Sometimes it seems like religion gets a really bad rap. Whether it\u2019s the intensifying persecution Christians face in places like North Korea, Somalia, Eritrea, and Nigeria, the spike in antisemitic incidents around the world, or even the rising hostility toward the American church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But maybe the real issue isn\u2019t religion itself. Maybe the problem is that many of us have forgotten what religion actually is\u2014and how different it is from faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My sense is that we tend to take the word religion and define it only by its most common meaning\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
religion <\/strong>| r\u0259\u02c8lij(\u0259)n | n. \u2013<\/em> the belief in and worship of a superhuman power or powers, especially a God or gods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But embedded in almost every definition of the word is another meaning \u2014 and arguably one that is just as accurate, if not more relevant\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n religion<\/strong> | r\u0259\u02c8lij(\u0259)n | n. \u2013<\/em> a pursuit or interest to which someone ascribes supreme importance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In other words, to be religious about something is to treat it as ultimate \u2014 to give it our attention, our loyalty, our energy. It\u2019s something we return to again and again. Something that organizes our lives. I can be religious about my exercise routine or about eating my vegetables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So the real question becomes: what are the things to which we ascribe supreme importance. For example (and certainly not an exhaustive list)\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our politics\u2026<\/em> Our wealth, status, or economic success\u2026 Social causes\u2026 Knowledge or intellectual authority\u2026 Pleasure\u2026 And lastly, for this non-exhaustive list\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Community and belonging\u2026 Most of us organize our lives around something we consider ultimate. So the real question isn\u2019t whether we\u2019re religious. The real question is what our religion actually is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Religion and faith simply aren\u2019t the same thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Respectfully\u2026 Sometimes it seems like religion gets a really bad rap. Whether it\u2019s the intensifying persecution Christians face in places like North Korea, Somalia, Eritrea, and Nigeria, the spike in antisemitic incidents around the world, or even the rising hostility toward the American church. But maybe the real issue isn\u2019t religion itself. Maybe the problem is … <\/p>\n
For some, political ideology or national identity becomes the highest good\u2014something worth defending at all costs. Loyalty to ideas like Liberalism, Nationalism, or Socialism can shape a person\u2019s entire worldview and sense of purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/em>Money, career advancement, or financial security can easily become the central pursuit that structures someone\u2019s life. Success and accumulation become the measures by which everything else is judged. I mean zero judgment here\u2014I simply wonder what the relationships are like for someone whose religion is economic status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/em>People often devote enormous emotional energy and moral conviction to movements, organizations, or causes they see as ultimate priorities. That can be admirable. The challenge comes when the pursuit becomes so religious\u2014so narrow\u2014that it becomes impossible to see any good in another perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/em>For some, the pursuit of knowledge or the authority of expert consensus becomes the highest guiding principle\u2014something trusted to explain reality and determine what is true. I understand the impulse; a zealous pursuit of knowledge can have great benefits. But it\u2019s also clear there are some things we simply cannot know without divine revelation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/em>Modern culture often elevates personal happiness or self-expression as the ultimate goal of life. What makes us happy? Just because something makes us happy doesn\u2019t necessarily make us good. Sometimes religion can actually get in the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/em>In some cases, loyalty to a group\u2014whether cultural, national, or even recreational\u2014can become the central organizing commitment in a person\u2019s life. It can at times cause us to lose sight of other things that are equally worthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"