Is Religion supposed to be hard?

[KarenNC]

The hardest part of Religion for me is to be different from the crowd, to set oneself apart even to the point of alienating friends and family.

I would have to agree with this, but I think it is particularly true of any minority religion in any culture. To be willing to faithfully adhere to what you believe to be true regardless of the prevailing culture or the majority religion and to stand up for that belief.

I know that in following what I believe to be the truth, I have certainly set myself apart from my culture and the experiences and approval of many of my social circle, including my family.

Standing for what you believe is right is not going to be always easy. There will be times you have to make a choice that is not the most popular one or the one you might rather make.

 

[ralphinal]

Christians need to worship their Creator in the manner Jesus (pbuh) taught his followers how to worship the Lord.

Matthew 5
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

That is indeed how hard religion is supposed to be for Christians because Jesus (pbuh) himself said so acording to the Bible.

If you look at taht quote, he is warning us not to be SELF-RIGHTOUS like the scribes and Pharisees. They manipulated the laws to their own advantage, and focused on the minutia and not the important things. The part that makes it hard, according to Jesus, is when he made it so that the thoughts and desires of the mind and heart violate the 10 Commandments as well as actions.

 

[Wholly_Spirit]

Being 100% obedient to Christ’s Church makes it easy. With that comes grace.

To just try staying away from sin without the graces of Christ’s Church is very difficult.

 

[hamba2han]

If you look at that quote, he is warning us not to be SELF-RIGHTEOUS like the scribes and Pharisees.

There is a world of difference between being ‘RIGHTEOUS’ and being ‘SELF-RIGHTEOUS’ and if Jesus did indeed mean ‘SELF-RIGHTEOUS’, then why did he not just specify this term instead of saying ‘RIGHTEOUS’?

In a nutshell, this is what makes religion so hard for Christians.

If the Bible says ‘UP’, Christians will say that we got to have faith and believe that it is actuallly ‘DOWN’.

If the Bible says something is ‘RED’, Christians will say that it is a matter of interpretation and that it is actually ‘BLUE’ or some other colour… as long as it is not ‘RED’.

Never forget that God is NOT the author of confusion.

And do not call me “2han” please, ‘hamba’ would be just fine.

 

[peary]

There is a world of difference between being ‘RIGHTEOUS’ and being ‘SELF-RIGHTEOUS’ and if Jesus did indeed mean ‘SELF-RIGHTEOUS’, then why did he not just specify this term instead of saying ‘RIGHTEOUS’?

In a nutshell, this is what makes religion so hard for Christians.

If the Bible says ‘UP’, Christians will say that we got to have faith and believe that it is actuallly ‘DOWN’.

If the Bible says something is ‘RED’, Christians will say that it is a matter of interpretation and that it is actually ‘BLUE’ or some other colour… as long as it is not ‘RED’.

Never forget that God is NOT the author of confusion.

And do not call me “2han” please, ‘hamba’ would be just fine.

That is why there is the Church.

 

[DebChris]

“Take my yoke upon your shoulder and learn from me for my burden is light.”
When we try to practice religion though our own efforts, it can be quite difficult. We are constantly distracted by worldly matters. When we allow God to help us, our burden is lightened because we no longer “carry the weight of the world” on our own shoulders.
There is still effort involved. In the past terms like mortification and debasement have been used to express the necessary dying to self required in order to “pick up your cross and follow after.”
I find I like the word discipline better. It lacks the negative connotations of words that may make us think of ourselves as less than sons and daughters made in the image and likeness of God. Yet in order to practice discipline we must “put away childish things” and do whatever is necessary to prepare for Jesus to live more fully in our lives. The good news is the Holy Spirit is within each of us to act as our guide; to help us with this daily discipline.
As with an athlete, the more this disciple is practiced the more it becomes part of our daily life and the easier it is to follow. The mile run which may be difficult at the beginning of training becomes a warmup as the athlete becomes better conditioned for his sport. Prayer likewise becomes a normal part of our day the more it is practiced.

 

[ralphinal]

There is a world of difference between being ‘RIGHTEOUS’ and being ‘SELF-RIGHTEOUS’ and if Jesus did indeed mean ‘SELF-RIGHTEOUS’, then why did he not just specify this term instead of saying ‘RIGHTEOUS’?

In a nutshell, this is what makes religion so hard for Christians.

If the Bible says ‘UP’, Christians will say that we got to have faith and believe that it is actuallly ‘DOWN’.

If the Bible says something is ‘RED’, Christians will say that it is a matter of interpretation and that it is actually ‘BLUE’ or some other colour… as long as it is not ‘RED’.

Never forget that God is NOT the author of confusion.

And do not call me “2han” please, ‘hamba’ would be just fine.

Didn’t mean to offend, sorry. Anyway, the line is that your rightousness must exceed that of the scribes and pharocees. Those groups had no real rightousness, only self-righoutness mascarading as rightousness. That is made clear in other verses, such as when the pharocee and the tax collector go to pray.