Many people today think of Jesus as being the founder of Christianity, especially here in the USA. Most people think of Christianity as a religion, one of many different religions in our world. In bible times people started calling those who followed Jesus Christians because they were following the example of Jesus, or acting like Christ. Today it seems Christianity is thought more of as a religion than it is a lifestyle of following Jesus. Jesus did not come to start a religion.
Jesus does not belong to any particular religion. He loves and accepts people no matter what they believe or where they are from. He came to show the love of the Father to the human race, not to start a new religion for people to obey and follow.
If we mean Christian as being a follower of Jesus or living a life following his example, then there is nothing wrong with using this word to describe our fellowship with Him. If we use Christian as a sense of belonging to a particular church, following a particular doctrine and set of rules, then I would rather not be called by that term.
Jesus is the Son of God, and He loves all people. He does not see Muslims, Jews, Christians or any religion. He loves people. He sees people who need the love and acceptance of God. The only way people are going to come to true fellowship with God is through Christ…not Christianity. Just as Adam sinned and sin entered into the world, Christ came into the world and through his actions grace entered into the world.
It is time we stop looking to the organized world of religion as our way of becoming acceptable and pleasing to God. There is nothing we can do to earn our way to God, it is only by the work and grace of God. We are to look to Christ and allow Him to live through us and let Him love all those we meet each day. Stop demanding that people come to follow your doctrine, your rules, your beliefs and accept people as they are. Show the love of Christ to them and let God work in them the way He sees fit.
We are never going to completely agree with each other on doctrine and religion. Only through Christ and the love He gives will we be able to love and accept others. Let us be known by the true sense of the meaning of Christian, someone who is following the example of Jesus and letting his love touch all people no matter if we agree on things or not.
Done with Religion 
Thank you very much.
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Reblogged this on The Eternal Purpose.
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Thank you for the kind words. And I completely agree.
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By the way Norm, I enjoyed your series about the Bible. I believe it is inspired by God but written by men. Anything men have something to do with will be flawed. I thought you did a good job with the series.
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Thank you Norm. I appreciate your comment.
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Jim,
Very well stated. And you are right: God desires to be the God of all. He’s not “on our side” because we are Christians. I hope we prove to be more effective in coming years at unifying with each other and being a part of the reconciliation God is offering the world.
-Norm
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Thank you, so true. Good comment. Yes many within the system do not understand and can be judgmental and at times condemning. I think they mean well because the system is all we have known in our lives.
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I imagine you get flack by naming yourself “Done With Religion”, which I’m sure most close-minded religious people would scoff at, I’m not religious either, I’m very spiritual however, religions are essentially ‘opinions’ with some truth, and some distorted truth, and down right mental illness in some cases, I’ve also found out in my life that religious people are most likely the #1 most judgemental, shaming, narcissistic people, because they have been fed ‘opinions’ to act as facts, otherwise we would all be one religion, and 1 denomination. Not all religious people are bad though, if they are free thinkers.. but if not, that’s what causes trouble, and confusion, and hate, because they have been told “if you do this, you are bad” so they go through life “trying” to be perfect and when they can’t be they become depressed, which causes the opposite of what church should do, they also become narcissistic shamers, shaming you for things they do, because they “have” to “be” a certain thing, there’s really nothing good that comes from religion, except maybe fellowship.
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Thanks so much for taking the time to read my article and to reply. You are so right, being Christian is being Christ-like not religious. And Church is us the people not a building. Thans again, I appreciate your comment.
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I was just browsing “people you may like” and you were one of them, I would have to disagree that God doesn’t see Muslim, Jewish, etc. Because God had David destroy many of people for idol worship, and false God worship, and with Muslims.. they’re God is Mohammed, not God, and they have for thousands of years killed Christians, Jews, Hindu, Buddhists.. Islam killed 90,000 Christians in 2016, I highly doubt God hasn’t noticed.. lol but as for saying Christianity isn’t or shouldn’t be linked with a denomination I do agree, I however haven’t been in contact with anyone who links the 2, but I imagine some do, Christian just means “Christ-Like”, which is impossible, but a great mapping tool, to add to this topic, you don’t even have to go to church.. ever.. it’s not a requirement, it’s a privilege. Jesus’s church was wherever he was standing lol and I can’t quote the verse verbatim but it says where 3 or more or something are gathered it’s church.. something I think of when I hear Christian.. is, freedom. You don’t have to do anything, you aren’t forced, you can make any choice you want and still be equal to everyone, unlike other religions like Muslim, where there is no freedom of thought, opinion, or expression, but I am going to subscribe, thank you for the article, and for taking the time to read this, may God bless you.
The Real World
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Thanks Rusty, I appreciate your comment. I liked your article also, thanks for the link. Thanks for letting me know about the extra word in title. I got it fixed.
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Thanks Jim, for your article and the way you get to the heart of who Christ is, and perhaps (for sure) who Christians ought to be more like. In my own journey of the “enigmatic” (as you say, “you’re not done with God” – and this may say ore about God not being “done” with you), I tried my hand at speaking to this in: https://moreenigma.wordpress.com/2016/04/13/more-enigma-an-explanation/ (forgive me for any imprudence in offering my link, thanks).
On a lighter note: I suspect your title has one “was” too many.
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