Jesus Hates Religion ... Wait, say what?!?

So, I have refrained from saying anything (on the internet) about this "Why I hate religion but love Jesus" video mainly because I didn't really know what I thought about it at first. But, after talking with people, and praying about what the Bible really says about the issue I think I have come to my own personal conclusion about the video. BUT that is not really what this post is about. I am not here to bash or praise the video. Mostly, I just wanted to share an article I found that I thought was great. But before I get to that, I want to share about the latest heart-to-heart I had with God while thinking about this video. [if you haven't seen the video, you can see it in the link at the bottom later on]

When I first saw the video on a friend of a friend's wall I watched it and thought "WOW! That is SO awesome, maybe a little "radical" - but true!" I watched the video a couple of days before it went totally viral. As the video began to go viral I noticed that people I respected and admired were posting the video. Some were saying "I don't agree with his theology, but cool thoughts", some were totally praising the guy, and others said it was plain wrong. I thought to myself, "did I miss something?". I watched the video again and really tried to see what others were so upset about. As I watched and developed new opinions about what he was saying I started to get frustrated with myself. I was mad that I didn't see how the "theology was off" and I wanted to know where others were finding him so wrong. As I read what other people wrote and as I talked to Erik about it, we finally came to the conclusion that it all comes down to how you define religion. Was Jesus against false religion (the kind of religion I believe the guy in the video is talking about) - yes, I think he was! But to say he came to abolish religion may be a little strong. People define religion in so many different ways and I think that that is why people were bringing so many different and strong opinions to the table ... I fumbled upon this article last night and I think it does a good job of summing everything up and he does a good job of articulating my thoughts:

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2012/01/13/does-jesus-hate-religion-kinda-sorta-not-really/

I am thankful that this video has made me study the Word and pray about what I really believe. I love when certain situations push me to study even more about what I believe - my faith grows so much during those times. And it really has grown over the last few days as I have thought about what the Bible says about Jesus and religion.

The video itself definitely challenged me to love like Jesus. Jesus showed grace to me, and I need to show much more of it to others. It is crucial that we as Christians don't act like the "religious people" in the Bible and I am glad for that reminder. I hope you are too :)