Religious Checklist
The Unofficial Religious Checklist (Don't Do's) United States Version
#1. Don't smoke (anything that puts off an ember and smoke)
#2. Don't drink alcohol (cough medicine doesn't count)
#3. Do not cuss (don't even think it)
#4. Miss church more than once a month (even during football season)
#5. Only listen and / or watch Christian Music....(at least never admit listening to Mainstream Music) ....Rated R Movies are also NOT allowed (unless it is the Passion of the Christ)
Some of the Christian sub-culture which is mostly a Religious sub-culture would have you believe that if you don't do the things listed above, you are a "good Christian"....the reality is these things alone only show a life that practices religion. There isn't much spiritual life to them.
(spiritual life vs religious life)
#1. Don't smoke (anything that puts off an ember and smoke)
#2. Don't drink alcohol (cough medicine doesn't count)
#3. Do not cuss (don't even think it)
#4. Miss church more than once a month (even during football season)
#5. Only listen and / or watch Christian Music....(at least never admit listening to Mainstream Music) ....Rated R Movies are also NOT allowed (unless it is the Passion of the Christ)
Some of the Christian sub-culture which is mostly a Religious sub-culture would have you believe that if you don't do the things listed above, you are a "good Christian"....the reality is these things alone only show a life that practices religion. There isn't much spiritual life to them.
(spiritual life vs religious life)
posted by go to www.chadjarnagin.com at 8/15/2005
8 Comments:
haha nice one man, i reckon its worse where you are than over here for that sort of rule keeping christianity
Have you read the Christian Culture Survival Guide by Matthew Turner?
mmmm no i must check that out
Lindsay has some great elaborations. I plan on going a bit deeper with some thoughts soon, but for now I just wanted to say thatnks to everyone that has left comments and sent me messages.
Most everyone is saying that it is good to talk about things that NO one has wanted to talk about for too long. As simple as that is, I agree. Eventhough I don't have all the "right" answers, I just want to ask some "why" questions. We should be secure enough in our faith (why we do or don't do things).
Chad
What so many people fail to understand is that doing any of these things or not doing any of thse things doesn't make them more or less of a sinner. We are all guilty, and as God's elect, washed by the blood of the Lamb.
God knocks on the door, hoping we will quit following rules and actually listen to him. This is easier for some than for others, and a result of their worship is that they just don't do things that displease God, or that get in the way of their relationship with Him.
What looks like rule-following might be something very different. We need to take some time to understand people, which is what God does.
This is an awesome subject! Christ looks at our motives. Where's your heart in all this. There are limitations. We can not let our bodies be mastered by anything, whether it is smoking, pepsi, or even the need to sit in the same place, in the same pew, every sunday. But, as a leader and a witness of our most Holy and Awesome God, we should not even have "the appearance of evil". One of my pastor's once said, "smoking doesn't send you to hell, it just makes you smell like you've been there!"
I find it intersting that this post sems to have the most comments from any other entry.
Must have touched a nerve my friend.
SP
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