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Talking does not come naturally for me. I tend to be more of an introvert especially when I'm around people I don't know very well. Consequently I am never stomping at the bit to tell people what I think about this or that, or to freely share myself and my personal experiences. When a subject is taboo, like religion, this is even more true. On the other hand one of my favorite subjects is religion and it always comes up in the company of my closest friends. But for those who I am still in the process of getting to know it can be rather awkward to bring up. The subject used to be more uncomfortable to discuss around those who confessed no real “Christian” commitment, but lately I have found that the opposite is often true. Talking religion with the religious, especially when one is is the process of finding freedom from religion, can be the most awkward, not to mention confrontational, of all. I have observed that many “Christians” who are deeply committed to their “religion” have a great deal of difficulty effectively expressing their beliefs to those who don't think like they do. Those who are often the most outspoken among other believers about their “Christianity” become strangely silent if the subject comes up in mixed company. I used to be like that. I was not free to simply focus on the reality of Christ I had to defend all the extra religious clutter I was carrying around as well. The more freedom I find from such clutter the more comfortable it has becomes to speak my true thoughts. Now, one of my favorite things to do is to challenge my friends, whatever their beliefs, to think more logically about religion, truth, and reality, and sharing the reality of Jesus Christ on a real, down to earth, non-religious level is much more natural and spontaneous. Why? Because I no longer see my beliefs through the narrow lens of legalistic, human-made, tradition. Learning to Separate Religion from Reality We live in a society were the dominate view of reality is formed around a materialistic reference point. In other words, the existence of God is irrelevant to the “normal” or the “real” world where we live out our lives each day. A blind chance, evolutionary view of things is assumed (often on a subconscious level) even by many who say they believe in God. This naturalistic mentality so controls the thinking of the modern mind that few perceive its inconsistency with their confessed belief in a Creator (the majority of Americans say they believe in “God”). Few seem to recognize the problem with this type of thinking. They may borrow some of their ideas, or philosophies of life, from a theistic or God centered point of reference, and others from a naturalistic (or other non-theistic) point of reference never detecting what should be an obvious lack of logic in their thinking. Many modern “Christians” are intimidated by the dominate secular mentality that dominates our society. They have no idea how to deal with it. As a result they withdraw into a religious shell hiding behind their humanistic (man-made) traditions, finding comfort in the company of those of like mind. They have no confidence to express their beliefs on a deeper level - a level void of the typical cliché and rote religious answers. They are often more concerned about petty outward behaviours than they are about the motives of the heart. They are failing to properly separate their traditional religion, its habits, trains of thought, and legalistic behaviours from reality. I challenge you to ask yourself: How religious am I? Do I love Truth or just love my comfort zone of religion? The Truth is often harder to take, and more difficult to absorb than some simplistic, narrow, and legalistic religious system, but it is the Truth that will set you free - free to be the person you were created to be. Religion only brings bondage, narrow thinking, low confidence, and a lack of freedom to discover the real you. We need more true followers of Christ who are ready to shed their religion in favor of a Christ centered worldview - those who understand that to be a true follower of Jesus is not about religion it is in fact a discovery of the ultimate reality through the Godly transformation of the heart and mind. |