My son was telling me yesterday how someone at his work was asking him about his religion. He tried to tell them that he didn't have a religion, but a faith. While I understand that any belief in God that has set teachings and set rituals at all is technically a religion, this kind of discussion reveals a basic misunderstanding in our society.
When people think "religion" they think of a set of "have-to"s imposed upon the member of that religion. What defines a member of one religion over the other is the rituals they perform and the meetings they attend. From that starting place, most religions include certain lifestyle variations that may affect things such as food, clothing, entertainment, marriage, and so on.
When I read the Bible, while these things are present among people of faith, they do not represent the essence of these people's lives. The Bible contains accounts of people who have encountered God. As I read and reread the Scriptures I am struck by the reality of God in those people's lives. While there are descriptions of those things that we might think of as religion, they are not in the forefront. Rather we see people encountering God amidst real-life issues.
What has taken me a long time to realize is that there are many today, who while claiming to have a living faith rather than a religion, actually define that faith more in religious terms than through their experience with God.
As I read the Bible, it challenges me to make sure that my life proceeds out of a living encounter with God rather than molded and controlled by a set of religious expectations.
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