“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” (James 1:27, ESV)
The Oxford dictionary lists the definition of religion as “a pursuit or interest to which someone ascribes supreme importance”. According to that dictionary, consumerism may be considered a religion. Many other “things” (especially fads) can become a religion. What people, especially Christians, do not realize is that there are forms of religion all around them that DO NOT apply to God. With every form of religion, something is worshipped, and someone is putting ultimate faith in something.
James 1:27 mentions that a “religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father” includes specific types of practices. First, this “pure” form of religion includes service to others like “visiting orphans and widows in their affliction”. Pure forms of religion seek to help others, reach out to the suffering, and take care of the needy. These “pure” forms of religion also have another very key component: they must remain “unstained from the world”. Many religions are “stained” by worldly ideals, values, and philosophies. These impure forms of religion are rejected by God. They do not look to God for meaning. They also do not help the needy and hurting and suffering of the world.
Impure religions have always been commonplace.
In ancient times, people worshipped animals and totems and rocks and places. Many of these religions ritually killed children, murdered the innocent, involved sacrifices of the innocent, and were filled with worldly promises and rewards. They frequently involved manipulation and the organization of groups by outward appearance. These ancient impure religions often caused suffering, death, disease, and ritual idolatry.
Today’s impure religions still cause suffering, death, disease, and ritual idolatry. They still are filled with worldly promises and rewards.
Feminism for example, elevates womanhood to a state of idolatry. People who practice this type of worldly religion do not see women as equal but as people to be adored and worshipped. Women’s magazines often promote the perfect woman and ask their readers to buy things to make them more ideal. Feminism calls for its followers to “have faith in the supreme worth of women”. If that isn’t religious wordage, what is?
Recently, the United States has promoted June as “Pride month”. Doing so has elevated LBGTQ+ causes to religious status. Supporters have promoted homosexuality, bisexuality, and transgender issues as paramount. Businesses that do not show “good faith” in LGBTQ practices are ostracized and boycotted. People who do not obey their beliefs are cancelled. In schools, children who do not show respect to the pride flag are written up, punished, or cajoled. Proponents of these causes often think they are “inclusive” when in fact they are simply part of another worldly religious movement.
Nationalism, party loyalty, patriotism, vaccines, medicines, sports promotion, money, wealth, power, politics... anything can become a worldly religion. All are impure forms of religion. All these religions have their idols and beliefs. All who place ultimate importance on these issues or ideals eventually practice their religion in public or private places. Many have lived their whole lives in support or obedience to these worldly causes. That in itself is proof that it is a religion.
Many years ago, I befriended a young man in youth camp. I felt he was very serious about God and might make a good pastor or missionary. At the youth camp, he played music and helped lead worship. He was very knowledgeable about Christian music artists and had learned how to play the most recent gospel songs on guitar and piano. I thought he loved God in Christ deeply. After getting to know him well, I found out differently. He idolized modern Christian music artists. He treasured gospel music. He loved gospel music so much that he became enamored by the music industry. When he became an atheist people who worked side by side with him were shocked. I was not. I saw that more and more he worshipped gospel music as a religion. He saw artists as god-like figures. He saw the newest fads in Christian music as something to be revered. Because he worshipped music instead of Jesus Christ, he followed down a worldly path away from God. Today, he would not step foot inside a Christian church, but he still adores music of all forms.
You can make anything into a religion. Ancient people made statues and animals and inanimate object into gods. Modern people often worship other worldly things. Every human being will worship something or someone in their life, because we are religious beings. We find ultimate meaning in many things. I hope you find ultimate meaning in God above all else, adoring HIM above every philosophy or “ism”.
In Romans 1:24ff, Paul pointed to a sin very common in the Roman world. He explained that this sin had even found a home in the Roman church. There, people “exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25). All worldly religions worship and serve human beings, human pursuits, human idols, human role models, and human philosophies. They sinned this way in the Roman world. It is possible to sin this way in your world. Be careful you don’t elevate something or someone in your life to ultimate status. Be wary of elevating worldly ideals and putting faith in worldly values. All these are forms of idolatry.
So many people read the first commandment which states, “you shall have no other gods before me”, and believe they worship God alone. However, their words and actions display a deep reverence for something in this world. Some people worship the Catholic or Protestant church instead of God, elevating their denomination into a form of religion. Some people worship a political ideology without even realizing it is in competition with God for the soul. Some people put their faith in the hands of a person or movement or “ism”. They do not realize that by obeying the rules of these worldly powers, they have devalued Almighty God.
Worldly religions are always in competition with Godly obedience. Be careful where you walk, how you think, what you believe, and in whom you place your hopes.
