What is religion? (salvation, lordship, Buddhist, soul)

[godservant]

Is not religion all deeds and all reflections- khalil gibran.

do we sometimes make our religion our cage? instead of our salvation?

how can we separate our faith from our actions or our beleifs from our occupations?



"religion" to me is knowing who i am and always will be. knowing that we are free to Live, the breath that we breath is freedom.


we are life. Lets Live instead of trying to live.

i am free to love you and you an you no matter what. no excueses

[Julian658]

Religion:

A specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.

Dictionary.com


The interpretation of MAN concerning unexplained natural events or God.

[little elmer]

Religion - n.

A set of rules, i.e. a return to Egypt.

Relationship - n. An intimate knowing of a person (or in this case, a Spirit) that causes one to be changed into the likeness of the object of one's affection.

[Mikelee81]

Religion from a Scriptural perspective, is any way we are attempting to come to God outside of submitting to the Lordship of his Messiah Jesus. Anything outside of that, is us attempting to reconcile us to God in our own way. It is Religious externalism. God makes it clear he is searching the Heart. It's all about his Holy Spirit working through us producing fruit ultimately to glorify him in His works in Messiah Jesus.

John 15

1I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

2Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

3Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

6If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

7If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

8Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

9As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

10If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

11These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

12This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

13Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

14Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

15Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

16Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

17These things I command you, that ye love one another.

18If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

19If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

20Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

21But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.

22If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.

23He that hateth me hateth my Father also.

24If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.

25But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.

26But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

27And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.

It is a about a dependency on the Holy Spirit. So we must be "born again" to be able to "Abide in the Vine"/Messiah Jesus to produce Fruit (Spirit led Works). It's about replacing our will with God's will. Dying to Pride of self and life, and awakening to Humility of Self in service.

John 3:30
He must increase, but I must decrease.

John 12:24
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

We are described as a Wheat plant/branch in which the seed (the Word of God) is planted in our Heart (parable of Sowers). If it's planted into a good soil (a good heart), with faith in patient endurance the plant will blossom producing fruit as God waters (our source of growth) to give the increase. (1 Corinthians 3)

If it doesn't produce fruit it's taken away. (John 15:2)

Luke 8:18
Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.

All throughout scripture, a non fruit bearing Tree is Cursed by God. So "Religion" in itself can be very dangerous because one can believe they've reconciled themselves to God but with a danger of finding out too late that they haven't because they did not submit to God's program of redemption through Anointed one/Messiah Jesus.

Isaiah 29:12-13
And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

Moderator cut: bashing

John 5:39
Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Luke 6:46
And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

[saved33]

What is religion?


Matthew 22
34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’b 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’c 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”


James 1
26If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.


John 21
15When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”


Matthew 25
31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
41“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

[Mikelee81]

Originally Posted by Julian658

Moderator cut: Orphaned reference/response

I suggest you practice the above instead of saying unsavory things about other fellow Christians.

Raised Catholic in a family of those practicing Catholicism, I love those who practice Catholicism dearly. While this is true, I see Catholicism as dangerous religious institution keeping the people from the "Word of God" as the Lord Jesus himself puts it. With this being said, many denominational Churches have also fallen away from the Word as the authority.

How the Lord defines a Christian

Matthew 7

16Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

18A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

20Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

24Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

25And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

26And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

27And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

[Serena Sattar]

I think it is good to have beliefs in deities, but when people try to convert you to their faith, I have problems with that. Every religious preacher thinks they are the ultimate religion to follow. That is good that you believe that, but please be a little more respectful towards others faiths. I'm tired of religion being shoved down my throat.

[saved33]

Originally Posted by Serena Sattar

I think it is good to have beliefs in deities, but when people try to convert you to their faith, I have problems with that. Every religious preacher thinks they are the ultimate religion to follow. That is good that you believe that, but please be a little more respectful towards others faiths. I'm tired of religion being shoved down my throat.

So religion, to you, is a belief that gets shoved down your throat.

Sounds a lot like science these days. Shoving down our throats their "facts" that the earth is "tens of billions years old", the universe (or is it multiverse now?) came about by a "big bang", and that "humans evolved from apes".

I too am tired of a "religion" such as science being shoved down my throat every which way I turn.

[Steph1980]

I don't think the world would have a problem with Christianity nearly as much as it does right now, if we really practiced true religion.... caring for orphans and widows, laying aside our "rights", living quiet lives, minding our own affairs and being hard workers, living peacefully together and sharing all things with joy.

Living godly comes with persecution for sure - and probably not the kind that leads to death here in north America - but as Tertullian said "That's why you can't just exterminate us; the more you mow us down the more we are. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church."

Such true self-denial for Jesus' sake comes from revelation, not law, and becomes a powerful force when the church is of one heart.

[Torpedos]

religion is modern man's golden calf. people worship religion.