WHEN DID RELIGION BECOME A BAD WORD?

I remember the first time I heard the words, “I’m not Religious, I just love the Lord”.  It was back in the 70’s during the Jesus Movement when an amazing event was happening and God was at the center of it.  Years later I hear the same sentiment; “I’m not Religious, I’m Spiritual.”  I find myself today questioning those statements.  I know what people are trying to convey but something just didn’t make sense to me.  The word Religion didn’t have a bad connotation to it for me.  I have always been intrigued by Religion and loved studying about it, not only mine but all others as well.  I have come to understand that it is simply a matter of the definition that people have of the word Religion.  This made me examine what I believe the word means.

I have always seen my Religion as my way of life.  It is my faith and practice.  It is all about Relationship.  It is how I relate to God, to the Bible, to myself, to other people, to nature, and to the world around me.  It is the perspective through which I see, I hear, and I feel about life.

I have always been interested in the Religions of people.  I was raised Christian and enjoyed exploring that Faith.  But I also found myself interested in Religions that were very different than mine, from other lands as well.  I believe that knowing one’s Religion helps me to understand what is beyond the superficial stuff and get to know the real depths of a person, which becomes a good source from which to build relationships.

I see Religion as both a heart and mind thing.  Knowing my Religion becomes a home base for me, a place of peace where I can stand firm rather than getting caught in the wake of all the battles and confusion that seems to be involved in the discussions of Religion, as it is an entity in itself.  It’s just not where I live so I don’t understand why it is a problem for so many people and nations in the world.  All the arguing just makes me sad.

My Religion is a very personal and precious thing to me.  It is not so much what I believe or think; it is who I am.  It seems to me that when my I AM

relates to another I AM in a communal and not competitive way the result should be love and respect for one another.  The result of that is peace; a peace that comes from knowing and understanding one another’s heart and mind.