A Dangerous Place To Be

Satan watches for those vessels that sail without a convoy.~George Swinnock

I got into a fascinating discussion yesterday with a young man over the concept of religion. We were talking about the need to belong to a community of believers and his question was "Does community have to mean religion?" I have long believed that when you drill down to the core of the problem, folks who are turned off by religion really simply dislike what man does with religion. Religion itself is benign.

Religion(at Dictionary.com) is defined as "a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs."

By that definition a handful of believers sharing their love of Jesus over lattes at Starbucks is "religion". And though they may never meet, they likely share that same "religion" with many worshipers at traditional churches who feel about Christ the same way. Is one path superior to the other? I doubt it. I don't believe that "community" is a one size fits all concept, find the community you're comfortable in and serve the Lord, and there you'll find religion. 

I hold nothing in common with the haters of Westboro Baptist church who picket the funerals of our fallen heroes, nor do I count as fellow believers the Koran burners of the Dove World Outreach church. Yet I do share "religion" with millions, and I'm grateful for that. I don't want to try and worship God alone, I start to make sense to myself, and as a friend says, I have trouble telling if it's God's voice or mine. And that's a dangerous place to be.