Why I Hate Religion

I want to explain my extreme dislike of religion. Hate would be a more accurate term. So what do I mean when I say religion? What I speak of is a system of rules, ordinances, ceremonies, traditions that are to be obeyed in order to obtain favour with God and eventually eternal life. It is a process that covers the length of your life in which you obey the laws of God and do what you ought to do. "Well that sounds pretty good, there can't be anything wrong with that", you might say. Just go to church and do the best you can. As long as the good is more then that bad, you'll be alright. That's religion. It leaves a man striving, grasping one commandment after another, as a knot in a rope, trying to pull himself up to God. It's a fruitless task. You never get where you want to be. You never get peace in your soul. The thought process in religion is that if I keep striving to be better, then God will love me and let me into heaven. What it ignores is our sin problem. Our sin has to be dealt with. God can't be just in forgiving someone, without someone paying the penalty for the crime. Religion completely ignores this. We have a huge mountain of sin that must be dealt with so we can have peace with God! In our natural state we are enemies of God! Religion can't bring peace with God. Over and over people try religion and become disgusted with it because it fails to satisfy the soul.

Religion won't get you peace with God. It falsely claims that by doing the law, you can justify yourself before God and have peace, but the bible says it can't.

Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his (God's) sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh (person) be justified.

Religion is a false blanket of security. Why I hate religion and why Jesus had such harsh words for the religious, is that religion gets in between a sinner who is convicted of his sin, and the forgiveness and peace he is looking for. Sin convicts a person's conscience, and then religion steps in offers a cheap substitute for Jesus. Religion says, "Just do this list of rules and you'll have peace with God and forgiveness." It's a lie. Religion says if you wear these clothes and meet with this group of people, you'll have peace. It's a lie. Religion says finger these prayer beads and chant this chant you'll justify yourself before God, and it's a lie. Religion says if you pray this prayer and become a member of this church, you'll have peace. It's a lying, despicable lowdown substitute for the Lord Jesus Christ. The bible says...

Gal 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
Gal 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

That says that all people that live their life by doing the law (here is religion... just follow this law) are under a curse because they have not kept the law they so value. The law has been broken and the penalty for breaking the law is death. Eternal death. What a dastardly thought, that us keeping some rules will cause a just God to overlook the thousands of times we sinned. So it is futile to keep living under the curse of doing the law in order to please God and justify yourself. But this is exactly what religion does.

A minister or priest might get you to confess your sins to him and that might make you more comfortable around him, but it won't satisfy the wrath of a holy God. Continuing to do religious activities to buy favour with God might ease your guilty conscience, but at the end of the day it won't bring peace with God. Praying toward Mecca might make you feel better, but it won't remove the mountain of your sin or bring peace with God. We have a huge sin debt that religion can never remove.

Man and God are enemies. We are at war. The best man can do is a brief cessation of hostilities. God cannot over look our sin and forgive us. He can't justly do that, or He would be unjust like we are. You see the predicament. We need an intercessor! We need someone to step in and satisfy justice, because we can't.

In steps Jesus, and dies on the cross and sheds His blood to pay God, for our sins. OUR DEBT THAT RELIGION COULD NEVER PAY, JESUS PAYED. Man could now have peace with God, at the cross by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is through faith in a person, not religion that justifies us before Almighty God. Where religion had always failed to satisfy the wrath and justice of a holy God, Jesus succeeded! Jesus obtained peace for us at the cross! His blood was shed to pay the penalty that our sin had incurred. God and man can now meet together in the body of the Lord Jesus Christ and have eternal peace! There is no other way. You want peace with God and satisfaction in the depth of your soul? You need Jesus. No other substitute will do. Cast aside religion! Put your faith in Jesus.

The grand thing about this is, you can know today that you have peace with God. With religion you never know. When you believe that Jesus paid the price for you and made peace with God, you know that you know. The satisfaction from that knowledge is the grandest thing in this world. To know that your salvation and eternal destination are SURE, is a wonderful thing. Nothing can compare to the joy and peace and love, this new relationship with God, brings to a person.