Has religion served its purpose?

@fmf said
Your God figure requires you to worship him.

No. Again, invert your thinking.

God is WORTHY of worship.

God doesn't "require", He commands us to love Him.

That's where most stumble. It's against our nature.

Invert your thinking.

@josephw said
No. I am defining "religion" for what it is.You really shouldn't have a problem with that since you know it's about the observance of practices with regards to any specific belief system.

I think the definition of religion does not require any reference to "'a set of religious observances" or "rites and rituals" or "practices". Religion is "the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods." This definition covers all religions, including yours.

@josephw said
God is WORTHY of worship.

God doesn't "require", He commands us to love Him.

This is true of all theistic religions.

@fmf said
I think the definition of religion does not require any reference to "'a set of religious observances" or "rites and rituals" or "practices". Religion is "the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods." This definition covers all religions, including yours.

It's all in the mind.

People THINK God "requires" behavior consistent with a particular religious system, such as the observance of rites and rituals, to ingratiate them to God.

With the God of the Bible behavior is our "reasonable service", but that service doesn't impart eternal life.

Eternal life is given as a gift of God's grace.

It's a FREE gift. That word, freely, in the scriptures, means undeservedly.

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely."

If you don't believe me look it up. Freely. Undeservedly.

It ain't religion. It's a relationship. One on one, and face to face with the risen savior the Lord Jesus Christ.

@josephw said
It ain't religion. It's a relationship. One on one, and face to face with the risen savior the Lord Jesus Christ.

You keep saying this - but all you are doing, post after post, is reciting your religious beliefs. This belief you have about "a relationship" is simply a religious belief.

@fmf said
This is true of all theistic religions.

You are mistaken.

All of the major religions have as their principal tenet the requirement of doing works for salvation.

No so Christianity.

If you think otherwise, then go back and do your research.

@fmf said
You keep saying this - but all you are doing, post after post, is reciting your religious beliefs. This belief you have about "a relationship" is simply a religious belief.

Do you know what a parable is? Do you know what the word parable means?

Bare with me.

@josephw said
All of the major religions have as their principal tenet the requirement of doing works for salvation.

No so Christianity.

All major religions are about the belief in and worship of a creator being, including Christianity. As I said, all religions are different from each other. A religion like yours can't claim it is somehow NOT a religion simply because it has different tenets of belief from the other religions.

Your posts here remind me of one of Grampy Bobby's favourite "arguments" about what the definition of a religion is and why Christianity is not a religion. For example, he'd say: "A religion does NOT have Jesus dying for our sins. Christianity DOES have that. So, Christianity is NOT a religion." One had to laugh at the "logic" of it.

@fmf said
You keep saying this - but all you are doing, post after post, is reciting your religious beliefs. This belief you have about "a relationship" is simply a religious belief.

Of course I'm "reciting" what I believe.

The problem here isn't that. The problem is you're not getting it.

I have spoken TO the subject, but you are either unwilling or incapable of focusing on the points I'm making.

Are you deliberately deflecting? Or are you, in spite of your keen intellect, simply not understanding the simplicity of what I'm saying?

At least give me the benefit of the doubt and assume I'm literate enough to comprehend the difference between EARNING salvation by doing works(religion), and eternal life as a gift of God's grace.(relationship)

That's what I've been saying all along, but you merely glossed over it and state that I keep reciting belief without once acknowledging the point I just made again.

And will again and again until you open your eyes.

@fmf said
Your posts here remind me of one of Grampy Bobby's favourite "arguments" about what the definition of a religion is and why Christianity is not a religion. For example, he'd say: "A religion does NOT have Jesus dying for our sins. Christianity DOES have that. So, Christianity is NOT a religion." One had to laugh at the "logic" of it.

You're deflecting.

The next thing you know someone will accuse me of being Grampy Bobby. 😉

@josephw said
At least give me the benefit of the doubt and assume I'm literate enough to comprehend the difference between EARNING salvation by doing works(religion), and eternal life as a gift of God's grace.(relationship)

Your beliefs about "doing works" and "salvation" and "grace" and a "relationship" are religious beliefs. Your beliefs about a creator being and about eternal life are religious beliefs. The fact that the nuts and bolts of Judaism and Islam. for instance, are not the same as the nuts and bolts of Christianity does not make Christianity not-a-religion.

@josephw said
You're deflecting.

Not so. The story of Grampy Bobby's favourite "argument" is extremely apposite here.

@josephw said
The next thing you know someone will accuse me of being Grampy Bobby.

Since you disappeared from the forums and stopped playing chess four and a half years ago, all of us here heard the news - from one of his relatives - that Grampy Bobby had passed away after a long illness. You were perhaps unaware of this.

@fmf said
Your beliefs about "doing works" and "salvation" and "grace" and a "relationship" are religious beliefs. Your beliefs about a creator being and about eternal life are religious beliefs. The fact that the nuts and bolts of Judaism and Islam. for instance, are not the same as the nuts and bolts of Christianity does not make Christianity not-a-religion.

Frankly, I think you're confusing what I know with what you think I know.

You think I believe what you think I believe.

Sounds a lot like the act of confirmation bias.