A discerning writer has written the following: “It may be that we have been brought up in a religious atmosphere and surrounded from our very birth by religious teaching. Being brought up in this way we heard certain things and became familiar with these ‘religious truths.’ Everyone around about us seemed to believe them, and in time, we found ourselves repeating them and regarding ourselves as true believers in them. We never thought of examining these beliefs, still less of doubting them. We just seemed to accept everything without thinking at all deeply about them. We assumed that everything was all right and that we ourselves were also all right. We had not taken the trouble really to understand and try to comprehend all these statements about religion. We had not troubled really to take in the teaching. We had taken our religion very much in the same way as we had taken our bread and butter daily from the table. And while all was well, we had gone on with our religion and its duties, assuming that we had the right and real thing, and without suspecting any real lack or need. But suddenly, we were confronted by a difficulty, a problem, and face to face with this we found ourselves behaving and reacting almost precisely the same way as men and women who had never laid any claim to religion whatsoever.”

     Is this describing some of us? Is it possible that our lives are grounded in a religion rather than on the Word of God? Be very sure that the two are not the same. Religion is the belief system of interpretations and teachings that men have put together. That is why there are so many religions in the world today. Each religion, no doubt, has much truth in it, but it should never be considered the main source of one’s beliefs and understanding of God’s purposes, which can only be found in God’s Word.

     The following excerpt from a book entitled "The Unselfishness of God," written by Hannah Whitall Smith, is so profound and to the point: "I am quite sure no Israelite in the days of Israel's prosperity ever had a more certain conviction that he belonged to a peculiar people whom the Lord had chosen for His own, than I did. There was for me an absolute break between ‘us’ and anybody else. This ‘Phariseeism’ was never taught me nor encouraged directly by anybody, but I nonetheless had it. If I had anything in the world to glory over, it was that I was a Quaker. Others about me had a good deal more that was tangible than I had. Their life was easier, and they did not have as hard a struggle to get the things they wanted as we did, but they were not the chosen, and we were! As far back as I can travel in my memory I find this sense of superiority---a sort of birthright into Divine grace and favor. I think it came partly from impressions I got from ‘traveling Friends,’ whose visits had an indescribable influence upon me. It will, of course, seem to have been a very narrow view, and so it was, but its influence was decidedly important to me. I belonged to God's own people; that out of all the world, we had been selected to be His, and because His wonders had been worked for us, we were the objects of His special love and care. So certain were the ‘Friends’ that theirs was the true faith set forth in the Bible and preached by the Apostles, that in speaking of it they, always in my day, called it ‘The Truth,’ with a capital ‘T,’ and spoke of the religious work as the ‘service of The Truth.’ With the unquestioning faith of childhood, I fully believed all this, and grew up with the distinct idea that we ‘Friends’ had a monopoly of ‘The Truth,’ with a strong emphasis on the definite article, which differentiated it entirely from the holding of one truth among many. Ours was the whole truth, nothing but the truth, and could not be improved upon. Such was my idea in the days of my youth."

    Does this have a familiar ring to it? Does it describe how we feel about our beliefs and those with whom we meet? Replace the word "Quaker" with the name by which our fellowship is known and see if it does not apply.

     What is the lesson? Simply this, that to have the attitude that we are the "one and only" religious body with which God is dealing is to have the attitude possessed by the Pharisees of Jesus' day. It is the spirit of pride and is arrogant and condescending in its attitude towards others outside our "circle of belief." It is to have the spirit of sectarianism, which the Apostle so strongly condemned. Any group of believers who polarize around any other person than Jesus Christ should carefully examine whom it is they are following. Christ is not divided! This point was very strongly emphasized by the Apostle Paul in 1 Cor 1:10-15 - "I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul;" another, "I follow Apollos;" another, "I follow Cephas;" still another, "I follow Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name."

     It should be noted that if we are not all following Christ and Christ alone, then we are following man. Any religious group that bases its doctrines and beliefs on the writings of any other source than the Scriptures themselves has fallen into neglecting the advice expressed by the Apostle Paul above. There is but one foundation for any Christian and that is Christ Jesus, which is the only one that will stand for eternity.

     “….let the builder be careful how he builds! The foundation is laid already, and no one can lay another, for it is Jesus Christ himself!” 1 Corinthians 3:10, 11 (Phillips translation)

     It is possible to be mentally in bondage to a religious group and their beliefs and not realize it. Any group that would frown upon or discourage expression of thought other than the "accepted" one is sectarian in nature. “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17). Jesus clearly states in John 8:31-36, “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ They answered him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?’ Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.’”

     If our standing and acceptability among our group is dependent upon uniformity of belief in their doctrines and teachings, then there is a binding pressure of conformity always present in that fellowship and we have not the freedom that Christ purchased for us; the Spirit of freedom or liberty is not present. Conformity is not the same as unity. Unity allows freedom of disagreement without affecting our standing in any fellowship. Conformity does not allow such freedom. On what foundation are we standing?

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