit, and we parted on friendly terms.

Does this shock you? Why? This is nothing less than what Jesus taught. In some ways, this action of hospitality to missionaries of a known heretical sect brings us to the core of what Jesus taught and what the path of Jesus Christ is all about. And yet, I know for a fact that my action would be considered both shocking and offensive to many “Christians” and probably denounced as “giving aid to the enemy.” At one time, I would have been the one doing the denouncing.

The word “religion” comes from a Latin word meaning “to bind” and as such can be defined as “that practice of faith with which one binds oneself” regardless of the theology underlying that practice of faith. I have said, or at least inferred before that regardless of the denomination, we as Christians are not all different religions. We are different denominations of the same religion, that which follows Jesus Christ. What I am coming to understand though, is that while we all profess to be Christian, we are not all of the same religion. There are in fact, two distinctly different religions which occur across denominations which lay claim to the name Christian, though it is clear to me that only one can rightfully do so.

In no particular order, the first is a religion to which being right and holding fast to the “truth” is the most important thing. It is a religion which holds fast to its own theologies and liturgical practices and makes the rigid claim that one can only have the hope of heaven through its strictures, and its strictures alone. Those who hold to this religion will go to any lengths to convert people to it, and make strict judgments about those who don't follow it to their specifications. In my experience, this religion destroys all those who either don't make the grade, or challenges the “truths” which it holds so dear. I don't need to mention a denominational name, because there are just as many Baptists as there are Catholics, just as many Evangelicals as there are Church of Christ members, just as many Eastern Orthodox as there are Anglicans who belong to this religion, as I shamefully once did.

The second is a religion which, though holding to its theological principles, is more concerned with being compassionate and showing lovingkindness to others than it is about forcing them to accept its own version of the truth. This religion holds no opinions about who is and who is not going to hell, leaving those judgments to God. This religion is about loving others as Christ loved us and commanded us to do. This religion is willing to accept another professing Christian of a different set of theologies as a brother or sister, even if the person disagrees on many points, based solely on their mutual belief in Jesus Christ and practice of His teachings. This religion refuses to be judgmental. Again, denominational names are not important, as there are just as many of us who belong to this religion in one flavor of Christianity as there are in another.

I suppose I should also throw in a third religion, that of the chronic pew warmer who comes to church, whichever denomination it may be, listens to the sermon, figures he's put in his time and does whatever he likes during the week. No, this person really can't be called “Christian”, but then he can't really be called anything because he doesn't actually bother to learn enough about the teachings of the denomination he's chosen to honestly say he believes it. These tend to make up the bulk of most churches in the United States, and it is largely for these folks that pastors tend to lose heart and leave the ministry, believe it or not.

The fact of the matter is that those who practice the first religion are not in fact practicing the faith of Jesus Christ, but are instead directly disobeying or ignoring what He taught. These cannot be called Christians in any proper sense of the word because they are not Christlike in the slightest. Rather than adding people to the Church and building them up in the faith they are taking those who inquire and either make them twice the sons of hell that they are, or they destroy them as a threat to their own version of the “truth.” Those who practice the second religion are often under attack by those who practice the first as being too liberal or wishy washy. Somehow they are too shallow, or don't really understand the faith at all.

This is nonsense.

The religion with which Jesus taught to bind ourselves is that of voluntary poverty, lovingkindness, self-sacrifice, non-judgment, and compassion for all others. One who binds himself with a religion of defending theologies and liturgical practices is not practicing the religion of Jesus Christ. Theological structures have their place in giving us something to work with in interacting with and experiencing God as He wants to be experienced by us. But they must be approached with the humility which says that the human mind is unable to know things it cannot sense or experience with absolute certainty. They must also be approached with the common sense that says details such as whether or not one uses liturgy, instruments, or acappella singing in worship is of absolutely no consequence to their eternal salvation. Obedience to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, His life, teachings, death, resurrection, and ascension, this is what matters to one's eternal salvation; not the structure of his worship service.

I hope that people would be able to say of me that my religion was of the second variety, at least in this latter portion of my life. Those of the first have destroyed too many people, members of my own family included.