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Archive for the ‘Jesus follower’ Category

Healing Divisions within the Body of Christ

Posted in Acceptance of Others, Bible, christian living, Ekklesia, institutional church, Jesus follower, Love of God, The church, tagged , , , , , , , , , on April 4, 2025|

by Michael Donahoe

When I think about the institutional church world today, I am disturbed that it is divided into so many different groups and denominations. We will all have a little different interpretation of the Bible, a little different understanding of doctrine and we will not agree on everything. Yet, we certainly should be able to love one another and accept each other even when we differ on these things. Afterall, we are all following the example of Jesus and we all love God.

It is hard to understand why this happens when God tells us we are to be one as Jesus and God are one. We have to understand that we are human and it is easy to lose sight of our first love. If we could only stay focused on Christ, listening for the guidance of the Spirit, loving God and loving others we could look past our differences and love one another with a godly love.

The problem seems to be that we are unwilling to see any other viewpoint other than our own. There are those such as my wife and I that do not attend an organized church. There are those who attend a church every time the doors are open. Some attend a house church, some meet with fellow believers at cafe’s, parks or restaurants and others meet in their homes over dinner. We should accept these differences and love one another rather than argue over who is right and who is wrong.

There really is not a right or wrong way to assemble together and we need to stop expecting everyone to do things exactly the same way. We should respect others viewpoints and focus on loving them rather than expecting them to see things our way.

Things will not change until we start focusing on what is common in our lives rather than the differences. The common focus should be on Christ, the head of the body. After that, we should focus on loving others rather than arguing about the differences in interpretation.

We also should keep in mind that we are all constantly changing as God brings new truth to us. We are all learning and changing as we are ready to accept new truths. The opinions I had ten years ago are completely different from some of the views I have now. I am sure in another five or ten years they will change again as the Spirit leads me into more truth.

Sometimes we are afraid to accept others interpretations because we feel if we do not hold to our way of thinking, we are compromising and not standing up for what we believe. We do not have to give up how we interpret the Bible or whether we attend church or not, but neither should we think everyone else is wrong. Besides, we really are not responsible for convicting people of sin, leading them into truth or even saving them. That is the job of the Holy Spirit. We are told to love God and love others.

When we realize we are each equally important functioning parts of the body, and Christ is the head, we can start to change how we feel about those who do not see things the way we do. We can begin to accept our brothers and sisters in Christ just as they are, realizing we are walking as one with God even in our differences.

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Michael Donahoe was added as a writer as his views fit perfectly with those of Done with Religion. He also writes on Substack at https://personalmeanderings.substack.com/

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A Cheap Counterfeit

Posted in christian living, Jesus follower, Kingdom of God, Love of God, religion, tagged , , , , , , on April 1, 2025|

by Norman Mitchell
Author of A Wild Frontier
https://thewildfrontier.wordpress.com/

Christianity, as it is practiced today, is nothing more than a religion which closely resembles most other religions. It holds the power to bind but not to free.

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko

Religion has always been a human-powered effort to deal with the problem of human violence and appease an angry God. It’s really very simple. Humans, like animals, are instinctually primed for violence. Unlike animals, however, humans have a conscience. We universally recognize that intra-species violence is a blight on nature, yet we all fall prey to its allure. We recognize that there is something wrong with allowing ourselves to be governed by our animal instincts. We know that morality is a thing to which we should aspire. Our eyes have been opened—slightly—and we know good and evil.

Humans have always done two things to try to fix the problem of the human condition. First, we have always enforced rules governing conduct with the threat of violence. We call this politics. Second, we have always enforced rules governing conduct using cultural pressure. We call this religion. 

Clerics, the self-appointed overlords of Religion, use two powerful tools to keep the masses docile: guilt and ritual. Guilt is the bad feeling you get when you violate your moral code. Ritual is a semi-hypnotic process that suppresses rational thought and induces lethargy but gives people an intense feeling of belonging to a community. Religion induces guilt, then uses ritual and cultural influence to assuage that guilt. Guilt is the symptom, ritual is the “remedy” that lessens the effect of the symptom.

