Answering "hate religion, love Jesus"

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What is amazing is that most of these “Just Me and Jesus” types are madly
in love with the letters of Saint Paul, or at least with QUOTATIONS from the letters of Saint Paul.

But Saint Paul taught clearly that the Church is not some disorganized entity,
but rather a structured, designed, and integrated BODY, with parts, ligaments, joints, flesh, bones, etc., all analagous to the human body itself.
Thus the need for Pastors (our bishops and presbyter/priests), Teachers, Evangelists, and deacons, and etc. HOW can these bible-study fanatics NOT NOTICE these teachings???
I just don’t understand that. They spend (or claim to spend) hours a week in
so called “Bible Study” and yet cannot even see that the Church is a structured, well formed BODY, as taught by the Holy Spirit Himself via the scriptures they say they revere so much. 🤷
 
Please let me know if you agree with me that this Pastor is attempting to read between the lines and make these scripture quotes his own:

**The Apostle Paul said, “For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.” (Colossians 2:12). Were we literally buried? Were we literally raised to new life? No, but we were in a spiritual sense and that spiritual renewal had eternal consequences. So Paul used this physical picture to explain a deeper truth.

The Apostle Peter said, “And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 3:21). Both verses use “figurative” language, meaning that the actual act is to symbolize publicly what Christ does internally. Water baptism is a picture–but a clean conscience or a new nature is salvation. Baptism cannot save us–it only cleanse the flesh. **

That was in answer to John 3:3-8 which specifically says both water and spirit are necessary for salvation. His statement was also that the water aspect is our physical birth(from the womb) and that the spirit is when we “accept Jesus as our personal savior”.🤷
 
A few days back in our Disciples in Mission group, Sister mentioned the video gone viral, “Why I Hate Religion, but Love Jesus.”

Then today I get an email with a link to “Why I Love Religion, and Love Jesus.” See youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Ru_tC4fv6FE

I liked it, so I looked up the Hate Religion video, thinking it was by some atheist or something. See youtube.com/watch?v=1IAhDGYlpqY

It has an annoying ad you can skip. I found I also liked it a lot. Here are the lyrics with explanations of them by the author: rapgenius.com/Jefferson-bethke-why-i-hate-religion-but-love-jesus-spoken-word-lyrics

As an anthropologist I would point out that culture (shared beliefs & values, which includes religion) is not the sole determinant of behavior. The human condition is also impacted by psychological, social, biological, and environmental factors, and while culture may impact us, it is not the sole determinant of our behavior. So one cannot really blame (at least not totally) wars and terrorist attacks on religion; that goes not only for Christianity, but Islam and other religions too.

As a religious person, I would add the spiritual dimension…not to be confused with religion (which is cultural and human-made, as the vid points out). We cannot study or know the spiritual dimension the way we can the other dimensions; it is beyond our human comprehension, but we get glimpses. And I believe God is active in the establishment and continuation of the Catholic Church. Being Catholic and Catholicism has made a difference for good in the world, tho many Catholics have also been naughty, some very naughty.

As a lay Carmelite I would very much welcome this “Hate Religion” video as a mirror for my many flaws. It calls me to be a better Christian and better Carmelite. To live the Little Way of Spiritual Childhood, so that people will hate religion less.

At that same Disciples in Mission meeting we discussed spiritual experiences, those “glimpses.” And I mentioned how my Carmelite president up north had said she figured that Protestants tend to get these spiritual experiences more than Catholics because in Catholicism we have everything. We don’t need them. And she is right.

We just need to get past the pharisees in our own churches who neither go in, nor let others in, and we’re on the road to union with God. Jesus can, like an elevator (St. Therese’s analogy), lift us up past those blockages and our own failings and weakness.

As a Carmelite, I would suggest seeing both videos, and get the inspiration to come and be closer to Jesus (or stop running from the Hound of Heaven). 🙂
 
I didn’t know this thread addressed the recent video on YouTube, so I started another thread about it. I’ll share my thoughts:

A few days back in our Disciples in Mission group, Sister mentioned the video gone viral, “Why I Hate Religion, but Love Jesus.”

Then today I get an email with a link to “Why I Love Religion, and Love Jesus.” See youtube.com/watch?feature…&v=Ru_tC4fv6FE

I liked it, so I looked up the “Hate Religion” video, thinking it was by some atheist or something. See youtube.com/watch?v=1IAhDGYlpqY

It has an annoying ad you can skip. I found I also liked it a lot. Here are the lyrics with explanations of them by the author: rapgenius.com/Jefferson-bethke-why-i-hate-religion-but-love-jesus-spoken-word-lyrics

As an anthropologist I would point out that culture (shared beliefs & values, which includes religion) is not the sole determinant of behavior. The human condition is also impacted by psychological, social, biological, and environmental factors, and while culture may impact us, it is not the sole determinant of our behavior. So one cannot really blame (at least not totally) wars and terrorist attacks on religion; that goes not only for Christianity, but Islam and other religions too.

