Spiritual but not religious

[PJM]

=allana;5208864]What do you say to someone (especially if it’s a family member) who believes that religion and church are a waste of time because of hypocritical church members and that once they pray to God and believe in him and do good works that that’s enough?

May I respectfully suggest sharing the following truth?

Praying “to God” and actually knowing and having a relationship with God, are no where the same thing. One is likely to get one to heaven, the other isn’t!

Prayer is good, even essential. But if one does not "know who and what God is, what God EXPECTS, from every human Creature that He Created, then one is “only speaking words,” wishful thinking.

What “we want” is ONLY important if and when, what “we want” is the same as what God wants for us! There exist NO OTHER OPTION if heaven is where we want to end up.

How we chose to judge God, know God, Worship God, have a Relationship with God, frankly means nothing if it does not fullfill what God wants and demands from us in return!

Why? Becuse God has gifted every human being with the ability to know him, according to their own life circumstances. Thus we have a mind, an intellect, ability to reason, freewill, and that which annimates all of these as well as our physical bodies; our souls!

Only God Himself and humanity possess all of these similar traits. Why? Precisely so that we can {and therefore are Gravely Morally responsible to do so} “know, love and serve God in this world so we can join Him in the next!”

This is the precise reason we were created, why God made us in His image and likeness {Gen. Chapter 1} why only humanity in all of the Created Universe are so gifted.

To “know God” is to know His Bible, keep ALL COMMANDMENTS His of His Commands, and to with humility and obedience, follow the teachings of the Only Church that God Himself ever founded! {Mt.16:18-20.}

Ask not what do “I want?” ask God what do you want from me? Amen!

Love and prayers,

 

[KestrelRose]

What do you say to someone (especially if it’s a family member) who believes that religion and church are a waste of time because of hypocritical church members and that once they pray to God and believe in him and do good works that that’s enough?

Tell them the Church is not a country club for saints but a hospital for sinners.

We are sinners and we do fail. This is why many of us continue to go to Church week after week. We realize that, in spite of our failings, here is one place that we can find hope to live better lives.

You might also ask, why he or she believes that they have the power of such human insight to be able to make such a sweeping judgement on the intentions and motivations of so many people.

When someone says something like this to me and generally responsed with,

“I realize that you don’t accept my beliefs. I would prefer that you state that honestly rather than judge my friends. You don’t come to Church because you are not a believer. I do not belong to the Elks, or the Rotary Club, or the Garden Club etc… not because I judge the members to be hypocrites but simply because I am not interested. I do not make up excuses for non-attendance.”

As for the Religion Versus Spiritual argument. That is simply a convenient sound bite.

I don’t argue about it. I just point out the I find my spiritual love for God within my Religion. It is like explaining to someone who is blind what the color blue is. They simply can not comprehend what I am talking about.