Ritual, however, does not cure the root of the problem. If guilt does not return of its own accord, it is induced. Either way, people become addicted to the treatment. It’s like taking a pain-killer so you don’t feel a gangrenous wound. You keep taking it in ever-increasing doses so that you don’t feel the pain, but the wound never heals.

Clerics also exploit one of the most primal of human instincts: the craving for certainty. They provide a formulaic method of appeasing The Angry God, and they present the formula with such confidence, that their subjects feel quite certain that they are doing the right thing. The laity gratefully accepts the formula, not recognizing that fulfilling the formula is never quite possible. The impossible formula strings people along, making them indefinitely beholden to the cleric and his religious institution.

Clerics justify this manipulation by pointing out that they’re using it to encourage people to do good, which (temporarily) suppresses human violence. Describing religion as “the opiate of the masses” was the one thing Marx got right.

Religion requires institutionalism—the fabrication of a conceptual structure that includes an artificial hierarchy. Institutions are always co-opted by exploiters who use its artificial hierarchy to gain status.

Everything Christ did undermined religion. He came to establish a divine kingdom in which he is the Head and his followers operate in community as members of the Body. Life in the Body reveals a God-powered mode of being that Paul described as a “new creature” and that Frank Viola describes as a “new species.”)

The God-powered mode of being flips religious dogma on its head. It frees people from guilt. It destroys the foundations of artificial hierarchies. Every member contributes. Every member is valued. The humblest servant is exalted, and the least becomes the greatest.

Christ broke people free from the guilt that bound them to religion. He ushered in a kingdom that heals wounds rather than treats symptoms. He shone light on the failings of the Jewish religion of his day, but as his words began to gain influence, people started a new religion that perverted Christ’s message and used his name to gain unearned brand credibility.

Would-be clerics fused fundamental elements of religion with Christ’s words and invented the Christian Religion that is now the world’s most insidious counterfeit of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Because such statements conjure such strong emotion, I suppose I should offer the usual caveat that I do not believe that all the people involved with the Christian Religion are counterfeits. I believe that many, if not most of them, are sincerely doing what they believe God requires. Rather the religion—the institutionalized, human-powered, ritual-driven system—is the counterfeit that keeps people in a state of spiritual serfdom.

The Christian Religion is a clever but cheap counterfeit of the Kingdom of Heaven. My desire is that more Christians would realize this and follow Christ freed from the shackles of religion.

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What Is A Religious Done

Posted in Acceptance of Others, christian living, Ekklesia, institutional church, Jesus follower, Kingdom of God, Love of God, religion, The church, tagged , , , , , , , on March 12, 2025|

by Michael Donahoe

In recent times, we seem to hear more about the religious dones. Different surveys talk about the nones, the dones and the religious unaffiliated. This means different things to different people.

I think many church people and Christian people think the same thing on this topic. If you are a religious none, you have left God. If you are a religious done and do not go to church, you have decided not to follow God and are in a backslidden state.

I do not believe that at all. Being done with religion to me means done with organized religion and institutional church, but not done with God. We are done with religion, but only because we want a more meaningful walk following the example of Jesus. So basically, we leave the organization to enhance our walk with God.

For about twenty years, I increasingly became more and more disillusioned with church. I sat there week after week thinking there has to be more, God certainly did not intend that following him meant nothing more than looking at the back of the head of the person in front of me. We sit for an hour listening to a few other people do all the singing and preaching, then get up and go home for the week.

I felt that the church emphasized more that we listen to the pastor and follow the Bible rather than learn how to listen to and follow the Spirit that was within us. I realized that we no longer needed a middle man because we are the temple of the Holy Spirit and we find the Kingdom of God within us.

I remember how afraid I was to ask questions because people would think I was losing my faith. I was tired of hearing exclusive teaching and discrimination by telling us how bad certain people were and that we needed to stay away from them. The only exception was if we used every opportunity to witness to them. The church would say everyone was welcome, but then exclude them from participation until they changed and became like the church expected.

