Religion is a fad. It’s what the world relies on nowadays. Why do it? Maybe it’s tradition in your family and you might feel left out. Maybe it’s because you choose to have it. Maybe you feel like if you go to church, you’ll be cleansed. Religion= not my thing.
Here’s why:
Religion causes
Division
War
Broken Families
Ruined Friendships
Let’s go over one of my personal favorites: Christianity.
Christian, the child’s name, means “a follower of Jesus.”
The actual definition of Christianity is “Professing your belief in Jesus as Christ of following the life and teachings of Jesus.
If that’s really what Christianity means, then, why does all the division come in?
Here’s an example. One word= Denominations.
Let’s check out the Christian denominations.
Roman Catholic- this religion holds the most adherents in the America today.
Eastern Orthodox- this religion is prominent in Russia, Greece, and nearby areas. Not as much in our country.
Protestant- this religion embraces a wide theological spectrum.
Anglican/Episcopalian- this religion is known as a mid-way point between Catholicism and Protestantism.
Amish- this religion is especially known for separation from society and rejection of modern-day technology.
Baptists- this religion is characterized by adult baptism and encouraging religious freedom.
Lutheran- this religion is a large Protestant denomination based on Martin Luther’s teachings.
Presbyterian- this religion is based on the teachings of John Calvin.
Seventh-day Adventists- this religion is known for Sabbath observance, expectation of Christ, and emphasis on physical health.
See how separated we are in our world as we know it. Now it’s time to show you the reason why I don’t like our division and denominations.
Check out 1 Corinthians 12:12-31. I’ll break it down for you.
“The body of Christ is one unit but it has many parts. Parts that must work together to keep the body functioning. If one part suffers, they all do. Every part needs to be there. There should be NO DIVISION, for each part should have equal concern for each other.”
Isn’t that something? Wow, funny that all this division goes on with these denominations but they don’t look in their “Holy Book” because the answer is right in front of them.
Now I think I’m going to talk about one of the most important words ever spoken. L-O-V-E; Love is what everyone wants in life even though it’s calling out their name. Do you know what it says in the bible? It says “God is love.” Do you know what that means? If you love one another, God will be there. You’ll love God. I’m going to share another scripture.
1 Corinthians 13:4-13. Here’s the breakdown.
“Love is patient and kind. Love never fails.
Love is forgiving and understanding.
When you’re a child, you’ll act, speak, and think like a child. When you become a man, you’ll have to put your childish ways behind you. Now faith, hope, and love remain. Though, the greatest of these is love.”
Wow, surprising, isn’t it? Here’s something you probably didn’t know about love.
The word “Love” is used in the bible 231 times. Love is the 2nd most said word in the bible.
Guess what word is first?
“GOD”
I think God is trying to tell us something.
Have you seen his commandments?
The first and greatest commandment: “Love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
Do you know what the second commandment is?
The second commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Seems kind of hard at times, doesn’t it?
God is telling us to love one another,
You know America’s motto, “In God We Trust” it’s printed on every penny, nickel, dime, quarter, half dollar, dollar coin, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 dollar bill.
If we’re going to trust in God, we should trust in his word.
In God’s word, his greatest commandment is, as you saw before, “Love God, with your heart, soul, and mind.”
We’re doing that by trusting in him.
The second greatest commandment is “Love One Another.”
It’s that simple. If you trust in God, you have to trust that.
Denominations don’t matter to God. He just wants to love you and he wants you to love him back.
To end it, here’s what I think about religion’s division.
You know what else is printed there, “E Pluribus Unum,” which means, “Out of many, One,” or in other words,
“We’re all in this together.”
About Me
- marc figueras
- My interests go over the most important stuff about me but i most go on, so I love the family God has blessed me with, I don't think they know how much i care about them.
5 comments:
Good job. Here's something that I wrote a few years ago on the subject
Christianity is not a religion. What makes it different than a religion is:
* Christianity is a relationship with our Creator. John 1:12
*Religions are man's attempt to reach God. In Christianity, God comes searching for us. Luke 19:10
* Jesus is alive! All other religious leaders are dead and buried. Jesus' tomb is empty! Mark 16:6
yay! I loved this! I'm so proud of you marc, that took some research that most people don't take the time to look up. It's so important to know where you stand in your faith so it's not just other people's faith like parents and stuff, but it's YOURS! wooo! :)
I get annoyed with denominations too, all they are is to make PEOPLE happy, not God. People argue about which way is right so they split and make churches that are full of rules rules rules. I read the Bible, believe in Christ, try to live for Christ, and not get caught up in all of the STUFF that can come with it when people get involved.
I really didn't know that love is the second most used word in the Bible. That's really cool and shows something about God! :)
Keep rockin' for Christ green buggy best friend! (:
And as of now, I don't think Denominations are a bad thing since they are already here, like if Seventh-day Adventists want to honor the Sabbath on Saturday (which is actually when they used to have it in Bible times - I always wondered how it got changed to Sundays) then that's fine with me. But it turns into a bad thing to me when people start arguing about it and get caught up in what's 'RIGHT' or 'WRONG'. but yeah, sorry for writing a paragraph as a comment, pretty much, I totally agree with you! :)
wow! son, and you are one of mine. i'm in complete awe & speechless (and you know that's a first). very insightful.
luv ya,
mom
wow.
Marc, God is doing something through you. You have a gift, man. Even at a young age it is so apparent that God has chosen you to speak through. I encourage you to keep running towards the Father and seeking Him and loving Him just as you were saying. What God spoke through you on this blog really touched my heart and was something I really needed to hear- that we're suppose to love each other even when denominations (or other churches in general) seem to separate us.
Hope you're doing well!
LOVE,
Kristina :)
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