Responses to "God doesn't have a religion"

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Laurence_of_PA

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Interesting quote I heard today – “God doesn’t have a religion.” Personally, I find it to be an excuse for not weighing the evidence and analyzing different faiths, yet at the same time, it contains a level of sincerity.

That is, the person obviously believed that organized religion does more to tear people apart than to bring them together, while at the same time, this person must have been themself spiritual for not espousing religion all together. Despite how provocative this may be, it may be the unstated sentiment in today’s world.

Any thoughts?
 
Religion is a relationship. Our Catholic Faith or “religion” is a relationship with Christ. His denial of religion is a denial of a relationship with Christ.
 
The first time I read that sentence, I didn’t interpret that way.

The way I read it was “Religion means a belief in something bigger than yourself that gives meaning to life.”

There is nothing bigger than God. Nothing higher than God gives meaning to His existance. He is entirely self-sufficient.

Therefore, God has no religion. God doesn’t believe in an UberGod above Him. If we wanted to be perverse and stretch meanings a little bit, we could just as easily say “God is an atheist.”

That might not be what the person who said that meant. They may have just been trying to express a wishy washy “agnostic theism” (really, what’s the point? If there is a God, and He is so apathetic towards us that He has made no effort to inspire a religion on Earth…then there is really no point in acknowledging and worshiping Him…He doesn’t care about us. Only if God is interested in us, and because of that interest inspired a true religion, does it become important to find out what He wants of us.)
 
Laurence_of_PA said:
Interesting quote I heard today – “God doesn’t have a religion.” Personally, I find it to be an excuse for not weighing the evidence and analyzing different faiths, yet at the same time, it contains a level of sincerity.

That is, the person obviously believed that organized religion does more to tear people apart than to bring them together, while at the same time, this person must have been themself spiritual for not espousing religion all together. Despite how provocative this may be, it may be the unstated sentiment in today’s world.

Any thoughts?
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I always say, “Really?” then show them the following New Testament passage.

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.
 
Laurence_of_PA said:
Interesting quote I heard today – “God doesn’t have a religion.” Personally, I find it to be an excuse for not weighing the evidence and analyzing different faiths, yet at the same time, it contains a level of sincerity.

?
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God does not need his own religion. The definition of religion is the duty owed in justice and love by man, His creature, to God. God is perfect in justice and love in the Trinitarian relationship, so has no need of religion to remind him of it.
 
I think he was probably saying that “God is not exclusive to any particular organized religion.” I have heard a lot of people basically saying the same thing, that “I am spiritual, menaing I believe in God, but I am not religious.” They are turned off by organized religion and feel that they can still worship God apart from any “organized” religion.

To that, I say “Fair enough.” God calls people in different ways, some to certain faiths and others maybe to no particular faith. The way I look at it is that God, through the work of a concience that tells a person right from wrong, and an intellect that is predisposed towards a belief in God, has given all peoples a map to salvation, but not all of the pieces to the map. It is possible to get there, but it is much more difficult than with all the pieces. However, through the Church, He has given us the complete picture, we have the complete map, we have all the pieces because of Jesus Christ, present in the Eucharist. Ours is the easiest map to follow to salvation. That is why I joined the Church (the Catholic Church, of course). But, I have several friends who love God and Jesus but do not like or trust organized religion.
 
The conclusion seems to be “And therefore, since I too am God, I don’t have a religion either.”
 
Of Course God doesn’t have a religion…He IS religion. All things are found in Him. So you’d best be careful to do it His way!
 
The people whom I have heard say this, have a different concept of “God” than the traditional Christian. They are not talking about the same “God” as you. They are talking about a concept of God, not a specific deity.

So…before you respond, you might want to clarify that you are discussion the same thing, not one talking apples while the other is arguing oranges.

To a Trinitarian Christian “God” is a very specific thing, to others, “God” can be a word referring to something less defined.

cheddar
 
God does not have a religion, yet he set up a Church. This church is Christian. Christianity is a religion. So, whats up with the concern of using the word?
 
Laurence_of_PA said:
Despite how provocative this may be, it may be the unstated sentiment in today’s world.

Any thoughts?
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Sorry for butting in. But i see this metality alot in people that find themselves logically compelled to believe in a God but do not like the standards of religion.

I believe the “future atheism” will not be materialist versus God; but instead it will be Deists versus theistic Christianity.

Who does Dawkins call deluded in his book? Not Deists( because he knows deep down that an uncaused cuase is more logical then a blind infinite series of finite causes); instead he calls Theists iirational.( People who talk to the Un-Moved-Mover)

Sorry if this has nothing to do with the original qeustion, but i just felt i had to say it.
 
Laurence_of_PA said:
“God doesn’t have a religion.”
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it is right to say that “God does not have a religion”, because God needs nothing.
But man needs Truth. But Catholicism, what we see are man-made religions. So Catholicism is not a religion as commonly understood, but the Truth itself.
In a very particular sense, Catholicism is not a religion. It is not possible to compare it to any other religion.
Jesus did not establish any “religion”, He revealed Truth.
 
From dictionary.com:
  1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
  2. a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.
  3. the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices: a world council of religions.
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So, religion is a set of beliefs agreed upon by human members of a group that professes those beliefs and practices certain rituals and/or observances in the application of those beliefs.

OK. Yes, God has no religion. As has already been pointed out, God has no need of anything; he already knows the truth; he needs no means of discovering it or practicing it, and he certainly doesn’t need to be a member of a congregation worshipping the being to which it is dedicated.

“God has no religion” is a cop out. It’s an attempt to overthrow rational discussion with a clever catch phrase. Unfortunately, we know how well such things work in real life – e.g., “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit” and “Tippicanoe and Tyler, too”, for starters.

NB: I’m aware that the two examples I provided rhyme, while the original does not. 😉
Peace,
Dante
 
I am singing to myself a song I vaugely recall…

“loosin’ my religion”

Think about it folks. Its telling is it not?
 
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