I could not understand why there were so many different types of churches and denominations, all supposedly following the same God yet being mad and arguing with people from different churches.

I think I could go on and on, but I just got so tired and dissatisfied with church that my wife and I decided to stop going and see how things went. Well, for us, they went better. That dissatisfaction seemed to disappear. I started having relationships with others that I was told I should have no association. I started asking questions and finding that it was OK. I started finding new friends in various places and they did not ruin my fellowship or belief in God.

I know many people who enjoy going to church to be with others and that is OK. Yet I know others who got fed up with church and had issues that made them mad. For us, that was not the case. We just felt so unhappy and unfulfilled while in the institutional church we had to move on.

I think most people think that if you are a done, you have completely given up on God. They think you became an atheist and want nothing to do with God, when actually it is just religion itself we are done with, and we no longer want to spend time in a building that just does not mean what it used to mean.

After fifteen years outside the institutional church, we can honestly say we are happier and more fulfilled. We rely more on learning to hear from the Spirit within, we are free from specific doctrines and beliefs found in religion and we depend more on God to lead us to meaningful fellowship with all people as we walk in the freedom we have found outside the walls of religion.

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Michael Donahoe was added as a writer as his views fit perfectly with those of Done with Religion. He also writes on Substack at https://personalmeanderings.substack.com/

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Top Posts Of 2024

Posted in christian living, Jesus follower, Love of God, religion, The church, Word of God, tagged , , , , , , , on January 19, 2025|

By Mike Edwards

12 Reasons To Believe Hell Is A Myth!

What Is God’s Plan For Your Life?

Why Do People Leave The Church Building But Not God?

Why Do Many Deconstruct Or Deconvert From God?

Are Biblical Stories Helpful Or Harmful To Children?

God Is Exactly Like Who You Think!

9 Reasos To Not Trust The Bible’s Claims About God!

Why Don’t We Want To Call Ourselves A Christian Nation (Christian Nationalism)?

Can And Does God Control Your Suffering?

Did You Know The Bible Says Nothing About Marriage?

Did A Miracle Save Trump?

How Do You Decide What God Is Really Like?

Who Should We Vote For?

Is The Bible Really The Word Of God?

Who Goes To Heaven?

How Do You Not Turn A Child Away From God?

What Are Harmful Lies About God?

Mike Edwards has been writing for Done with Religion for some time and has been a great addition to the site. He couldn’t find enough people to discuss God openly so he started blogging years ago. Mike also has his own site where he writes that can be found at What God May Really Be Like  He can be contacted by email at: medwar2@gmail.com

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Why Listen to Humans When We Have the Spirit?

Posted in Bible, christian living, Jesus follower, Kingdom of God, Love of God, tagged , , , , , , , , , on January 14, 2025|

by Michael Donahoe

Do you notice how we Christians get so caught up on which pastor, evangelist or leader becomes our focal point? We listen to this one or that one, read books from this guy, or listen to tapes by that woman. We attend a fellowship because we like the pastor, or we will drive miles to listen to a popular TV or radio evangelist. But wait a minute, doesn’t God’s word say that the Holy Spirit will teach and guide us? Aren’t we all brothers and sisters in Christ, all fellow-servants? We are not to be called leaders, no one is higher up than anyone else (Matthew 23:10 – Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ). We do not need anyone to teach us because we have the Spirit of Christ within us, the true living Word lives in each of us. In Christ, we are all His children, no one should be looked up to or revered more than anyone else. True, we can learn from one another by the way Christ works in each of our lives, but we should stop putting our hope in other people and start listening to the Holy Spirit that is within us for truth and guidance.

