Is Christianity a religion or a lifestyle? A religion! (I)
Dearest brothers and sisters,
I would just like to share my opinion on this topic. We, young people, often heard or read e-mails telling that Christianity is not a religion, rather, it is a lifestyle. We heard that Jesus never found a religion, He never found Christianity even. What is most important in our faith is about doing good and loving other people. There is no need for "so many rules" that our church has: going to church, pray, read bible, etc, etc. What important is about being a good and loving person. Is all this true?
I was one who used to think that Christianity is not a religion. I used to prefer Christianity as a lifestyle instead. I realized why I preferred lifestyle than religion. Religion sounded like "rules, beliefs, must-go-to-church, etc, etc". It didn't sound interesting at all. Rather lifestyle sounded so nice, good lifestyle, happy lifestyle, loving lifestyle => we all want this don't we?
However, as I reflected about this, I realized that I was wrong. First, I was wrong about confining Christianity only to just a lifestyle, and Second, I was wrong of my understanding on what religion is all about. So just let me share with you one by one.
I was wrong by just confining Christianity to a mere lifestyle. Well, I do agree that Christianity is a life style "to a certain extent". But it is more than that. Why is it wrong to say that Christianity is only a lifestyle? Because, a life style "does not always" need God. Some of us who tend to say that Christianity is a life style "would" (not necessarily always) describe Jesus as a teacher who teaches us how to live a good lives. He tells us how to live our life. But the question is: Is Jesus "just" a teacher?
Saying Christianity just a life style would confine Christianity to what happens in our "lives on earth only". Our lifestyles only exist when we live here on earth. But what happens after that? Is Christianity only about living our lives here on earth?
Unfortunately, many of us Christian have lost the hope of Eternal Life. Many of us have reduced Christianity only to what happens here on earth. Many of us have lost the faith and the hope of the first Christian martyrs who died for Christ. Most of us do not really understand their sacrifice.
Christianity is more than just a lifestyle as Jesus is more than just a Teacher.
"and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God."
(Joh 6:69)"
Christianity is much bigger than just lives here on earth.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
(Joh 3:16)
And when we say what is most important in our faith is about becoming a good person, a kind person, a loving person, etc, etc, and ignoring other things, we tend only to do the "second half" of the main teaching of our faith: Love your neighbor. We tend to forget the first one "Love your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength".
Have we truly LOVEd God? Do we even "aware" of the God whom we love? This is the question that we need to ask to each and everyone of us.
And so what is Christianity? Let us first change our mind set on what religion is all about.
We often think that religion is just a set of beliefs, rules, good and bad, etc, etc. And so we often miss what religion is all about. I too was mistaken.
One day, I read an article about Christianity and religion, and it says what religion means. And I was surprise from what I read because I never thought about this before.
Religion, the article says, comes from a latin word "religare". This latin word means "to bind together".
That was something new to me. Religion means to bind together. But what are the things that are binded together? Men and God, men and men.
This is what religion is all about. It binds us. It binds us with God and it binds us with our fellow men. And for Christianity, the amazing thing is that, GOD CHOSE to bind Himself with men, His creation.
This is what religion is all about, it is about Union. Everywhere on the surface of the earth, we can see people have this religious tendency. From the ages of long ago until now, we can see people trying to have religion. People tend to look for God. People are desiring God. People try to bind themselves with the Creator, to "Someone Beyond them". And this beliefs bind them as one, and we call it religion.
People are searching for God. That's the irony with today's world. We are hungry of God and yet we avoid God. We look for the Infinite in the finite pleasure of the world. We say that we do not need God. We say that God does not exist. And we keep on searching and searching, and we all know that none will ever satisfy us, and yet we keep on running away from the One who can satisfy us.
This Truth, that we need God, is what Christianity reveals. The Church says.
"The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for:
The dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God. This invitation to converse with God is addressed to man as soon as he comes into being. For if man exists it is because God has created him through love, and through love continues to hold him in existence. He cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and entrusts himself to his creator."
(CCC 27)
We are created to find this happiness in God, and God has called us into this happiness. And we cannot live fully unless we acknowledge that Love and entrusts ourselves to our Creator.
