The Myth
Evangelical Christians are often quick to counter anyone who calls Christianity a "religion," sometimes even to the point of being offended! We will often respond with, "It's not a religion; it's a relationship!"
The Reality
This is something I used to say, but I've had to re-evaluate it. Obviously, there is a relationship, but I think a lot of people are being too cheesy when they talk about their relationship with God and try to make it sound exactly like a friendship with a human. In reality, the whole "it's a relationship not a religion" thing seems to just be a recent trendy Christian thing to say.
By definition, of COURSE Christianity is a religion: "the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, esp. a personal God or gods"
I think problems arise when we try to pretend that there's more to it than there actually is. Christians often treat things like there's some emotional experience we're supposed to get out of it. Take worship, for example: People say stuff like "worship was really good today" if they were particularly swayed with emotion or some experience, when ACTUAL worship is a lifestyle, not just a time set aside for music. ACTUAL worship is a sacrifice to God, and it's giving sincere praise and thanks to Him; it's not about how warm and toasty I feel.
That's not to say God doesn't give us special experiences or speak to us through emotions, but I think there's way too much focus on that going on. It's also not to say we shouldn't have time set aside to sing praise music to him; just that we should have an accurate understanding of what it is.
My idea of a relationship with God is pretty simple:
1. Try to obey Him and represent Him with my life
2. Talk to Him
3. Listen to what He says to me through His Word and through fellow disciples
4. If He leads me to do something special through His Spirit, try to listen and obey
Why It Matters
Ultimately, you could say that it's a matter of semantics... but I think it's a good idea to make sure we're applying accurate definitions for the words we use. We can have a relationship with the Almighty God! Let's make sure we're not trying to dumb Him down to our level, like he's just some buddy we pal around with.
I think it's also important to make sure we're being down-to-earth and honest when we talk about our relationship with God. No matter how fantastic a concept it might seem to you to have God be your best buddy, nobody is going to be impressed if they feel like you're being cheesy. I'm not saying don't call Jesus your friend, but we must recognize that it's an incomplete description.
Sure, Christianity is a relationship with God, but it is also, by definition, a religion. And that's okay, too.
By definition, of COURSE Christianity is a religion: "the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, esp. a personal God or gods"
I think problems arise when we try to pretend that there's more to it than there actually is. Christians often treat things like there's some emotional experience we're supposed to get out of it. Take worship, for example: People say stuff like "worship was really good today" if they were particularly swayed with emotion or some experience, when ACTUAL worship is a lifestyle, not just a time set aside for music. ACTUAL worship is a sacrifice to God, and it's giving sincere praise and thanks to Him; it's not about how warm and toasty I feel.
That's not to say God doesn't give us special experiences or speak to us through emotions, but I think there's way too much focus on that going on. It's also not to say we shouldn't have time set aside to sing praise music to him; just that we should have an accurate understanding of what it is.
My idea of a relationship with God is pretty simple:
1. Try to obey Him and represent Him with my life
2. Talk to Him
3. Listen to what He says to me through His Word and through fellow disciples
4. If He leads me to do something special through His Spirit, try to listen and obey
Why It Matters
Ultimately, you could say that it's a matter of semantics... but I think it's a good idea to make sure we're applying accurate definitions for the words we use. We can have a relationship with the Almighty God! Let's make sure we're not trying to dumb Him down to our level, like he's just some buddy we pal around with.
I think it's also important to make sure we're being down-to-earth and honest when we talk about our relationship with God. No matter how fantastic a concept it might seem to you to have God be your best buddy, nobody is going to be impressed if they feel like you're being cheesy. I'm not saying don't call Jesus your friend, but we must recognize that it's an incomplete description.
Sure, Christianity is a relationship with God, but it is also, by definition, a religion. And that's okay, too.
I've ranted about this a couple times. My main issue with the phrase isn't that it's claiming Christianity is more than it actually is, but rather that this is claiming that it is less than it actually is. The true practice of Christianity should result in a vibrant emotional life (although not the cheap emotionality of Disney Channel or bumper sticker slogans), but it should accomplish more than that, should in fact touch upon every aspect of the believer's life. When people say that Christianity is not a religion, they are also denying it's intellectual authority and the vast wealth of theological and philosophical knowledge that God has given us for the glory of the Kingdom. And this blatant surrender has more than academic consequences (but I should add that even if that were the case this would still be disastrous; everyone is presented with all the same massive abstract problems whether or not they make a career out of those problems) since it also means that when someone has a problem which they absolutely cannot deny is spiritual they will be as likely to go to a Christian as to a doctor that has burned all his diplomas and told everyone that medical school was a waste of time. At the same time, however, I think this trend also reflects a desire in believers to validify their beliefs and an epistemological shift in our culture. We now think of science as the only legitimate way to truth, and as such religion (which is most effectively argued for through dialectics) is not considered completely subjective. In fact, it is considered "enlightened" in this age to formulate religious beliefs purely on one's feelings. In this way, claiming that one's beliefs are a result of a highly personal experience can be a means of claiming that they have some slight validity. At least then Christianity resembles something that can be seen and touched.
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