For many, it is hard accepting the fact that God lives within us. Sadly, the church rarely teaches or emphasizes this fact. We have been taught that if we listen to the pastor, read the Bible and live our lives trying to follow the commandments, one day we will go to heaven and live with God face to face. We have an image of God sitting on a throne way up in heaven and here we are, far, far away down on earth. Yet, Jesus said the Spirit lives within us, and the Kingdom of God is within us. We do not have to wait until some day in the future, we are living in the Kingdom right now.

Rather than spending time to focus on the inner voice, the inner intuition, we talk about going to a meeting and the Spirit showing up, or being at a specific place because God is there. We pray and talk with God, yet we wonder if our prayers are even being heard. The more I read, I am finding that we really have the whole thing backwards. God does not show up anywhere because God lives in us.

The Old Covenant has been fulfilled in Christ and we are now living under a New Covenant. We no longer have to try to be good enough. The law was a tutor that led us to Christ, but now that Christ has come, we no longer need a tutor. We are free from the law! The Spirit of God now lives within us.

Jesus came to live among us and show us the love of God. When Jesus left, he said he would send us the Spirit. Notice he did not say he would send us a pastor or a book. God has now come to live within us through the Spirit. Jesus said the Kingdom of God is within you. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit and we have the mind of Christ. Jesus prayed that we would be one with God just as he and God are one.

Sounds to me that we are missing the main point. We do not have to wait to die to go to heaven and enjoy kingdom living. We do not have to wait to be united with God. We no longer need to look to a human guide, teacher or preacher. We have the living, powerful, perfect Word of God living inside us who is our teacher and guide.

There is nothing wrong with listening to others, getting their thoughts and ideas and being encouraged by other believers, but we do not need to rely on other humans. We have the Spirit within us, teaching us and guiding us in the way we should go.

We do not have to look up in the sky to some far-away place and wonder if God is listening. We do not have to go to church to hear what the pastor has to say. We can turn our thoughts inward and realize the Spirit is right there within us, listening, loving us and ready to teach us as we begin to hear his voice from within.

We are all at different stages along the path we walk with God. We need to remember none of us have it all figured out. We so often want to fight and argue from the understanding we currently have without realizing that we have not reached completion. The Spirit did not stop teaching us when the Bible was completed. There is more the Spirit wants to teach us as we become ready to listen and accept it.

We should come to accept each other where we are currently, realizing what we know and believe today will more likely be different a little further down the road. We can love each other, learn from one another and accept each other as we are, just like Jesus loves and accepts us just as we are. Yet, our main goal is to look deep within ourselves, listening for the voice and guidance of the Spirit. We should not put our hope in others and those we think are more spiritual because they have been trained, educated or paid to do so. Remember, we are all kings and priests and have the same Spirit within us. Each of us are equal and important parts of the body with Christ as the head. His Church is not a building, not a denomination but it is the people.

This is not saying we are God, but the Spirit lives within us and we are one with God. It would do us all good to start focusing on this fact rather than thinking of a future event after we die. Kingdom living is now. Listening to the Spirit, being taught by the Spirit and living day by day in communion with God is a reality that we all need to live in each and every day.

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Michael Donahoe was added as a writer as his views fit perfectly with those of Done with Religion. He also writes on Substack at https://personalmeanderings.substack.com/

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His Sheep Hear His Voice But What Does It Sound Like

Posted in christian living, institutional church, Jesus follower, Love of God, religion, The church, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on December 24, 2024|

(the loud voices of religion or the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit)

by Jim Gordon

It seems that in Christianity today, there are a wide variety of voices to be heard. Many are loud and obvious, others are quiet and hard to hear. It seems the most important voice is often quiet and hard to hear.

As followers of Jesus, our goal is to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit that lives within us. It is a quiet, calm, still voice that is often overlooked. Sadly, we do not seem to hear much teaching within most churches about listening for the Holy Spirit.

Within the church, there are many voices demanding our attention. The voice of the pastor, the voice of the religious system and its many doctrines, the voice of big-named evangelists blaring from our TVs, even the Bible without the guidance of the Spirit. Here in the US, there are also many voices of politicians telling us what we should believe and who we should follow. All these voices can act like graffiti which blurs the view of the important voice we should be seeking.

