6.6 million hits on YouTube. Over 60,000 comments under the link, with many more circulating among social websites and pervading conversations. I'm talking about the recent video "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus". If you choose to watch it, I strongly recommend putting on your critical thinking cap, and take captive in your minds every claim that is made. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IAhDGYlpqY&feature=g-logo&context=G2474ba1FOAAAAAAABAA
This post is intended to relay my thoughts and comments on the video. I'll say up front that I dislike it; it was something I couldn't bring myself to finish while watching the first time through. But, as encouraged by friends, I'm going to remain positive, such as making statements like this: I think that 99% of the video's caption, standing by itself, is great stuff. The problem, however, is the spoken word. My challenge: to include Scripture as my bases for objections.
Here is what I find convincing and true about the video (POSITIVES):
(1) Religion itself was never meant to be about self-righteousness or about following a set of rules. Jesus did indeed bust people's chops for doing so.
(2) That's how we, as imperfect people, have perverted something that God set forth as holy. We have let our bone-headed mistakes discourage others from wanting to be a part of the Family. I call these "church owies". It's reality, and it deeply saddens me. And if you are reading this and have become a product of one of these owies, I apologize to you for whatever it was. But I strongly encourage you not to allow what imperfect men have done to taint your image of what God has set forth. We'll talk about that in a minute.
(3) Church is not meant to be a place where people come to have all the mistakes they did Monday through Saturday cleansed so they can repeat the same mistakes again the next week. Nor is it meant to be a museum of the pious and perfect. It is, indeed, a gathering where Christ-followers come to seek edification from brothers and sisters who, in all likelihood, find themselves making the same mistakes you do.
(4) Yes, the family of believers has hypocrites, and it's a shame.
On the other hand, these statements are where I take issue with the spoken message (OBJECTIONS):
Before I start, I want you to do two things: (a) Define for yourself what "religion" is. The way the video uses it, I think, has to do with organized bodies of believers. Personally, I feel that it is critical to make the distinction that "religion" is a set of beliefs and the actions carried out in support or response, while people are a different subject. Religion is inanimate; people do the acting. (b) Secondly, I want you to put on your thinking caps and make decisions for yourselves. 1 Corinthians 14:20 says "in your thinking, be mature."
(1) This guy makes tons of claims about Jesus. Where is His scriptural support? I know it's meant to be a poem, but putting Jesus' life and mission into words is something that is never meant to be taken lightly. Thus, it needs absolute backing from the Bible. I didn't hear a single Biblical support. Again, I'm going to try to avoid being hypocritical whenever I possibly can, so I'll try my best to cite.
(2) Fallacy #1 (even though this is point #2): the claim that "Jesus came to abolish religion". This claim is not only completely irrational, but not scripturally supported. Objection: Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but fulfill." Appealing to logic, why would Jesus come to destroy what His Father set up (note the temples where people gathered in the Old Testament)? Or why, then, did Jesus send apostles out to different cities?
(3) Fallacy #2: Claim: "If religion is so great, why has it started so many wars? Why does it build huge churches, but fail to feed the poor?" Objection based on logic: Again religion is inanimate. It cannot by itself do anything. People start wars, based on imperfect qualities about them. It is people's jobs to feed others; an inanimate object cannot do so. That's about as rational as saying "Guns kill people; people don't kill people." Or "I didn't hit you with my car; my car hit you." Or "you can't get mad at me; I didn't say those words - it was the keyboard that typed them." Of course, the institution itself cannot do, it is up to the individual person to make the decision.
(4) Fallacy #3: Claim: "Jesus and religion are on opposite ends of the spectrum... One is made by God, the other by man." My objection is based on the assumption that "religion" = the gathering of Christians. Sure, we have imperfections, but that doesn't dismiss the command to gather. The Bible doesn't make that exception. As a matter of fact, I don't find many exceptions to what we are instructed to do, if any! And to point out, the gathering was most certainly not created by man.
(a) Matthew 18:20 "Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them." Doesn't sound to me like Jesus came to abolish this. In fact, Jesus blesses the gathering and says that He is with us when we congregate.
(b) 1 Corinthians 14:33 "For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints." So I'm being told by an imperfect man that church wasn't ordained by God and is an ugly thing, yet the Bible tells me that God's peace rests with the gathering of His imperfect children? I think I'll go with the Bible.
(c) Hebrews 10:24-25: "Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another"
(d) 1 Corinthians 14 entails instructions for when we gather together.
(e) 1 John 1:7 "If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another."
Therefore, God doesn't separate himself from things that are holy. From my recollection, the only thing that God separates Himself from is sin. But He loves us unconditionally, imperfections and all.
(5) Claim: "Religion says Do, but Jesus says Done." What's wrong with that? Objection: "Faith without works is dead"...? James 2:17. Plus, the speaker was wanting the "church" to feed people, right? Isn't that a "do"?
(6) Claim: "Religion puts you in bondage, while Jesus sets you free." Objection: Again, this is a personal choice. You must accept the gift for Jesus to set you free, (even though we are told the Truth sets us free in John 14). But, if we apply that same logic, wouldn't it be our own personal choice if we ALLOW the church to hold us in bondage? It's a simple choice: shuck it and don't let it bind you!
(7) What this guy is doing is exactly the opposite of what he is pointing fingers at. He wants us, as bodies of believers, not to make claims about what is right and wrong, yet he points out the many imperfections of people. In voicing some of my objections, a few friends pointed out that I shouldn't allow my objections get in the way of me seeing the good... yet, here is the speaker's problem. I wouldn't be surprised if he has once been the object of a church owie, but in my opinion, he has effectively allowed it to taint his perspective of something ordained by God! He overlooks what a church does right. Instead, we hear a laundry list of complaints (to keep myself from falling into the same trap, I have listed my positive remarks). Yes, a church, or body of believers, has hypocrites, but you can't allow what a certain person does taint your view of the whole.
(8) In the caption, the speaker says that religion can end in either one of two ways: pride or despair. Now that, to me, totally misses the mark. I know he said he loves churches, but that statement is highly deterrent of others wanting to become a part of a body. When religion is pure, it brings a person closer to God (thus, a third end, if you will). James 1:27 says "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God is this: to take care of orphans and widows in distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." It brings us closer to God as mentioned in Proverbs 27:17 - "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." See? There's some great stuff that association brings about.
I fear the video is going to discourage association. And that's purely contradictory to what the Bible tells us to do. I feel (personal opinion) that Christ didn't intend for us to go stag. He wired us to want to be associated and be able to fit in, so He gave us the church for that. A church that was intended for building others up and strengthening each other. Again, man misses the mark when that goal is not accomplished. But it is wrong to blame the institution when one man's words or actions hurt another. That's like blaming your entire body for stubbing your toe. Satan is stronger when we don't have other Christians to strengthen us (there is strength in numbers), and his attacks are stronger in those scenarios.
Even if we accept the whole as a compilation of imperfect people, we still must love each of those people and forgive them as Christ loves and forgives us. See Matthew 5:43, 1 John 2:9, and 1 John 4:19-21. We are called to see them as Christ sees us - He loves His children and calls them His own.
Please don't let what one person or a group of men taint your view of what God set up as holy. Peace be with you.
