Religion Archives - NowTHINK!AboutIt

Reasons To Believe Jesus Cares More About People Than Issues

May 9, 2025 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Jesus Exemplified
A People-First Approach
To Ministry

There is no question that Jesus cares. He endured great difficulties during His short life and that alone gives us is a measure of His interest.

Just being born exposed Him to humiliation, inconvenience and threat, and then later He was buffeted by insult, doubt, rejection and finally crucifixion.

And none of that was a surprise. He knew this would happen but it didn’t deter Him.

All of that is to say He’s invested. He cares but the question is what exactly does He care about?

He had to have a good reason to willingly subject Himself to these abuses and we need to ask what that was. [Read more…] about Reasons To Believe Jesus Cares More About People Than Issues

From The Dark Ages To The Modern Era, Catholics Have Come Full Circle

March 5, 2025 by EnnisP 2 Comments

The Supreme Court
Has Become The New Tribunal

In the colonial years of American history religion was very prevalent. Several denominations were represented: Lutherans, Presbyterians, Baptists, Anglicans, Quakers and even Catholics. This plurality was only grudgingly accepted, however, as every colony adopted an official religion.

Puritans and Anglicans were the most prominent but States like Pennsylvania and Rhode Island accepted and encouraged a pluralistic approach.

Historically, that level of religious diversity usually ended in a dog fight. Europe’s Thirty Years War (1618-1648), motivated largely by Catholic attempts to reseize political control, was a good reason for Protestants to escape to the New World.

But abuse wasn’t committed only by Catholics. Even when Catholics weren’t scheming for political advantage the Protestants were killing each other in an attempt to gain power. For Europeans it seemed there was no end in site.

It’s as if the religious in Europe were trying to bring Matthew 10 to everyday life.The best option was to cut and run.

Religious freedom (aka the desire to escape religious persecution) was one of the main reasons immigrants gambled on the long and fraught journey to settle on American soil.

But the abusive nature of religion didn’t fade easily. It’s a strange thing but religious aggression immigrated to America too.

The Puritans (aka Congregationalists), the first Protestants to settle in America, dominated the New England colonies. Their first order of business was to combine church law with civil law and the entire community was held to that standard. Anyone who didn’t show up at church regularly was in trouble. [Read more…] about From The Dark Ages To The Modern Era, Catholics Have Come Full Circle

10 Ways Religious Separation Is Not What You Thought

February 8, 2025 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

The Old Testament Altar
Was Holy
Not Sanitized

Every religion promotes some version of Separation and this isn’t unique to religion. Even social groups impose restrictions on their members. If you want to be a member, you must abide the rules.

With churches, the rules have a moral element. It usually involves a series of Can’t-Dos that aren’t just bad for the group but just bad, as in immoral. Things like you can’t go there or do that or wear that or eat that or say that or think that and so on.

Churches can’t legally tell you who to vote for but they usually find a way to make their opinions known.

As a rule we don’t like being told what we can and can’t do but once we’re convinced that following the rules makes us somehow acceptable, we acquiesce. Fitting in is important.

It’s also true that rules like this on a church level are tolerable because if you don’t like the restrictions in one, you can always move to another.

In recent years, though, religious restrictions have been creeping ever closer to the State level and that’s a problem. Once the State has fully incorporated religious rules, there’s no place you can go.

You don’t have to be religious to know what I’m talking about.

But my focus is not so much on the specific restrictions but the bad spirit they engender in adherents. The people who observe these rules “religiously” become very negative, critical and condemning toward those who don’t. Not just toward the people in the church but everyone. They consider their ideas the gold standard and anyone who falls short is not just different or wrong, but heretical.

History is full of examples. The Women’s Christian Temperance Union loudly protested the consumption of alcohol and played a significant role in establishing the 18th Amendment which prohibited the production, sale and consumption of alcohol for everyone. It went from church level to nationwide. No citizen was allowed to drink.

Christians aren’t the only ones guilty of this.

Some majority Muslim countries (Iran, Iraq, etc.) impose heavy social restrictions on their citizens, maintain distant (at best) relationships with other countries (even Muslim countries) and consider anyone who isn’t them, Satan.

The two groups are very different. They have little in common but one idea they share is their hatred for alcohol and both approached the issue with the same vehemence.