In his book, ‘Beneath the Graffiti: A De-churched Christian’s Search for Christianity’ author CJ Penn points out many cases where we listen to the wrong voices. Unfortunately, these voices are often much louder than the still, quiet voice of the Spirit, and many times blurs the voice we should be hearing. In his book, he shows the difference between man-led Christianity and Jesus-led Christianity, plus emphasizes the importance of the power of the Spirit within us.

I personally feel the institutional church today has failed its members by not teaching how to listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit. I think religion would prefer we listen to the pastor and church doctrine rather than learn how to hear from the Spirit who is within.

I grew up in the church system, and ended up spending fifty-years within it. From the first time my parents took me to church as a child, all the way through until my wife and I decided to leave the walls of religion, I do not remember being taught how to listen for the voice of the Spirit. We were told the Spirit was given to teach us, and we were told the Spirit is within us, but other than that, I was mostly clueless on how to listen and understand what the Spirit was saying. I was told that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and the Kingdom of God is within us. Yet, anything in regard to how to listen, hear and understand was not part of the teaching.

Many people say God only speaks through the Bible, yet the Bible on its own is only a book. The Bible tells us about God and can lead us to the Word of God (Jesus), but without the Spirit bringing to life the words we read, we are really left to our personal views and opinions and what others have told us the written word means.

Now, I do believe the Spirit can speak to us through the Bible and through other people, yet, it is the Spirit that makes the difference. Apart from the guidance of the Spirit, words of the Bible and words of other humans are just that, words. I often wonder why so many people are more impressed with written words and words of others rather than trying to hear the voice of the Spirit. People are quick to point out that we cannot trust our inner feelings or inner spiritual intuitions. Yet for me, to ignore the Spirit of God, the God we love and worship, the Spirit that Jesus said he would send to teach us and comfort us, is very frustrating. Truthfully, we are taught more to ignore and distrust the inner leading, and trust more the words of other human beings. This does not make sense to me.

The only way to get past all the different views and opinions is to focus on Jesus. Listen for the quiet voice of the Spirit from within who will teach us and lead us into truth. That is not to say we are all going to think and feel the same way on everything. God deals with us personally and in different ways. The problem is when we are shown something or led in a particular way, we expect everyone to see it our way and believe the same thing.

We can learn and be encouraged by reading the Bible with the guidance of the Spirit. We can learn and be encouraged through fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ with the guidance of the Spirit. Yet we seem to forget the most important truth, which is the Spirit is within us. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We have the mind of Christ. Jesus said, my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

So, to say all this I still have to admit that after all the years in institutional religion, I do not have an exact answer. I, like many in the church, were never taught how to listen for the Spirit. As time passes and I think more about the fact that the Spirit lives within me, I have come to really pay attention when I get an unusual feeling of peace, or a feeling of just knowing something and being at peace that it is right or wrong. I even had dreams a few times where I heard an inner voice in regard to some specific issue and when I woke up, I acted on it and found the answer I needed. I do not say every dream is from God or every instinct we have is the Holy Spirit, but these are ways the Spirit can lead us. We seem to think we need to clearly hear an audible voice to know it is the Spirit, but I think we need to learn to focus on the inner intuitions and sense of peace. Unfortunately, we very often ignore that quiet leading from within, and as I mentioned before, there are many louder, more obvious voices demanding our attention.

In Christ, we are all his children, and no one should be looked up to or revered more than anyone else. We should stop putting all our hope in other people, the church, the Bible, doctrines and religious rules. Focus on listening for the Holy Spirit who is within us. The Spirit will teach us truth and guide us in the way we are to go, if only we pay attention and respond to that leading.

Jim Gordon and his wife left the institutional church after spending over fifty years within the system. Jim wanted a way to express his thoughts and concerns about the religious system and why he and his wife decided to leave the institution but not their faith in God. Jim can be contacted by email at: jimgordon731@gmail.com

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Why Do We Forget the Holy Spirit?

