A Feel-Good Religious Culture
Commenting on the situation in the United States,
Newsweek magazine candidly stated: “Many clergy, who are competing in a buyer’s market, feel they cannot afford to alienate.” They fear that if they make great moral demands on their hearers, they will lose them as parishioners. People do not want to hear that they should cultivate humility, self-discipline, and virtue or that they should heed their nagging conscience and repent of their sins. Hence, many churches are adopting what the
Chicago Sun-Times called “a therapeutic, utilitarian, even narcissistic ‘all about me’ Christian message [and] leaving the gospel behind.”
The outgrowth of this type of thinking is a religious culture that defines God in its own terms, churches whose focus is, not on God and what he requires of us, but on man and what will increase his self-esteem. The sole aim is to cater to the needs of the congregation. The fruit is religion emptied of doctrine. “What fills the hole at the center, where the Christian moral code used to be?” asks
The Wall Street Journal. “An ethic of conspicuous compassion, where ‘being a nice person’ excuses everything.”
Logically, the harvest from all of this is the attitude that any religion with a feel-good effect is just fine. Anyone adopting such a view, observes
The Wall Street Journal, “can embrace any faith, so long as it makes no real moral demands—consoles but does not judge.” And the churches, in turn, are willing to accept people “exactly for who they are,” without making any moral demands on them.
The foregoing may remind Bible readers of a prophecy penned by the apostle Paul in the first century C.E. He said: “There will be a period of time when they will not put up with the healthful teaching, but, in accord with their own desires, they will accumulate teachers for themselves to have their ears tickled; and they will turn their ears away from the truth.”—
2 Timothy 4:3, 4.
When religious leaders excuse sin, deny its existence, and ‘tickle’ the ears of their congregants by telling them what they want to hear instead of what the Bible says, they are doing people a grave disservice. Such a message is false and dangerous. It represents a travesty of one of the fundamental teachings of Christianity. Sin and forgiveness occupy a central position in the good news taught by Jesus and his apostles.
A Feel-Good Religious Culture
Commenting on the situation in the United States,
Newsweek magazine candidly stated: “Many clergy, who are competing in a buyer’s market, feel they cannot afford to alienate.” They fear that if they make great moral demands on their hearers, they will lose them as parishioners. People do not want to hear that they should cultivate humility, self-discipline, and virtue or that they should heed their nagging conscience and repent of their sins. Hence, many churches are adopting what the
Chicago Sun-Times called “a therapeutic, utilitarian, even narcissistic ‘all about me’ Christian message [and] leaving the gospel behind.”
The outgrowth of this type of thinking is a religious culture that defines God in its own terms, churches whose focus is, not on God and what he requires of us, but on man and what will increase his self-esteem. The sole aim is to cater to the needs of the congregation. The fruit is religion emptied of doctrine. “What fills the hole at the center, where the Christian moral code used to be?” asks
The Wall Street Journal. “An ethic of conspicuous compassion, where ‘being a nice person’ excuses everything.”
Logically, the harvest from all of this is the attitude that any religion with a feel-good effect is just fine. Anyone adopting such a view, observes
The Wall Street Journal, “can embrace any faith, so long as it makes no real moral demands—consoles but does not judge.” And the churches, in turn, are willing to accept people “exactly for who they are,” without making any moral demands on them.
The foregoing may remind Bible readers of a prophecy penned by the apostle Paul in the first century C.E. He said: “There will be a period of time when they will not put up with the healthful teaching, but, in accord with their own desires, they will accumulate teachers for themselves to have their ears tickled; and they will turn their ears away from the truth.”—
2 Timothy 4:3, 4.
When religious leaders excuse sin, deny its existence, and ‘tickle’ the ears of their congregants by telling them what they want to hear instead of what the Bible says, they are doing people a grave disservice. Such a message is false and dangerous. It represents a travesty of one of the fundamental teachings of Christianity. Sin and forgiveness occupy a central position in the good news taught by Jesus and his apostles.
Excerpt from
Sin—What Has Changed? — Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY
So has the definition of sin morphed into a definition of permissiveness? Will the churches answer for their failure to uphold the teachings of the one they claim to worship?
Jesus said:
Matthew 22:36-40
36 “Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus answered:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. 38 This is the first and most important commandment.
39 The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, “Love others as much as you love yourself.”
40 All the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets are based on these two commandments.
In 22:40 Jesus is referring to all Jewish Scriptures in the Old Testament.
Jesus also stated that many of the old ritual laws were no longer in affect. For instance, he stated that he was the sacrifice so that sacrifices no longer should be made on the alter.
Jesus also said that there should be no more circumcision and that it is permissible to wear two types of fabrics together along with other changes.
Changes were even made in the Old Testament. In the Covenant with Noah, Genesis 9:9-16, God told Noah that it was permissible to eat anything on earth.
Yet, in Leviticus, there were many laws stating that many things could not be eaten.
So, one must carefully read scripture to ensure that the intent of Jesus is kept when reading the Old Testament. Everything must be measured in love.
What I object to the most are those without love in their hearts who call themselves Christians.
What I object to second is that many churches preach the prosperity gospel to obtain money from parishoners when there is no such thing. The Bible, not only does not speak of the prospericy gospel,
but it states not to build up treasures on earth, to let God take care of our needs, to give to the poor, etc. These wolves in sheeps' clothings are defrauding people which does go against God.
They are lying when they say that they are Christians. They are not. If they were, they would have love toward others and would help others instead of building compounds and buying jet planes for themselves.
Those without love for their fellow man are not Christians because they are not following Jesus.
So, which behaviors are happening in churches which you object to?