The symbol associated with the WCTU protest was the hatchet. Heart warming they were not.

Those are extreme examples but that same spirit is only just below the surface in many religious groups. When it comes to differences of opinions, religions manage relationships at some level of DefCon. If anyone questions the rules, attack-readiness rises several notches. [Read more…] about 10 Ways Religious Separation Is Not What You Thought

Catholicism Is More Bad Than Good

December 21, 2024 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

“Unworthy” Speaks To The Manner
In Which You Relate To Others
Not Your Nature

Catholicism is big. Put your finger anywhere on any map and you’ll land close to Catholic influence.

Unfortunately, that can be good or bad. Sometimes very bad.

Even as I write this I know some will balk because they know a few Catholics. They work with some. They are neighbors to others. They’ve heard about Mother Theresa and all these people left very good impressions. They’re good people. They do good things. They are pleasant, social, helpful and the like.

If that was all there was to the argument, enough said, let’s move on but it isn’t.

My arguments here are not aimed at the good Catholics you’ve come to love.

The truth I’m focused on is the fact that everyone has been influenced by the Catholic church. That includes you and me both.

I’m not saying you like them or not, that you agree or disagree. I’m saying that what you think, the way you think, has been in same way influenced by Catholic ideologies.

Catholic Influence Is Both Good And Bad

Influence isn’t necessarily wrong but in the case of the Catholic Church, influence is both negative and positive in every sense. They do good things on the one hand and then turn it into something bad on the other.

Doctrinally, they emphasize the name of Jesus often and loudly. That’s a good thing. They quote Scripture in their services and many of those quotes include the very words Christ spoke. Sometimes that’s all they do other than go through repetivite ceremonies with great fanfare and, of course, offer the sacraments.

The ceremonies don’t offer much in the way of explanation but the sacraments – Communion – are usually accompanied by Scripture which does provide a little understanding.

In every case, however, the simplicity of Scripture is skewed in a Catholic direction. [Read more…] about Catholicism Is More Bad Than Good

Six Realistic Facts About Church

September 27, 2024 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Once A Week Church
Is More Like Parole Than Worship

I don’t like the word ubiquitous but if ever there was a good time to use it, it is in reference to church.

Churches are everywhere, on every street corner, in every kind of building from cathedral to cardboard lean-to.

But what do we understand about church, really? What is the point of church? Is church something else other than how it’s been fashioned by centuries of human involvement? Has it been reduced to something less than what it could be or expanded to more than it should be? Have we narrowed the meaning and purpose?

To answer those questions, let’s talk facts.

Fact One: It’s Not A Place

This idea isn’t new. It’s been around a long time. In fact, it is so old it has died and resurrected several times. But it never changes.

Church is associated with a place, an address, a building, a cathedral but even those who agree that it isn’t any of those things still treat it like a place.

Almost all churches have contact details and own property. We spend more time and money giving people directions to church than we do giving them directions to God.

Going to church is a popular idea but it misses the point badly.

If anything, the church should be mobile, flexible, agile; ready and able to morph at a moments notice.

Fact Two: It’s Not A Service

Another word we associate with church is service, as in church service. And attending the service, like going to church, is another misleading concept.

Attending is neither an act of service nor a quality included on any list of virtues in the Bible. It isn’t one of the nine fruits of the Spirit.

The Bible does say we shouldn’t forsake the “assembling” of ourselves together but what exactly does that mean? Every Christian I know makes the assumption that the church service we attend weekly is what assembling refers to but maybe not.

Assembling is important, yes, but assembling and attending are not the same. There’s nothing ceremonial about assembling. It may or may not have a schedule.

Assembling is what friends and family do. They may set a time and a place for getting together but it’s not always a regular thing. Maybe this week, maybe not and when it happens, there’s interaction, fellowship, connection, caring, interest and concern.

That’s never been my experience in church.

Assembling is neither a church service nor a formality. People assemble for many things. Teaching is part of it but fellowship is always central. Church is where we practice loving the neighbor we don’t like.

Why do we call church get-togethers services? Because we can’t call them lectures. Someone preaches, teaches or shares in a church service, somewhat like a lecture, but that is not assembling. Assembling always involves fellowship, which is personal, church services have little of that.

In a lecture, there is accountability. In fellowship, it’s not needed. [Read more…] about Six Realistic Facts About Church