Posted in Bible, christian living, institutional church, Jesus follower, Kingdom of God, Love of God, The church, tagged , , , , , , , , on November 22, 2024|

by Jim Gordon

Over the years I spent within the church system, I was told the Spirit of God has been given to us. Yet, the real emphasis on the fact that the Spirit of God actually lives within us seems to be missed. If we could get this deep down within us, that we now live in the Kingdom of God and the Holy Spirit of God actually lives within us, it would certainly help us in sharing the love and power of God with people we meet each day. We do not need to sit back and wait for some future day when we die to enter the Kingdom of God. We can live as one with the Spirit of God in the Kingdom of God each and every day beginning right now.

The more I talk with people who are active in the institutional church, the more I hear that so many (not all) churches emphasize the organization, the building and the pastor, yet neglect the fact that the Holy Spirit of God lives within us.

God does not live in buildings made by hands. God lives in us. The Kingdom of God is within us. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our guide and teacher and we do not have need of anyone to teach us. Yet the church pushes dependence on the organization. It pushes the idea of the pastor being the mouthpiece and intermediary for God. This is just not true. The building is not the house of God, we are, and God communicates directly with us through the Spirit within.

Many people are afraid to trust their inner feelings. We wonder how do we hear from the Spirit within us? The sad thing is we are more in tune with hearing from the pastor each week. We are so used to depending on another human being that we do not try to learn how to trust the leading of the Spirit. The churches have failed at focusing on teaching how to hear from the Spirit, mainly because they want us to continue to depend on the pastor. We have to realize the pastor is not the middle-man or mouth-piece of God. The pastor is a fellow brother or sister in Christ who is just like the rest of us, ever learning and always to be helping and encouraging each another.

For me, I have come to really pay attention when I get an unusual feeling of peace, or a feeling of just knowing something and being at peace that it is right or wrong. I even had dreams a few times where I heard a voice in regard to some specific issue and when I woke up, I acted on it and found the answer I needed. I do not say every dream is from God or every instinct we have is the Holy Spirit, but these are ways the Spirit can lead us. We seem to think we need to clearly hear an audible voice to know it is the Spirit, but I think we need to learn to focus on the inner intuitions and sense of peace.

We must remember this great gift of the Spirit of God living within us. We need to focus on learning how to hear and understand the leading of the Spirit rather than focusing on the words and teachings of men/women.

Here are a few verses from the bible that mention being one with the Spirit and living in the Kingdom of God:

Luke 17:21

nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.

John 14:16,17

I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever. Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

John 17:20-23

I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

1 Corinthians 3:16

Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

1 Corinthians 6:19

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

2 Corinthians 6:16

Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

2 Timothy 1:14

Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.

1 John 2:27

As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.

Jim Gordon and his wife left the institutional church after spending over fifty years within the system. Jim wanted a way to express his thoughts and concerns about the religious system and why he and his wife decided to leave the institution but not their faith in God. Jim can be contacted by email at: jimgordon731@gmail.com

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What I Am Hanging Onto

Posted in christian living, Jesus follower, Love of God, tagged , , , , , , on November 20, 2024|

by Glenn Hager

It is so easy to enumerate what I am done with when it comes to religion. It is profoundly more difficult to figure out what to hang onto. I feel like I should occasionally ask myself this question to see if I am total heretic or just a free spirit.

Less and less, is an accurate description of what I am hanging onto, but I am hanging onto those things tighter and tighter.

I could make a massive list of stuff I let go of and another massive list of stuff I don’t know. But this list will be short.

I am hanging onto Jesus.

He is my model for how to live and it’s a model I very often fail to live up to.

He loved outcasts, the diseased, the foreigner, the poor, and the hated.

He rebuked the corrupt and powerful, especially, the religious power brokers.

He was humble, but shockingly truthful.

He told stories that people related to. He was not a theologian and did not preach an expository sermon.

He occasionally confounded and challenged people to go deeper in their understanding.

