Jesus, Forgiveness, Healing, Grace, Mercy, Redemption are all words that are associated with Christianity but the understanding of them is being lost today's world.
What does the word ‘Religion' mean?
From time to time people suggest to me that I'm a religious person. My answer is always to try to explain that I hope I am just the opposite and then try to follow this remark with my definition of Religion -
To my mind the common factor that all religions have is firstly a belief in the very existence of God followed by some form of required obedience to a particular set of Laws or Rules. For example, the Jews have the Old Testament Ten Commandments, the Muslims have the Koran, the Buddhists have the teaching of the Buddha to follow - the choice of the all the available religions that can be followed is a long one, almost endless, with each having their own set of Laws that must be adhered too.
There is not a lot wrong with such Laws and structures in themselves, they are necessary to create and maintain an ordered Society. As children, although we have a natural understanding about the difference between Good and Bad, we still need this to be verified by good teaching from within whatever Religious faith, or none, that we are born into.
‘Second Hand Christianity’ (Click here to read about First and Second Hand Christians if required) is no different, those who have been Baptised are expected to follow the Ten Commandments plus the later teaching given by Jesus.
As mentioned above, from the time of the Stone Age, mankind has had a central belief that there is some sort of Creator God who is worthy of Worship (even if it's thought to be the Sun or the Rain). From this common starting point the different Religious Groups then developed their own particular definition of who or what they think God is or should be like. The important thing they have in common is that they are all variations of 'Man seeking God'.
However, both the Jewish Religion, and its later development into Christianity, are uniquely different from all the other Religions in that they come from a history , not of 'Man seeking God', but of 'God seeking Man'.
Click here to read about ‘The problem with Religion’
Alternatively Click here to return to the 'Home Page'