Stop now and think. Are there worldly ideas attempting a takeover of your everyday thoughts and worries and fears? Are there worldly “isms” attempting to put themselves between you and God?
James 1:27 mentions that a “religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father” includes specific types of practices. First, this “pure” form of religion includes service to others like “visiting orphans and widows in their affliction”. Pure forms of religion seek to help others, reach out to the suffering, and take care of the needy. These “pure” forms of religion also have another very key component: they must remain “unstained from the world”. Many religions are “stained” by worldly ideals, values, and philosophies. These impure forms of religion are rejected by God. They do not look to God for meaning. They also do not help the needy and hurting and suffering of the world.
Impure religions have always been commonplace.
In ancient times, people worshipped animals and totems and rocks and places. Many of these religions ritually killed children, murdered the innocent, involved sacrifices of the innocent, and were filled with worldly promises and rewards. They frequently involved manipulation and the organization of groups by outward appearance. These ancient impure religions often caused suffering, death, disease, and ritual idolatry.
Today’s impure religions still cause suffering, death, disease, and ritual idolatry. They still are filled with worldly promises and rewards.
Feminism for example, elevates womanhood to a state of idolatry. People who practice this type of worldly religion do not see women as equal but as people to be adored and worshipped. Women’s magazines often promote the perfect woman and ask their readers to buy things to make them more ideal. Feminism calls for its followers to “have faith in the supreme worth of women”. If that isn’t religious wordage, what is?
Recently, the United States has promoted June as “Pride month”. Doing so has elevated LBGTQ+ causes to religious status. Supporters have promoted homosexuality, bisexuality, and transgender issues as paramount. Businesses that do not show “good faith” in LGBTQ practices are ostracized and boycotted. People who do not obey their beliefs are cancelled. In schools, children who do not show respect to the pride flag are written up, punished, or cajoled. Proponents of these causes often think they are “inclusive” when in fact they are simply part of another worldly religious movement.
Nationalism, party loyalty, patriotism, vaccines, medicines, sports promotion, money, wealth, power, politics... anything can become a worldly religion. All are impure forms of religion. All these religions have their idols and beliefs. All who place ultimate importance on these issues or ideals eventually practice their religion in public or private places. Many have lived their whole lives in support or obedience to these worldly causes. That in itself is proof that it is a religion.
Many years ago, I befriended a young man in youth camp. I felt he was very serious about God and might make a good pastor or missionary. At the youth camp, he played music and helped lead worship. He was very knowledgeable about Christian music artists and had learned how to play the most recent gospel songs on guitar and piano. I thought he loved God in Christ deeply. After getting to know him well, I found out differently. He idolized modern Christian music artists. He treasured gospel music. He loved gospel music so much that he became enamored by the music industry. When he became an atheist people who worked side by side with him were shocked. I was not. I saw that more and more he worshipped gospel music as a religion. He saw artists as god-like figures. He saw the newest fads in Christian music as something to be revered. Because he worshipped music instead of Jesus Christ, he followed down a worldly path away from God. Today, he would not step foot inside a Christian church, but he still adores music of all forms.
You can make anything into a religion. Ancient people made statues and animals and inanimate object into gods. Modern people often worship other worldly things. Every human being will worship something or someone in their life, because we are religious beings. We find ultimate meaning in many things. I hope you find ultimate meaning in God above all else, adoring HIM above every philosophy or “ism”.
In Romans 1:24ff, Paul pointed to a sin very common in the Roman world. He explained that this sin had even found a home in the Roman church. There, people “exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25). All worldly religions worship and serve human beings, human pursuits, human idols, human role models, and human philosophies. They sinned this way in the Roman world. It is possible to sin this way in your world. Be careful you don’t elevate something or someone in your life to ultimate status. Be wary of elevating worldly ideals and putting faith in worldly values. All these are forms of idolatry.
So many people read the first commandment which states, “you shall have no other gods before me”, and believe they worship God alone. However, their words and actions display a deep reverence for something in this world. Some people worship the Catholic or Protestant church instead of God, elevating their denomination into a form of religion. Some people worship a political ideology without even realizing it is in competition with God for the soul. Some people put their faith in the hands of a person or movement or “ism”. They do not realize that by obeying the rules of these worldly powers, they have devalued Almighty God.
Worldly religions are always in competition with Godly obedience. Be careful where you walk, how you think, what you believe, and in whom you place your hopes.
Stop now and think. Are there worldly ideas attempting a takeover of your everyday thoughts and worries and fears? Are there worldly “isms” attempting to put themselves between you and God?