Chris Esty
Jesus hates religion? No, not really!
I think people need to get off the "Jesus hates religion" bandwagon, and get into the Bible to see what He really taught. This may come as a surprise to some, but Jesus didn't hate religion; rather, He hated hypocrisy. Those who say Jesus hates religion are presuming to think for Jesus. In other words, they are essentially forcing their thoughts on Him.
If I could just find one statement in the Bible to show that religion is spoken favourably of, then the thought, "Jesus hates religion" should not only be seen as false, but rejected by people who believe in the Bible. So, does the Bible speak favourably about religion? Yes!
"If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspoted from the world." (James 1:26-27 NKJV)
Notice the contrast between false religion and true religion: One form of religion is useless because it glorifies sin while the other is useful because it honours God. So does Jesus hate religion? No. If He did, his disciple obviously wouldn't have spoken favourably about it. And for the simple fact that James spoke favourably about religion, this is proof that Jesus didn't teach that He hated religion.
1. If we are going to say Jesus hates something then we better make sure we have proof for it. If we don't have anything to back it up from the Bible, then we are making a false claim about Him.
2. If we are going to suggest Jesus taught something, then we better make sure He said it. Otherwise, we're just making stuff up about Jesus that we have no biblical support for. Again, we are making false claims about Him.
3. Just because it is popular to hate religion, that doesn't mean it's right to do so. What we need to do is differentiate between true religion and false religion: hate what false religion stands for but love what true religion represents. That's the best and wisest way to approach the issue.
4. Just because something sounds right it doesn't mean it's the truth. We need to stop being so quick to accept flashy statements as truth just because they appeal to what we are feeling inside, and really take a close look at what people are saying to make sure it's the truth. Otherwise, we might be believing a lie, which could take us down a very dangerous path.
No doubt the Bible teaches us that Jesus condemned hypocrisy; but it doesn't say He hated religion. Let's get the facts straight, and not follow something just because it sounds good or appeals to the thoughts of modern culture. As for me, I want statements of fact that agree with the Bible, not presumptuous thoughts that have no basis in biblical teaching.
In short, if Jesus didn't say He hates religion, then we shouldn't say He hates religion.
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