"Our hearts are created for you, O Lord; and it will not rest until it rest in You."
-St. Augustine
And this is the reason why there are so many religions in the world. People are trying to find God. And yet how can we, the finite, reach the Infinite? How can we, the creation, unite ourselves with the Creator? How is it possible for a bee to unite itself with a Man? How is it possible for a man to unite himself with The God?
Next: Christianity and the loving God
----to be continued
I would just like to share my opinion on this topic. We, young people, often heard or read e-mails telling that Christianity is not a religion, rather, it is a lifestyle. We heard that Jesus never found a religion, He never found Christianity even. What is most important in our faith is about doing good and loving other people. There is no need for "so many rules" that our church has: going to church, pray, read bible, etc, etc. What important is about being a good and loving person. Is all this true?
I was one who used to think that Christianity is not a religion. I used to prefer Christianity as a lifestyle instead. I realized why I preferred lifestyle than religion. Religion sounded like "rules, beliefs, must-go-to-church, etc, etc". It didn't sound interesting at all. Rather lifestyle sounded so nice, good lifestyle, happy lifestyle, loving lifestyle => we all want this don't we?
However, as I reflected about this, I realized that I was wrong. First, I was wrong about confining Christianity only to just a lifestyle, and Second, I was wrong of my understanding on what religion is all about. So just let me share with you one by one.
I was wrong by just confining Christianity to a mere lifestyle. Well, I do agree that Christianity is a life style "to a certain extent". But it is more than that. Why is it wrong to say that Christianity is only a lifestyle? Because, a life style "does not always" need God. Some of us who tend to say that Christianity is a life style "would" (not necessarily always) describe Jesus as a teacher who teaches us how to live a good lives. He tells us how to live our life. But the question is: Is Jesus "just" a teacher?
Saying Christianity just a life style would confine Christianity to what happens in our "lives on earth only". Our lifestyles only exist when we live here on earth. But what happens after that? Is Christianity only about living our lives here on earth?
Unfortunately, many of us Christian have lost the hope of Eternal Life. Many of us have reduced Christianity only to what happens here on earth. Many of us have lost the faith and the hope of the first Christian martyrs who died for Christ. Most of us do not really understand their sacrifice.
Christianity is more than just a lifestyle as Jesus is more than just a Teacher.
"and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God."
(Joh 6:69)"
Christianity is much bigger than just lives here on earth.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
(Joh 3:16)
And when we say what is most important in our faith is about becoming a good person, a kind person, a loving person, etc, etc, and ignoring other things, we tend only to do the "second half" of the main teaching of our faith: Love your neighbor. We tend to forget the first one "Love your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength".
Have we truly LOVEd God? Do we even "aware" of the God whom we love? This is the question that we need to ask to each and everyone of us.
And so what is Christianity? Let us first change our mind set on what religion is all about.
We often think that religion is just a set of beliefs, rules, good and bad, etc, etc. And so we often miss what religion is all about. I too was mistaken.
One day, I read an article about Christianity and religion, and it says what religion means. And I was surprise from what I read because I never thought about this before.
Religion, the article says, comes from a latin word "religare". This latin word means "to bind together".
That was something new to me. Religion means to bind together. But what are the things that are binded together? Men and God, men and men.
This is what religion is all about. It binds us. It binds us with God and it binds us with our fellow men. And for Christianity, the amazing thing is that, GOD CHOSE to bind Himself with men, His creation.
This is what religion is all about, it is about Union. Everywhere on the surface of the earth, we can see people have this religious tendency. From the ages of long ago until now, we can see people trying to have religion. People tend to look for God. People are desiring God. People try to bind themselves with the Creator, to "Someone Beyond them". And this beliefs bind them as one, and we call it religion.
People are searching for God. That's the irony with today's world. We are hungry of God and yet we avoid God. We look for the Infinite in the finite pleasure of the world. We say that we do not need God. We say that God does not exist. And we keep on searching and searching, and we all know that none will ever satisfy us, and yet we keep on running away from the One who can satisfy us.
