Coming Clean

All Religion Is Man Made

bit of a sporadic piece that’s been in my mind for a few weeks… not precisely ironed out, could probably use some more thought and work particularly at the end… comments appreciated

My boss expressed this sentiment in discussing his flavor of Christianity… skirting the topic of sticking with a denomination because that’s “religion”. He and his family go where ever the Bible is preached (and I hear a *thump,thump* in my mind). Religion … is to be avoided.

I tried to go into that idea a little bit with him, but it was clear it would go nowhere fast… so I let it die. Religion is something we mortal, fallen men do – end of story.

But the whole idea of the sentiment, particularly within the scope of Christianity, is ridiculous. Yes, religion is an endeavor of men, but the whole idea behind Christianity (and Judaism and Islam) is that it is ordained by God. It’s everything else that more or less says “do whatever brings you closer to God so long as you practice within these boundaries”.

It was Christ that certainly instituted Christian baptism. It was Christ that instituted Holy Communion. It was Christ that ushered in Confirmation and Holy Orders (more or less with the advent of the Holy Spirit and at Pentecost). It was Christ that instituted Reconcilliation and Healing – as that was pretty much His whole ministry and the same ministry that He left for the Church to carry on. It was Christ that instituted a communing body of believers. I think Marriage is the only Sacrament that Christ did not formally create for the Church. …but Marriage was instituted by God from the get go in our very flesh.

Yet this idea remains within many people that “religion” is a bad thing. Sure, there is such a thing as bad religion, but bad religion does not make all religion bad. Catholicism has had its fair share of darker moments, but that does not negate nor dim nor invalidate all the wonderful, awesome, holy and Christ-ian things it has done, is doing, and will continue to do. Yet because of bad religion, people react wrongly – namely to do away with that bad religion instead of healing that bad religion.

That’s why today you’ve got Christians who don’t baptize. You’ve got Christians who think Holy Communion really isn’t all that Holy or special or necessary in a Christian’s life. You’ve got Christians who think divorce is always an (and most likely is the) option. You’ve got Christians who fear any kind of gift of the Spirit – healing among them. You’ve got Christians who think organized, corporate communion and worship really isn’t something you are called to do.

My Religion is certainly man made, but it was not made by any ordinary man. It was made by the God-Man, and it was brought to me by men after His own heart. So I look to all of them – Christ and the Saints – to point me in the right direction for my life. You know what they say? They all say “this is the way, the truth, and the life.” If you divorce the idea of grace from Religion then that statement seems rather blasphemous – but in Catholicism, it all flows from Christ and it all flows as one. So, indeed!! Religion is a Man-made endeavor… it’s what’s bringing me closer to heaven here and now.