True Religion (James 1:22-27)

Southern California Public Radio’s Pat Morrison show recently spent an hour discussing why the number of people who claim to be religious has declined so much in recent years; why do so few people today consider themselves “religious?”

I put the same question on my facebook page, and got a number of comments.

Many said that they are spiritual, but have no use for religion.  Religion, they said, has refused to evolve and change as humanity’s knowledge of the universe has grown.  They think it’s ridiculous that a good number of “religious” people deny evolution or the age of the universe, despite the overwhelming scientific evidence for such things. 

They also cited the hypocrisy of religious leaders, whose statements seem to be “180 degrees” from the teachings of Jesus. 

And they claimed that religion insists on certainty of belief, which leaves no room for the many questions and doubts that they themselves have.

Diana Butler Bass is a remarkable historian and Biblical scholar who I met at the Disciples of Christ clergy conference two years ago.  She has just written a book on this topic which she titled, Christianity After Religion. 

In the book, she describes Ellen, a former church-goer who gave up on religion.

Here’s Ellen’s story:

“I lived in a conservative diocese which fought women’s ordination in the ugliest way imaginable, while at the same time seeming to turn its back on the poor and needy.  [After trying several other churches] I left in disgust when disagreeing with the pastor meant you were not being faithful to God… I enjoy reading religious books, blogs, and listening to podcasts of sermons, too.  But I feel most churches are way too focused on self-preservation and preaching the gospel rather than living it.  So, for now, my offering goes to Doctors Without Borders and other charities.  My work is my ministry as I meet the broken-hearted and lost every day.  I quietly encourage the faith of the dispirited, pray for others, and try to walk humbly with my God.”

Diana Butler Bass then commented on Ellen’s story, saying that “although she [Ellen] eventually found herself on an individual spiritual path, Ellen is still reaching for connection… So, even after leaving the church, she attempts to create some sort of new faith community through books, the internet, charity, and her workplace.”

One of the comments I received on my facebook page – from a cousin of mine, actually – said very much the same thing.  My cousin said she was spiritual, that she was “seeking various means to gain a closer relationship with the infinite.”

I think that speaks for a lot of people; they are spiritual, but not religious.

Two years ago, novelist Anne Rice made a very public display of renouncing religion, which was notable because it hadn’t been that long since she made a very public display of rejoining the religion of her youth.  Anne Rice’s rejection of religion went like this:

“Today I quit being a Christian.  I’m out.  I remain committed to Christ as always, but not to being ‘Christian’ or to being part of Christianity.  I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist.  I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control.  I refuse to be anti-Democrat.  I refuse to be anti-secular humanism.  I refuse to be anti-science.  I refuse to be anti-life.  In the name of Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian.  Amen.”

Anne Rice posted this statement online.  Within hours, it was liked and shared by thousands of people.

The gospel writer James wrote about religion, contrasting worthless religion with religion that is pure and undefiled.  This caught my attention for two reasons. 

One, the Bible doesn’t use the word religion very often.  Only five times in all, and two of those five times are right here. 

Nowhere does Jesus use the word religion.  David Felten and Jeff Procter-Murphy just came out with a book titled Living the Questions: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity, and in that book they point out that Jesus’ teachings are rarely about religion.

So that makes James’ mention of religion almost unique in scripture.

The other reason James’ use of the word religion caught my attention is the fact that so many people today are turning away from religion.

One very important thing to consider here is what, exactly, people mean when they use the word religion.  A lot of people today say that they are spiritual but not religious; so, what do these words mean? 

As my seminary professor Joe Jones used to say, words have a way of getting up and walking around, so it’s important to make sure you pin them down and define them so everyone knows what you’re talking about.

For example, take the word awful.  Originally, it meant full of awe.  It was positive:  awful, wonderful – these were synonyms.  People would take their children to the great cathedrals of Europe and say, “Isn’t this the most awful cathedral you’ve ever seen?”

But the children weren’t really all that interested in church.  They found it boring.  Some things don’t change!  And they’d say to each other, “Oh, yeah; that church is so awful.”  And eventually, awful didn’t mean what it used to mean; it meant just the opposite.  So society had to invent a new word; in this case, awesome. 

What about religion? How do you define religion? …

A lot of people say they are spiritual but not religious; so what does it mean to be spiritual? …

Diana Butler Bass gives lecture presentations all over the country, and often invites the clergy and other religious leaders present to share their answers, which she then writes on a whiteboard or flip chart.  Here’s a summary of her lists:

Spirituality                                   Religion

experience                                    institution

connection                                    organization  

transcendence                             rules

searching                                       order

intuition                                         dogma

prayer                                            authority

meditation                                    beliefs  

nature                                            buildings

energy                                            structure

open                                               defined

wisdom                                          principles

inner life                                        hierarchy

12-steps                                         orthodoxy

inclusive                                         boundaries

doubt                                              certainty

Look at the first word on each of the lists.  Spirituality is centered around experience, while religion is focused on the institution. 

