Relationship vs. Religion: Why Non-Catholic Christians (Protestants) have issues with the word "religion."

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Many Non-Catholics said this line. “I have a relationship with Jesus.” While, that does sound good, they often put the word religion in a bad light as a bad systematic set.

The American Heritage Dictionary’s definition of religion has two parts:
  1. Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
  2. A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.
By this definition, I don’t see how religion itself is bad. Since Christianity is based on supernatural regarding a creator. In this case, God.

I never understand why Non-Catholics put religion in a bad way. I don’t think it doesn’t.

Jim Blackburn made an Tract on this subject which does open your mind. Read the article before you make any comments.

The article is called “Do you know Jesus?”
 
Your title SHOULD have read: Relationship vs. Religion: Why SOME Non-Catholic Christians (Protestants) have issues with the word “religion.”

Sheesh.
 
O.S.Luke said:
Your title SHOULD have read: Relationship vs. Religion: Why SOME Non-Catholic Christians (Protestants) have issues with the word “religion.”

Sheesh.
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I don’t think making a comment “sheesh” is proper. Of course, it doesn’t imply all Protestants. You know me long enough to know that, Luke.
 
I agree with the OP. Many Protestants utterly reject “religion” as something “bad.”

I think it’s because they equate the word with “traditions of man,” which Jesus condemned.

I was evangelical Protestant for the first 47 years of my life, and I can remember having that same cringing reaction to the idea of being “religious.” I can remember saying “Christianity is not a religion, it’s a relationship.”

I hope this topic takes off, because I find it frustrating to deal with Protestants who have such a knee-jerk negative reaction to the word “religion.”
 
Cat said:
I agree with the OP. Many Protestants utterly reject “religion” as something “bad.”

I think it’s because they equate the word with “traditions of man,” which Jesus condemned.

I was evangelical Protestant for the first 47 years of my life, and I can remember having that same cringing reaction to the idea of being “religious.” I can remember saying “Christianity is not a religion, it’s a relationship.”

I hope this topic takes off, because I find it frustrating to deal with Protestants who have such a knee-jerk negative reaction to the word “religion.”
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Christianity is a religion. Been Protestant all of my life and never heard anyone say otherwise.
 
I think it’s just a cultural thing, a shift in meanings. Long time ago “Gay” was only a synonym for “happy” now most people know that, but when was the last time you heard someone say “John is so gay!” and they meant he is only happy and not homosexual?

When I am talking to non-Christians, atheists, and people who left Christianity, most of the time “religion” is used to mean people who are hypocritical, following rules they don’t believe in or understand just because they think they are supposed to. NO, that isn’t the only definition nor the long established one, but it has become an additional one. They use it more to designate people who try to tell them to believe in God. They always mean it negatively. I have nothing against the word religion or it’s positive definition. but as language shifts (and yes Language shifts all the time) it is shifting to be a bad word. I don’t have to like it, but language shifts are not changeable by only a few people, a majority has to embrace the new meaning.

Of course we have that “cringing reaction to the idea of being “religious.”” We are bombarded with being called ‘Bible-thumpers’ and ‘mindless religious fanatics’ and people who say “Oh no you got religion” as if they were saying “Oh no you’ve got a horrible contagious disease!”

If the people I am bringing to church with me have that reaction to the word religion but not to the name of Jesus, if they will be willing to do what God wants so long as the word “religion” isn’t attached, then I have no problem avoiding the word. Exactly the same as how I will not call someone “gay” and then get in an argument that I meant happy. The word “religion” is not a sacred word. If the meaning of it changes, I don’t have to like it, but it’s just belligerent to insist on using it when I know the people I’m talking to will take offense.
 
O.S.Luke said:
Christianity is a religion. Been Protestant all of my life and never heard anyone say otherwise.
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I think this thread would be more properly titled "Why Evangelical & Fundamentalist Christians have a problem with “Religion”.

O.S. Luke, I’m assuming you would be a “mainline” Protestant? (Sorry, I haven’t read your profile to know for sure). Mainline Protestants normally don’t have a problem w/ the word. They also, as you’ve just demonstrated, don’t have a problem referring to themselves as “Protestants”, either. Many (dare I say, most?) Evangelicals and Fundamentalists shun both words. “Religion” means traditions, rituals, and “rules” that get in the way of a “personal relationship w/ Jesus”, and is manifested most especially in Catholicism (which some won’t even acknowlege as Christian, as we all know), but also in “spiritually dead” mainline churches.

Many Evang. & Fund. believe one doesn’t even have to go to church to be a Christian-you just have to pray, read your bible, and of course, have “asked Jesus into your heart”. Fellowshipping w/ other believers is good, of course, but not necessary.

“Protestants” are those people who “protested” against the Catholic Church. Many E & F’s (yes, I’m getting lazy here 😛 ) insist they aren’t “protesting anything”, and that their church or belief system (remember, it’s not a religion! :rolleyes: ) is simple, “New Testament” Christianity (sometimes called “Acts churches”), that existed before Catholicism (lots of Baptists believe this one), which, of course, was started by Constantine if the 4th century to convert the pagans for political power :banghead:

That’s my take on the whole thing, anyway, for what it’s worth :twocents:

In Christ,

Ellen.

In Christ,
 
Christianity is a religion. Been Protestant all of my life and never heard anyone say otherwise.
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Mainliners recognize that sistematic belief in a supernatural being is religion.
But many fundangelicals do take an issue. It seen that they not only have problem with cosmology, geology, biology, linguistics, history, logic, instrospection and scholarship but now just plain English.
 
