In response to the YouTube video "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus"

First, watch the video here.

Then, if you're feeling adventurous, watch some of the reply videos. My post is more in reply to them than the original video. Specifically, the responses by TheAmazingAtheist (language warning there) and topsouljas1, who are an atheist and a Christian, respectively. I think the problem comes with how people are defining religion. So let's define religion. Here's Webster's take on it:

re·li·gion

   [ri-lij-uhn]  

noun

1.

a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purposeof the universe, especially when considered as the creationof a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involvingdevotional and ritual observances, and often containing amoral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

2.

a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generallyagreed 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 beliefsand practices: a world council of religions.

4.

the life or state of a monk, nun, etc.: to enter religion.

5.

the practice of religious  beliefs; ritual observance of faith.

So I believe what the original video says is true. But here's the problem - people who are railing against this video are defining religion as #2 above. A specific set of beliefs. Nothing wrong with that, it's a valid definition, and by that definition, the original video does indeed make absolutely no sense. But if you view the video through the lens of definition #5 as its creator intended, the video really does make a lot of sense. It's actually something the topsouljas guy commented on - that the rituals and practice of religion won't save you. It's not that I or this Jeff from the original video believe that what we practice is not religion, but that what we do and why is not relevant to the definition that many people think of when they hear the word religion, which is #5 up there. Many people in our world, and these are the people that my church is dedicated to reaching out to, have been burned by religion. They were forced to go to church as a kid by parents who didn't do what they heard. They saw a lot of do-this, do-that, stand up, sit down, kneel, sing this, chant that, but not very much practical, day to day, living out a love of Jesus. They saw the Holy Communion as anything BUT communion with a loving god who wants more than anything to bring us into his family. They saw the practicing of religion, but not the need for it.

At about 7:37 into his video, TheAmazingAtheist starts on a little rant after a clip from the original video. "He took what we all deserve? We all deserve to be beaten and nailed to some sticks? We all deserve to burn in hell for all eternity? We all deserve that? Who the f*** deserves that?" At this point in his video, I was sitting in my office, actually just saying "YES" to every question he asked. Yes. We all deserve to be beaten and nailed up until we suffocate on our own blood. Yes. We all deserve to burn in hell for all eternity. From Romans: 21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
He talks about how according to the video, helping an old lady cross the street or serving at a soup kitchen don't mean anything. How all your good acts are worthless if you don't have Jesus. He said it in a sarcastic way, but the answer really is "yes". The reason there are so many religious laws, specifically in the Old Testament, is to show not how much more righteous one person is than another, but as an illustration that no matter what we do, no matter how many rules we obey, no matter who we help cross the street, we can never live up to God's perfect standard. This is the basic premise of Christianity. This is the very meaning of grace. If we could somehow earn our way into heaven, or more to the point, out of hell, then the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross would be meaningless. If I could do it on my own, Jesus didn't need to die. But that's the whole point. Your good deeds, no matter how good, cannot measure up to perfection, and God's standard, the minimum he will accept, is perfection. Jason Gray wrote about it in his song "Everything I Own" which is in turn based on a passage in the Bible that says essentially the same thing.

Isaiah 64:6 - All of us have become like one who is unclean, 
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; 
we all shrivel up like a leaf, 
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

Here are a couple verses of Jason's song:
All I’ve accomplished, the titles I hold
My passions, position, possessions and gold
To God they must look like a thimble of foam
And it’s everything that I own
Dirty rags are all that I own

So I stand before God with my stubble and hay
He just laughs, but says there’s still a way
Because “Father, Forgive” are the words Jesus moaned
When He gave everything that He owned.


If you want to learn more about the concept of Jesus vs. Religion, I invite you to check out www.religionisalie.com. The videos there are all people I know personally, who I can say with confidence live their lives in a way that desperately seeks God. They are not people who dilute the truth in order to appeal to anyone. It's not marketing. It's a belief that a relationship with Jesus is the only way to heaven.


-Adam