He was a healer. Though I do not possess divine ability, I can still be a healer of hearts.

He gave people hope for now and for eternity.

I am hanging onto love.

It’s hard to do when people are unlovely.

It’s hard to remember when we get consumed with ourselves and forget about others.

It’s hard to figure out what loves means for an individual.

It’s hard to be nice, or even decent, at time, let alone loving.

But love really works to touch people deeply, like nothing else.

It’s our primary responsibility here on earth.

I am hanging onto truth.

I do believe in objective truth, but what I am referring to is belief and behavior that is so true, it works its way out in regular life. It is real, raw, and not academic, esoteric, or theoretical. It doesn’t require its own subculture. It works in life with all its celebrations and challenges, achievements and disappointments, and triumphs and tragedies. It’s integrated not separated.

I am hanging onto hope.

I believe we can live in peace in this life. I believe we can become more loving. I believe we can live gracefully, gratefully, and joyfully. I believe we can reset to living life this way, even when we get thrown a few curve balls.

I believe there is hope for this life and the next and the next, though we have only a scant few clues and promises about that.

I don’t have any ideas about how to “fix church” or make it more relevant. I often wish I did because after all those years of church, that slot is still not completely filled.

It seems like it gets messed up when we begin to organize it and institutionalize it.

This is a pretty strange statement of beliefs, but it is mine.

Glenn Hager is a former pastor, newspaper columnist, magazine contributor, blogger (glennhager.com), and author of two books. He also designs lighting (http://doo-dads.com/). Glenn and his wife, Patty live in northeastern Illinois.

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What Should Christians Be Known For?

Posted in Acceptance of Others, Bible, christian living, Jesus follower, Love of God, tagged , , , , , , on August 2, 2024|

by Jim Gordon

Christianity is the same no matter what country we live in, but for this article, we are talking mainly about here in the United States. In this country, we have a lot of people who claim to be Christians. What does that mean and how should we be able to recognize them?

As Christians, people should be known for their love. Their goal should be to follow the example of Jesus. Those of us who claim to be Christians go about showing our faith in different ways. Many feel that if we can preach in public, be a pastor, evangelist, or missionary, they will be known as good Christian people.

Others think if they give regularly to their church, or to programs to help the poor and other social justice issues, they will be known as good Christians. Many will base their identity on their works and all the good things they do to show they are good Christians.

Unfortunately, many will put their faith in political power, trying to force their beliefs on everyone. By doing so, they think they will make the country better by making laws based on biblical law and their interpretation of Christianity.

Basically, all these things are a waste of time. First, we are saved by grace, it is a gift from God and there is nothing we can do to earn it or pay for it. Second, the only way that Jesus says we are to be known as His disciples is by the love we have for one another.

Jesus told us to believe on the one who God sent and to love others as you love yourself. When we try mixing New Testament grace with the Old Covenant law, we are getting away from the truly good news and we are not loving one another as Jesus meant.

Some Christians think that by posting the ten commandments in schools, or requiring prayer in schools, or placing religious items in public buildings, it will show their Christian beliefs and force people to think about God. Now, I am not an advocate for putting religious postings in public buildings, but if there is going to be anything, the Sermon on the Mount would be much better. Rather than forcing biblical law on an entire country, promote the fruit of the Spirit, being love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Christianity should not be anything other than loving God and loving one another. We should be following the example of Jesus and never force our religious beliefs on anyone. God gave us freedom to choose, as Christians, we should do the same.

Jim Gordon and his wife left the institutional church after spending over fifty years within the system. Jim wanted a way to express his thoughts and concerns about the religious system and why he and his wife decided to leave the institution but not their faith in God. Jim can be contacted by email at: jimgordon731@gmail.com

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How Do You Have A Relationship With An Invisible God?