I bet it is an American thing. The concept of “me and Jesus got our own thing going” is not really in the Bible. The Bible, by and large, teaches corporate salvation that all must choose to be a part of or not to. In America, we have so much of the John Wayne cowboy mentality, that rugged individualism that stereotypically defines us, that we see it being more important that I make it to heaven and it is not important if anyone else does. They are on their own. I agree that mainline Protestant groups do not see it this way.

I would also love to see when this concept began in Christianity. I bet it was in the 20th century
 
I wonder how many Evangelicals and Fundamentalists know the word “religion” is found in scripture but “relationship” is not (as pointed out in that article). Maybe religion wouldn’t be looked upon in such a bad way if they recognized this.

I know scripture explores the concept of a relationship with God but that relationship is really what religion is all about.
 
Actually religion comes from re ligare or tie againg. That implies a mending a broken (by the original sin) relationship. But tell that to the fundies.
 
O.S.Luke said:
Christianity is a religion. Been Protestant all of my life and never heard anyone say otherwise.
Click to expand...
You really need to get out more. 🙂

Maybe the difference is in the type of Protestant. Mainlines may not have a bad connotation with “religion”, but I’d say most fundamentalists and evangelicals do.

Personally, I think it started as just a clever witnessing hook to make people ask questions, that turned into market differentiation, that turned into an article of faith, that turned into a perjorative towards people who aren’t in their camp. (“You’re religious; I have a relationship. I used to be religious like you, but then I found Jesus and now have a relationship.”)
 
Mannyfit75 said:
Many Non-Catholics said this line. “I have a relationship with Jesus.” While, that does sound good, they often put the word religion in a bad light as a bad systematic set.

The American Heritage Dictionary’s definition of religion has two parts:
  1. Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
  2. A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.
By this definition, I don’t see how religion itself is bad. Since Christianity is based on supernatural regarding a creator. In this case, God.

I never understand why Non-Catholics put religion in a bad way. I don’t think it doesn’t.

Jim Blackburn made an Tract on this subject which does open your mind. Read the article before you make any comments.

The article is called “Do you know Jesus?”
Click to expand...
You know me bythe handle in this forum. Do you know your dad in the same way ?
 
BradW said:
You really need to get out more. 🙂

Maybe the difference is in the type of Protestant. Mainlines may not have a bad connotation with “religion”, but I’d say most fundamentalists and evangelicals do.

Personally, I think it started as just a clever witnessing hook to make people ask questions, that turned into market differentiation, that turned into an article of faith, that turned into a perjorative towards people who aren’t in their camp. (“You’re religious; I have a relationship. I used to be religious like you, but then I found Jesus and now have a relationship.”)
Click to expand...
I’m out all of the time. I posed this question at a ministerial alliance meeting, including Catholics and Protestants, liberals and conservatives, fundamentalists - just about all the stripes.

Most folks, we discussed, think of religions this way: Christian, Moslem, Jewish, Hindu. To be religious is to adhere to a faith. And we were fairly agreed that there was no Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Catholic, Lutheran religion. Christianity is a religion.

As far as relationships and religion: while Christianity is more than just relationships, Christianity is not Christianity without relationships: with Christ (personally and corporately), with the Body of Christ, and with the Church.

I really don’t get the gist of this thread. It seems like majoring in the minors.
 
ralphinal said:
I bet it is an American thing. The concept of “me and Jesus got our own thing going” is not really in the Bible. The Bible, by and large, teaches corporate salvation that all must choose to be a part of or not to. In America, we have so much of the John Wayne cowboy mentality, that rugged individualism that stereotypically defines us, that we see it being more important that I make it to heaven and it is not important if anyone else does. They are on their own. I agree that mainline Protestant groups do not see it this way.

I would also love to see when this concept began in Christianity. I bet it was in the 20th century
Click to expand...
No, we still get that in the UK from evangelicals
 
Mannyfit75 said:
Many Non-Catholics said this line. “I have a relationship with Jesus.” While, that does sound good, they often put the word religion in a bad light as a bad systematic set.

The American Heritage Dictionary’s definition of religion has two parts:
  1. Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
  2. A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.
By this definition, I don’t see how religion itself is bad. Since Christianity is based on supernatural regarding a creator. In this case, God.

I never understand why Non-Catholics put religion in a bad way. I don’t think it doesn’t.

Jim Blackburn made an Tract on this subject which does open your mind. Read the article before you make any comments.

The article is called “Do you know Jesus?”
Click to expand...
Manny,

I think this is a complicated issue, really.

People search for meaning and communion with something bigger than themselves especially when they are in pain and suffering or when they feel oppressed. This search leads them to want to know the Divine, seek their help and find their way to a safe place.

For those people, a seemingly ritualistic faith with a moral code (insert whatever faith you want) are repugnant and unnecessary. They need help now. They need solace now. So, their reaction is to discount the system because it doesn’t help, but offers more red tape.

One of the striking things about this phenomenon is that it happens quite a lot in America. We are by all standards of the world, a wealthy and materialistic society. But, of course materialism leaves us empty. We search for God. We search for purity, for anything that can fill the void. We search for a mystical Jesus.

Just this morning I was reading something that caught my eye. It was an article about mysticism and protestantism. It drew a parallel between the mystic approach and protestantism. I never looked at it that way, but it makes sense. Many protestants (of which I have been one all my life) want to know Jesus in a mystical, spiritual way that isn’t bound by rules and regulations.

I can read the Scriptures that say God is light and God is love, both metaphysical properties. I want to know that light and love. At least, for me, that’s more important as a foundation. Everything else should follow (morality, good works, etc).

Just my thoughts.

Peace…

MW
 
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