Wouldn’t it be great if religion worked like it said it did? Think about your own job, wouldn’t you love to be able to act like a prophet. Build a house, it falls down, ask the owners, “did you love it?”. They would say “of course we loved it, until it fell down”. “Well”, says you, “You did not REALLY love it. If you had given it your love fully, it would have stood forever.”
Making a republic work for more than 200 years? The problem is, people just don’t love their country! It’s not the politicians fault, they were destined by the Lord to protect and serve. This is no less than what happened to Israel, why can’t we apply it today? If it worked, if simply loving this country in the correct way made everyone healthy and productive, it would be awesome.
Of course, some try, but there is no reason to believe it could work or that it ever worked. The amazing thing is that we still continue to give religion a pass, as if maybe, someday, it will work.
I actually don’t think religion works at all. Religion is a man-made construct. As such, it is intrinsically flawed.
I promote the person of Jesus Christ rather than a religion. He’s a difference-maker. If we could all live in imitation of him, that would be the answer to all of our problems.
Of course, when he came to earth, he initiated the kingdom of God which is defined as a world run the way it should be according to God. But that kingdom won’t be completed until he returns again and deals with evil once and for all. We live in an “already-but-not-yet” situation.
I actually don't think religion works at all. Religion is a man-made construct. As such, it is intrinsically flawed. I promote the person of Jesus Christ rather than a religion. He's a difference-maker. If we could all live in imitation of him, that would be the answer to all of our problems. Of course, when he came to earth, he initiated the kingdom of God which is defined as a world run the way it should be according to God. But that kingdom won't be completed until he returns again and deals with evil once and for all. We live in an "already-but-not-yet" situation.Actually the bible which you reference in other posts is a man-made construct as well. And to base any of your beliefs on it means you too have succumbed to religion and have abandoned Jesus. The only thing that's warranted without reference to man-made constructs is a belief in a few scraps of ideas semi-accurately reported in old documents possibly from a guy named Jesus (our name, not his). I agree many of the things he did and said, IF he actually did and said them, are worthy of following. But so are many things MLK did and said, Albert Einstein, Buddha, etc. Doesn't mean any of them are supernatural or spiritual in any sense. Just great people with great notions that you can choose or not choose to implement for yourself and your family. That's it.
If we could all live in imitation of him, that would be the answer to all of our problems.So, the next time my local church has a fund raising bazaar, I should go in and flip over a few tables? It's the problem presented in The Life of Brian, "How shall we Oh, Lord?" Sure, we could agree on lots of things that the character in the NT named Jesus said and did. We could agree that everyone should do them. But he didn't have much to say about laundry soap with phosphates or GMOs or Neonicotinoids, so we're still on our own for many modern questions. Maybe you Christians should get together and see if y'all can agree on the basics, like who to love, and make a proposal to the rest of us.
Overcomer is correct. Religion is mans ideas of being spiritual i.e. practicing precepts in an effort to cover the sin nature that is in all humans which occurred at the Fall of Man in Genesis and also and this is important…as a way to gain wisdom and eternal life. Humans chase psychologists, scientists, philosophers, etc for the wisdom part but that’s a wild goose chase I found. I can’t change me…He can…I believe I’ll let Him. 
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This is one reason or answer to why there are so many religions practiced on earth. They all fall short. There’s only one name on Earth by which a man/woman can be saved.
He didn’t start a new religion…He has made a way to resume the relationship (called reconciliation) that caused the separation in the first place. He is a Holy jealous just God and abhors sin.
God in the garden said "Adam …where are you? Of course He said that conversationally because He knew where Adam was
Adam and Eve were hid and wearing fig leaves which was a symbol of the first religion. An effort to cover up or over the sin (the infringement of a simple law…don’t eat from the that one tree is all He asked).
The true way to be covered and forgiven was enacted as a picture of the Christ to come which was some unblemished animals were killed (blood sacrifice because the life is in the blood) and the skins used to cover them.
It’s amazing to see how God works in this earliest of human spiritual error. It is full of love and forgiveness. It reveals a lot that’s useful to understand.
So all we have to do is repent of our own ways and believe on Jesus to get the covering of His righteousness (not our own make believe kind) we need (the Holy Spirit).
Makes perfect logical and spiritual sense as all scripture does. Just give up the rebellious fight and surrender to Him and win! We have won through Him that’s why Overcomer said it’s an already-but-not-yet kind of circumstance.
Overcomer is correct. Religion is mans ideas of being spiritual i.e. practicing precepts in an effort to cover the sin nature that is in all humans which occurred at the Fall of Man in Genesis and also and this is important....as a way to gain wisdom and eternal life. Humans chase psychologists, scientists, philosophers, etc for the wisdom part but that's a wild goose chase I found. I can't change me...He can...I believe I'll let Him. :) . This is one reason or answer to why there are so many religions practiced on earth. They all fall short. There's only one name on Earth by which a man/woman can be saved. He didn't start a new religion....He has made a way to resume the relationship (called reconciliation) that caused the separation in the first place. He is a Holy jealous just God and abhors sin. God in the garden said "Adam ...where are you? Of course He said that conversationally because He knew where Adam was :) Adam and Eve were hid and wearing fig leaves which was a symbol of the first religion. An effort to cover up or over the sin (the infringement of a simple law...don't eat from the that one tree is all He asked). The true way to be covered and forgiven was enacted as a picture of the Christ to come which was some unblemished animals were killed (blood sacrifice because the life is in the blood) and the skins used to cover them. It's amazing to see how God works in this earliest of human spiritual error. It is full of love and forgiveness. It reveals a lot that's useful to understand. So all we have to do is repent of our own ways and believe on Jesus to get the covering of His righteousness (not our own make believe kind) we need (the Holy Spirit). Makes perfect logical and spiritual sense as all scripture does. Just give up the rebellious fight and surrender to Him and win! We have won through Him that's why Overcomer said it's an already-but-not-yet kind of circumstance.What's amazing is to see how man has fantasized how a god works, and there have been hundreds of such gods that have been claimed to work in so many different and contradictory ways. Yet you have chosen one of the hundreds as the "real" god with no more evidence than believers in Zeus or Thor had that their god was the "real" god. You talk of all of these aspects of a god you have only heard about or read about in a book that is purported to be true and valid, but for which there is no evidence that it is anything but the wishes and fantasies of ancient people who knew nothing of how the universe operates. Yet you spread these fantastical and unproven claims as if you had objective evidence for them and you command people to fall for them as you have. And you have convinced yourself that that is a moral thing to do. It is the height of craven immorality.
Religion is mans ideas of being spiritual i.e. practicing precepts in an effort to cover the sin nature that is in all humans which occurred at the Fall of Man in Genesis and also and this is important....as a way to gain wisdom and eternal life.Overcomer and Rodin; The distinction you make for religion is only possible if God actually exists. Obviously you think that, but since you are here in a skeptics forum, at least try to consider other viewpoints. I can only observe what my limited human form will allow me to. I’ve seen the affect religion has on people and that’s what I generally talk about here. You say you have some independent experience of Christ, but everything you say comes from organizations that passed on those stories you tell. If it wasn’t for the Roman Catholic Church, it is extremely unlikely that you would hold the views you do. Even your more reformed ideas come from large organizations that had agendas other than your personal salvation. There may have been small groups of people who first discussed and wrote down those ideas, but that’s how all organizations get started.