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[Sha'zar]

Personally I'm against religion. I follow Jesus and not a religion.

A lot of people make that claim. But if you follow Jesus, then you can't be against religion, for you have a religion.

re-lig-ion (ri-lijn). A system of belief, principles, or opinions : creed, dogma, faith, religion, philosophy, doctrine, credo, canons, gospel.
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Excerpted from American Heritage Talking Dictionary
Copyright © 1997 The Learning Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Not only that, but both Paul and James spoke of religion in a positive way. So why should you oppose it?

1 Timothy 3:16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of our religion: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. RSV

James 1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

first, i think you miss MISFIT's point. if i am understading tem correctly, tey is saying that tey does not follow a "system of beliefs" fashioned by humans, but rather the teachings of the Bible, and specifically Jesus.

second, as a seemingly student of the Greek language, Paidion, i think you should look into the roots of the words used in the verses above. i don't have a Strong's reference for the RSV, so i'll use the NASB.
the first part of 1 Tim 3:16 reads there as follows: "By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness:". at this point, i am going to have to guess that the Greek word translated as 'religion' in the RSV is 'eusebeia' which is translated as 'godliness' in the NASB, and even as 'godly' in the RSV (1 Tim 2:2). in this context, i would propose that 1 Tim 3:16 may be talking about doctrine which promotes godliness, but not 'religion' as we understand it in today's English.

to give context to your 2nd verse, i will quote both Jam 1:26 & 27, again in the NASB, as follows:
"If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his {own} heart, this man's religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of {our} God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, {and} to keep oneself unstained by the world."
'religion' in the last part of verse 26 and early part of verse 27 is 'thrēskeia' in the Greek, which is a derivative of the Greek word for 'religious' earlier in verse 26, 'thrēskos', which is defined in Strong's as "fearing or worshipping God". in context, i would suggest these verses are talking about worshipping God, possibly in a ceremonial manner.

so that this post isn't completely off-topic, my question to MISFIT is thus: what are your thoughts on my assessment? (i'm interested in your thoughts as well Paidion)

 

[MISFIT]

so that this post isn't completely off-topic, my question to MISFIT is thus: what are your thoughts on my assessment? (i'm interested in your thoughts as well Paidion)

Please forgive the lateness of my reply I kinda forgot about this topic. Your assessment was good I liked it.