James says that “religion that is pure and undefiled is to care for orphans and widows.” What is James talking about?  Is he talking about experience or institution?  Well, he’s not talking about an institution.  He’s talking about being active, doing something, which I think falls more under the category of experience. 

In fact, you could go through these lists, and compare them to what James talks about in regards to religion, and you’d realize that more of the words on the left side correspond to what James is talking about than words from the right side. 

So maybe, when James talks about religion, he’s not talking about the same thing that we often think of when we use the word religion.  Maybe the meaning of the word religion has changed over the years.

See what I mean about words not staying put, that sometimes they get up and walk around?

The word religion comes from the Latin word, ligio, which means “to connect.”  So, re-ligio means “re-connect.”  Religion is what connects you to God and to humanity.  True religion makes connections.  It succeeds in making you feel one with God, and one with your brothers and sisters throughout the earth.

However, that’s not what people think of today when they hear the word religion.  Today, they think of institutions and rules and boundaries, things which normally do not help people feel connected.  Which is why more and more people describe themselves as spiritual but not religious.

When Alexander Campbell and Barton Stone left the churches they grew up in, and began what would become the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), they were protesting against the abuses of what we today refer to as religion.  They saw a church of boundaries, an institution that cared more about itself than following the teachings of Jesus; and they saw an abuse of authority.  They believed that in Christ’s church, boundaries are to be broken down and authority is to be shared.

They wanted a more spiritual, less religious experience, to use today’s understandings, although they probably didn’t word it quite that way….

Another reason people are turning away from religion is that religious leaders often abuse their authority by presenting Christianity as a religion of fear and coercion.  “Better get on board, or you’re going to hell!” 

This is so contrary to the way of Jesus!  Jesus never used fear or coercion.  The tools he used were compassion, forgiveness, and love.  He even forgave those who nailed him to the cross.  If anyone should have received from Christ the fear of hell, it would be those who crucified him, but no; Jesus offers them forgiveness.

A lot of people don’t like this Jesus.  So they talk about a Jesus who will return one day, pass judgment, and condemn sinners.  As Fred Craddock said, they are obsessed with this second coming of Jesus, because they are so disappointed with Jesus’ first coming.  They are so disappointed with his incredible compassion, and want to re-imagine him as a Lord of vengeance.

As my facebook friend said, that’s “180 degrees away” from the Jesus of scripture, the Jesus of compassion.

No wonder Gandhi said he liked Christ, but had a problem with Christ’s followers.

Or, as Stephen Colbert said regarding Christianity in America: “If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn’t help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we’ve got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don’t want to do it.”

So.  What is true religion?

Some say that it’s going to church every Sunday.  Well, that’s good.  I would love it if more people went to church every Sunday… but I don’t think James would say that’s true religion.

Some say tithing.  Tithing is the biblical practice of giving 10% of your income to the church.  Well, that’s good.  I would love it if more people tithed.  In fact, if everyone tithed, you could get just ten individuals or families together and you’d be able to hire a full-time pastor.  Throw in a few more, and maybe you can have your own building to worship in.  So tithing is good.  But I don’t think James would say that’s true religion.

Some say that religion is affirming certain truths, ascribing to certain doctrinal statements.  We in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) don’t really have any official doctrinal statements; we don’t even recite creeds.  But I do believe it’s important to speak truth.  I do my best to speak truth in every sermon I preach.  And yet, I don’t think James – or Jesus, for that matter – would say that affirming certain truths is enough to qualify as true religion.

Which is good; because that kind of religion, the kind that emphasizes the institution, the kind that emphasizes agreeing with certain statements of faith, is dying.  Fewer people are going to church.  Fewer people are tithing.  Fewer people are agreeing with the doctrine that so many religious leaders are preaching these days.  If those things actually constituted true religion, then I’d be worried.

But true religion – religion that connects people to God and each other, religion that is more often called spirituality these days – is caring for orphans and widows in their distress:  caring for the vulnerable.  It’s feeding the hungry and clothing the naked.  It’s bringing good news to the poor and freedom to the oppressed.  It is helping other people find their own connection to God and to others, to find their place in the world, and to see themselves as beloved children of God.

And when our church – and the churches of our nation – are more concerned with doing this work than they are with issues of institutional survival, music styles, clothing styles, political endorsements, belief statements, building repairs, and judging people… When we actually do the work that we are called to do… When we actually follow the teachings and example of Jesus…

Then we, too, can say “good riddance” to religion as we know it, and welcome the new, true, religion, the spirituality that can bring healing and wholeness to our fragmented world.