This Truth, that we need God, is what Christianity reveals. The Church says.
"The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for:
The dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God. This invitation to converse with God is addressed to man as soon as he comes into being. For if man exists it is because God has created him through love, and through love continues to hold him in existence. He cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and entrusts himself to his creator."
(CCC 27)
We are created to find this happiness in God, and God has called us into this happiness. And we cannot live fully unless we acknowledge that Love and entrusts ourselves to our Creator.
"Our hearts are created for you, O Lord; and it will not rest until it rest in You."
-St. Augustine
And this is the reason why there are so many religions in the world. People are trying to find God. And yet how can we, the finite, reach the Infinite? How can we, the creation, unite ourselves with the Creator? How is it possible for a bee to unite itself with a Man? How is it possible for a man to unite himself with The God?
Next: Christianity and the loving God
----to be continued
posted by Oka | 10:43 am
4 Comments:
IMHO,
People including myself, are not very convenient with the word "religion". Not only that it talks about binding, it talks about structural matter. When some conviction is turned into structural matter and the caring is only on the structure, the conviction would turn into an empty shell. Thus, the fear is for the religion to be an empty belief without any action at all. Therefore the fear of many ex-Christians who end up turning their faith to those who call their "faith" not a religion, i.e. the one founded by Donald Walsch (http://www.newspirituality.org/).
In last Sunday's homily in SMOTA, the priest mentioned that those who donot love their neighbour can't claim to know the face of God. Therefore, I'd say that the first act is to acknowledge God, then to love my neighbours unconditionally. Doing so would help me to know the face of God and consequently to see how beautiful his work and He is. At the end, I'd love HIM and HIS CREATION. More or less, this is what I gathered from the homily :)
IMHO, once again. :P
Dear Andiyanto,
Thank you for your comment. Well actually it is the purpose of this article to make clear what religion is all about because I do realize many of us have many wrong understanding about what religion is. We tend not to see the "essence" of religion. And this article reflects on the essence of Christianity, the true religion, I believe.
Well, as I have mentioned that I know many of us do not like the word religion. I used to be like that as well. And I have two choices when presenting this reflection. To tell people that Christianity is not a religion, or to clarify what religion is all about. And I chose the second one. Simply because telling it with other names will not proclaim the "truth".
Regarding the structures that you mentioned. I strongly believe that structures is not the essence of religion. Structures, in my opinion, is the product of "human society". Where ever you find human society, you will find structures. For example, take a look at your family, you will find structures there, your government, you will find structures there, and many other examples.
And so I do not see structures is bad by itself. God seems to work with the cooperation of human, and He sometimes uses what human uses to fulfill His plan.
And I need to thank you for your sharing for the priest's homily, it is wonderful. Thanks.
take care,
your brother in His love,
oka
yo brother,
Just additional comment. You said:
"And I have two choices when presenting this reflection. To tell people that Christianity is not a religion, or to clarify what religion is all about. And I chose the second one. "
"To tell people that Christianity is not a religion..." For me Christianity is not just a religion, but a relationship. Jesus invites us to enter a relationship based on love with him.
Is this what you wanted to say? We'll share sometime about this one time.
Dear Iwan,
I do agree with you that Christianity is about a relationship out of Love with God and our neighbour. That is why I dare to say that Christianity is a true religion. This relationship more than just friend-to-friend relationship. But it draws us deeper into a union. So that the two may become one. This Union mystery of God and Man is revealed in Jesus. That Jesus is inviting us into a relationship with Him so that we may be in Union with God in a common union of LOVE. And this is what religion is all about. It comes from a latin word "religare" which means "to bind together".
For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
(Eph 1:9-10)
This is His desire, to Unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth. To unite the fallen children of Adam, by becoming the new Adam.
He invites us into a Love relationship with Him, so that one day, we may be one with Him.
460 The Word became flesh to make us "partakers of the divine nature":78 "For this is why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God."79 "For the Son of God became man so that we might become God."80 "The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods."81 (CCC)
thanks for your wonderful comment :)
your brother in His love,
oka
Post a Comment
<< Home