As a religious person, I would add the spiritual dimension…not to be confused with religion (which is cultural and human-made, as the vid points out). We cannot study or know the spiritual dimension the way we can the other dimensions; it is beyond our human comprehension, but we get glimpses. And I believe God is active in the establishment and continuation of the Catholic Church. Being Catholic and Catholicism has made a difference for good in the world, tho many Catholics have also been naughty, some very naughty.

As a lay Carmelite I would very much welcome this “Hate Religion” video as a mirror for my many flaws. It calls me to be a better Christian and better Carmelite. To live the Little Way of Spiritual Childhood, so that people will hate religion less.

At that same Disciples in Mission meeting we discussed spiritual experiences, those “glimpses.” And I mentioned how my Carmelite president up north had said she figured that Protestants tend to get these spiritual experiences more than Catholics because in Catholicism we have everything. We don’t need them. And she is right.

We just need to get past the pharisees in our own churches who neither go in, nor let others in, and we’re on the road to union with God. Jesus can, like an elevator (St. Therese’s analogy), lift us up past those blockages and our own failings and weakness.

As a Carmelite, I would suggest seeing both videos, and get the inspiration to come and be closer to Jesus (or stop running from the Hound of Heaven).
 
lynnvinc said:
Thanks. I saw it, but thought it was only about that usual claim that has always been there, and not the video, which is not exactly making that same claim (the poem seems to be more about how people have corrupted religion, and not about religion per se).
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I believe there was a separate thread that dealt just with the video but it seems to have been combined with that one.
 
He presents many excellent concepts in a very enjoyable ad creative manner, and he is correct in that we should act as one in Christ’s Love and Church.

Although his growth in becoming one with the Holy Spirit is quite mature, he has either not yet learned that acting as One Church in Christ’s Love means learning in union with the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church…or…he is going to release another video which glorifies Christ’s Church.

Thoughts?
 
About a week ago, a young man posted a video that went viral. It has over 15 million views in just over a week, and does a good job bashing the Church in the typical Evangelical new-age way:

youtube.com/watch?v=1IAhDGYlpqY

Well, a good priest friend of mine, and spiritual adviser to my website, Fr Pontifex, has created an amazing response video, from a Catholic perspective. With the excellent production from Spirit Juice Studios, this video deserves just as many hits as the original “Hate” version:

youtube.com/watch?v=Ru_tC4fv6FE

Our Catholic response has already got over 150,000 views in it’s second day, but we need more help! Please share this on your blogs, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc. (OK, MySpace was a joke, haha).

Thanks y’all!!!

-dUSt - phounder, phatmass.com
 
Oh, and we could also use some help defending the Church in the YouTube comments section below the video.

Phatmass ❤️ Catholic Answers! You guys rock.
 
That is indeed the best I have seen so far. Between that one and Fr. Barron, I think we have a good set of responses to it. Now if people would just watch them instead of instantly dismissing them because it’s ‘Catholic.’
 
It is said that religion is a path to God. But what happens when you find God? When, as St. Paul writes: "the Spirit who calls out “Abba Father” (Gal. 4:6; Romans 8:15) cries out within you. And your Father comes and sits on the arm of your chair, “tell me about it, my Son” ? The Lord ordered my wife and I to remain in the Catholic church. Our job is to tell people that this marvellous relationship is available to all who ask Jesus to be their personal Lord and Master. And THEN Jesus becomes your friend, your brother; you understand that Almighty God IS your Father who loves you unconditionally. That Jesus took away your sins by His fragile, human agony on the cross; that you and all who believe in HIM **will **be with HIM in Heaven. So you, like Paul, will cry “Death where is thy sting?” and live life to the full as HE gave it to you.
So many people respond positively to this Good News but sadly few Catholics. Why, my brothers and sisters, why? The Kingdom of God is within reach of your hands. Reach out and take it! And don’t worry, he won’t tell you to stop being a Catholic.🙂
 
Andromedus said:
Yep, but you can find this belief among Rastafarians too so it is not only Evangelicals.
I think Paul use the word ‘‘religion’’ about Christianity on some occasion/s, if its not a mistranslation or something like it of course, but I don’t know a word in Greek, or at least not more than a few words, so I can not say how it is.
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I can’t find “Christianity” in my Strongs. However, “religion” is “threskeia”, originally “ceremonial worship.”. However, James’ use of the word in 1:27 doesn’t work if one uses that translation. Clearly then, he meant “religion” as we know it.
When Jesus said to Peter, “upon this rock I will build my church” (Mt. 16:18) He used a made-up compund, ecclesia: ‘ecc’ (or ex = out) plus ‘lesia’ (called). I guess He meant “those (people who are) called out”. He could have used ‘hieron’ (sacred place or Temple) or sunagoge (an assembly of persons or the place of meeting), but I guess he meant people not place. Thereafter ‘ecclesia’ is used in the NT.
 
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