Posted in christian living, Jesus follower, Love of God, tagged , , , , , on July 7, 2024|

By Mike Edwards

Those of us that grew up in the institutional church were often advised to have a daily quiet time reading the Bible, and have a prayer list to follow, to maintain a close relationship with God. That works for many. Many of us though don’t get a lot out of reading the Bible. Ritual praying rather than spontaneous prayers seems less relational. I will suggest some alternatives at the end after addressing some challenges of a relationship with One you can’t see or hear.

How can we know what a relationship with an invisible God is like? 

If there is a Creator, it is plausible they instilled in their creations a way to know them. An invisible, good, perfect God could reveal themselves through perfect human love. God is like a perfect human parent! God or parents don’t ask for worship or respect for egotistical reasons, but so we might become more like them. A relationship with God, if perfect, is surely better than any amazing human relationship we wished we had.

Our views of God matter

Our mental views of God shape our attitudes toward God. My view of God inspires me to pursue perfection in my relationships without being paralyzed by guilt when failing. I have the “want to” to be perfect. I believe that motivation comes from God! I am convinced God only wishes for all to consider the possibility of a loving God who desires to help you in your journey of becoming the person deep down you want to become. You wouldn’t being reading this blog if you weren’t such a person.

Many may not pursue a closer relationship with a God they are inclined to believe in because of what they have heard from others what God is like. Don’t believe everything you hear! God only seeks to love you like you wish you were always able to love others. We all know how we wish our parents had loved us. This is the God you can believe in to live a purposeful, meaningful live.

  • If we think God is hard to please and pissed off about sin rather than what sin is doing to us, we may judge others just as harshly rather than showing patience and mercy.
  • If God supposedly condemns gays, we will condemn gays out of devotion to God.
  • If God can prevent evil and doesn’t, isn’t that like a parent who arbitrarily decides to watch their child being sexually abused or not? Maybe God can’t love perfectly by controlling freedom. God can only stop evil with the help of others or not create freedom!

God can influence despite being invisible 

Personally, the biggest reason for being a God-follower is the inspiration and encouragement I sense in striving to be a better human being. If God is real, they should be able to make their case with each individual. Influences in our life don’t have to be audible or certain. My parents aren’t alive, but I am still influenced by them in my decisions. I sense God’s encouragement to continually strive to make the best decisions I know at the time in a free world. Pursuit of a godly life is never in vain! 

Why is God so hidden? 

God may not speak to us demonstratively out of love. Just because earthly parents sometime know and advise what is best for their older child, such advice doesn’t always work out. In fact, overzealousness can lead to feeling controlled, thus rejecting what is best for one’s own good. God’s awing or overwhelming presence may only lead to fearful obligations to obey. The road traveled of learning, reflecting, and not being pressured may best lead to lasting convictions and more meaningful relationships.

Habits to stay connected with God

Individuals must find habits that personally help in feeling like they have a relationship with God. I can share what works for me. As mentioned, it is important to constantly challenge our views of God. We have to constantly analyze views of God that may set us up for failures to obtain a connection. I find reading the Bible by itself challenging. I find reading books that discuss the Bible and its possible teachings lead to self-talk in what God is really like. Writing is an outlet for me. It is a habit that keeps me thinking about God in my life. For others it may be walks in nature or listening to sermons online. Just find a way to keep thinking about God in your life. Those quiet conversations allow God’s influence in how we treat others.

I am convinced one has nothing to lose by giving God the benefit of the doubt. Besides, that puts the onus on God to influence you that they are real. The God I know seeks to influence to do all the good we can, in all the places we can, at all the times we can, to all the people we can, as long as we can. Such a plan leads to true individual and worldly happiness in the long-run. God through their influence has made me a better man, husband, father, and friend or at least better than if on my own. I have experienced God’s encouragement to continually strive to be better.

How Do You Have A Relationship With An Invisible God?

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Mike Edwards has been writing for Done with Religion for some time and has been a great addition to the site. He couldn’t find enough people to discuss God openly so he started blogging years ago. Mike also has his own site where he writes that can be found at What God May Really Be Like  He can be contacted by email at: medwar2@gmail.com

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