"It's not about a religion it's about a relationship"

[White_Peony]

How do you argue against “It’s not about a religion it’s about a relationship”?

 

[the_phoenix]

As my Latin teacher taught us – amazingly enough, in a public school – religion is about relationship.

The Latin word “re” means “again.”
The Latin word “ligare” means “to bind.”

Through Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, we humans lost our relationship with God and were kicked out of paradise. Through Jesus Christ, we regained our relationship with God … that is, our relationship with God was mended or “bound up again” … such that “bound up again” = religare, from where we get the word “religion.”

…

 

[fhansen]

As my Latin teacher taught us – amazingly enough, in a public school – religion is about relationship.

The Latin word “re” means “again.”
The Latin word “ligare” means “to bind.”

Through Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, we humans lost our relationship with God and were kicked out of paradise. Through Jesus Christ, we regained our relationship with God … that is, our relationship with God was mended or “bound up again” … such that “bound up again” = religare, from where we get the word “religion.”

…

really good-didn’t know that but it certainly fits with Christianity and the New Covenant

 

[Edmundus1581]

Only this I know full well now, and did not know then, that the Catholic Church allows no image of any sort, material or immaterial, no dogmatic symbol, no rite, no sacrament, no Saint, not even the Blessed Virgin herself, to come between the soul and its Creator. It is face to face, “solus cum solo,” in all matters between man and his God. He alone creates; He alone has redeemed; before His awful eyes we go in death; in the vision of Him is our eternal beatitude.

Blessed John Henry Newman (1801 - 1890). Catholic convert.

 

[WoundedIcon]

How do you argue against “It’s not about a religion it’s about a relationship”?

You pull out that trusty both/and thinking. The two never need to be pitted against each other. What happens is these types of people are disgusted with moralism and legalism and all the resulting problems and so consider traditional religion the source of them and turn against it. Problem is that sometimes they toss very reasonable babies out with the bathwater. I always tried to remember that as long as the Church is in the world it must function like other organizations do in order to stay in one piece. There needs to be leadership, dogmas/essentials, canon law, categories of sins, etc. Otherwise it will morph, just like Protestantism, into something splintered and unrecognizable. But these things are NEVER the heart of the faith. They’re principles to use while in a relationship with Christ.

A lot of the things they’re concerned about are actually things that the Orthodox criticize us about as well. Although some of the Orthodox assume that the problems are inherent to our theology, I don’t buy that, but I fear we’re overdue for a bit of moral reform. Some of it came with Vatican II but the purge didn’t happen, we just swung to the other extreme. We were supposed to get back to the heart of things, but instead of nuns whooping us, now we have nuns teaching us liberal mushisquish. And so on.

It’s scary to admit that we could make mistakes like that, but if you acknowledge that there are problems now, then it’s not to much of a leap to say that we’ve always had some kind of problem with us at any given time. Some of the saints caught on ahead of time though.

In other words, some of the blame is on us.

 

[DebChris]

As my Latin teacher taught us – amazingly enough, in a public school – religion is about relationship.

The Latin word “re” means “again.”
The Latin word “ligare” means “to bind.”

Through Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, we humans lost our relationship with God and were kicked out of paradise. Through Jesus Christ, we regained our relationship with God … that is, our relationship with God was mended or “bound up again” … such that “bound up again” = religare, from where we get the word “religion.”

…

I was going to say don’t argue. Faith is about relationship. It is relationship
not only with our Creator, but with one another. It is about our relationship with Jesus who reconciled the world to Himself while we were yet sinners.
As St. Paul so elegantly describes the Church, we are all members of one Body with Jesus as the head.

 

[timotheos]

Only this I know full well now, and did not know then, that the Catholic Church allows no image of any sort, material or immaterial, no dogmatic symbol, no rite, no sacrament, no Saint, not even the Blessed Virgin herself, to come between the soul and its Creator. It is face to face, “solus cum solo,” in all matters between man and his God. He alone creates; He alone has redeemed; before His awful eyes we go in death; in the vision of Him is our eternal beatitude.

Blessed John Henry Newman (1801 - 1890). Catholic convert.

Thanks, Edmundus. These words have a beauty that rival the great works of any art.

 

[tonyrey]

As my Latin teacher taught us – amazingly enough, in a public school – religion is about relationship.

The Latin word “re” means “again.”
The Latin word “ligare” means “to bind.”

Through Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, we humans lost our relationship with God and were kicked out of paradise. Through Jesus Christ, we regained our relationship with God … that is, our relationship with God was mended or “bound up again” … such that “bound up again” = religare, from where we get the word “religion.”

In other words we are not relegated but reinstated!

 

[jwright82]

If we look at the new testament than obviously “religion” in this sense a visible organized religion is clearly taught in the bible. Those who dehy this regect the bible on this point.

 

[carlysrose]

How do you argue against “It’s not about a religion it’s about a relationship”?

1. All religion is a relationship, to separate them is flawed, imo.
2. Religion is organized doctrinal systems, and when a person is threatened with death, ie. committing mortal sin for not attending Mass on Sundays, it is most definitely not a healthy relationship, but an institution.

 

[Neil_Anthony]

How do you argue against “It’s not about a religion it’s about a relationship”?

James 1:26 If any one thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this man’s **religion **is vain.
27 **Religion **that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.