Hi. Ya know, I’d have to say that religion does both. Let me explain:
What is Religion?
Before going into the question, we should probably define what we mean by the term, “religion”. For instance, Josh McDowell gives a suggestion in his book, “A Ready Defense”: “The term religion has many definitions. None is agreed upon by everyone, but certain common aspects and implications of religion can be observed. We define religion as the aspect of one’s experience in which he (or she) attempts to live harmoniously with the power or powers he believes are controlling the world.”
In my own experience and ministry, I’ve come to learn that the meaning of a religion is something that requires us to do something in order to win the favor of God or something that one has deemed a deity or supernatural thing over them. For instance, if you do good deeds, you treat others a certain way, you sacrifice something in its name, you worship in a certain posture or pose, etc.
When I Googled “religion meaning”, it said, “the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.”
Finally, if you look at the picture above, it gives 2 definitions for religion:
- “An organized system or institution of belief based upon the traditions of men instead of the pursuit or friendship with God.”
- “The act of playing church, exchanging internal Truths for external performance, substituting spiritual realities with carnal rituals.”
I think we could all add a few things to each definition, but you get the idea.
Does Religion Free us?
Sorry, but I’m going to have to get a little technical again. Because when we suggest being freed, it means we’re bound by something, or prevented from reaching something else. For instance, some religions or belief systems tell you to “free your mind.” What are you freeing it from? Some say religion in general, others say the stresses of the day. If a prisoner is set free, he’s being freed from the bondage of prison (or capture). But whatever the case, to be freed from something, you need to be in bondage to something else.
So for a religion to free us, we must first be bound to something else, whereas this religion would be our rescuer, or savior, for it frees us from that which bounded us, and from what we couldn’t escape without the particular religion. So depending on what or who you’re being held captive by would depend on whether or not a religion could save you from it.
Free us FOR What?
Now that one is freed from something, the next question is what or who they’re being freed for. What now? Who or what freed them? When a prisoner is freed, they can’t just stand there at the entrance, they have to go somewhere. Where to, now that they’re freed? Freed out of the frying pan and into the oven?
Freed WITH what?
Also, at what price were you freed? In almost all cases, freeing something or someone from bondage requires a trade of something — a price to be paid. For a slave, payment; for a captive, the freedom of the person holding them captive; etc.
Also, for those wishing to please a god, which god?
Does Religion Inhibit Us?
Former pro-wrestler and former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura once said that he believes religion is just a crutch for weak people. And for some it may be, but for others, it fulfills something they’ve been searching for in their lives, whether it be community and friends, something to participate in, a reason to change, a direction to aim their lives, a new purpose, a more positive way of thinking, a common ground with others, authority, warm and fuzzy feelings, etc. For some, it doesn’t matter to them if it’s an incorrect view of God, as long as it “works” for them. And even if it’s bonding, or inhibits them, they chose to be bound by it. So I guess, in that sense, religion can be a crutch, for it helps people accomplish something they couldn’t (or believe they couldn’t) do without it (like a crutch to help walk).
I guess in the Bible, you could say that by practicing the many religions of his many wives, Solomon was freed from arguments and being estranged from his 1000 spouses, and by marrying these 1000 women, he was freed from having to go to war with their fathers’ nations. However, it also inhibited his relationship with and obedience to God. So for him, though there were a lot more issues at play, he chose the wrong entity to please, and thus became inhibited by them all.
Why Religion Inhibits Us?
I think the problem with religion, though, is when we look at it as a noun. For instance, as I mentioned above, a religion is often seen as a belief system that one associates themselves with in order to accomplish a favorable goal with a particular higher power. So they join the religion and do what the religion or religious institution tells them to do in order to hopefully please a supernatural being of sort (whether God, a god, a person, an object, even aliens). And that’s where I believe religion inhibits us.
Also, in that sense, all religions then are wasted time–wasted lives because they’re suggesting one can gain favor by doing things.
Christianity is Not a Religion
Usually, the misconception is that Christianity is a religion, and therefore is often called such. However, if we use any of the definitions mentioned above, then it’s clear that Christianity is not technically a religion. To earn the right to go to Heaven would mean that we would have to please God by doing something. But the Bible tells us that there’s only one thing we need to do, and that’s to believe in Christ through faith. Sure, we need to then follow Jesus Christ and obey God, but our salvation is already locked in at the moment we put our faith into Him.
Christianity Does Not Inhibit Us
You see, a religion is about what we must do in order to get right with God – works-based. But Christianity is about what Christ has done for us, not what we must do for Him. The only thing we need to do is trust in Christ through faith. So Christianity isn’t a religion, but a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Christian Religion
But wait, the Bible says that faith without works is dead. Yes, but by saying so, James (who said it) wasn’t suggesting that we’re saved by works, but that if we have that relationship with Christ, then the works part should be a natural reaction – something we want to do, and something that’s used as a means of evangelism to others.
So Christianity still HAS religion, but it’s not A religion. It’s not religion in the form of a noun, as it is above, but in the form of a verb. It’s what we do in response to this relationship we have with God through Jesus. It’s not what saves us, nor what makes us right with God, but a response to being made right with God through faith in Christ.
Does Faith Free Me or Inhibit Me?
I Am Free
My faith in Christ freed me from the sinful owner I once had and served. I was once a slave to sin, always sinning, whether I meant to or not, and couldn’t escape it. But Christ bought me and freed me from that master, cleaned me up, and now I live for Him. He paid the price of the death I deserved with His own blood by dying on the cross. He also freed me from the grave and eternal death by being raised from the dead. So I am thus free from the punishment of sin, free to live for Christ, and free to live eternally in God’s immediate presence when I die in this life.
I Am Inhibited
My faith inhibits me by showing me what’s sinful and bad for me. See, we always want to sin, right? Because sin often makes us feel good, or it’s fun, or it may fulfill a desire that we have. But what is sin? It’s disobedience from God, doing something He disapproves of, and something that’s so terrible that it can ultimately separate us from God completely. So if I give into that sin, it would ultimately be bad for me, even dangerous or damaging to me later. So it inhibits me from committing sin, or it shows me what’s sin before I commit it. But like an in-dwelled morality, it gives me the freedom to choose to sin or to obey.
So for a person who loves God, sin is something we really want to keep from doing, not only because it’s bad and dangerous to me, but also because it inhibits my relationship with God.
Sin as an Allergic Reaction
Think of it this way: if you wanted to eat something that looks good, but doing so would later hurt you because you’re allergic to it, then chances are, you wouldn’t eat it. Why? Because you know it’ll hurt you later on. But if you don’t know you’re allergic to it, then you eat it, you’ll feel the effects later and wish you never ate it. So knowing that you’re allergic to it will help prevent you from eating it – it inhibits you from eating it because you know that it’ll be bad for you later.
Well, we’re all “allergic” to sin, for it will do bad things to us (both physically and spiritually). Sin also damages our relationship with God, even separates us from Him, which as Christians, is the last thing we want to do. So I’m inhibited from doing what I want because I want to eat the bad stuff. But doing so will cause bad side effects later, maybe even kill me. Sure, I could still eat it if I really wanted to and didn’t care about the consequences of doing so, so I’m also free to decide that for myself. But food that we’re allergic to, just like sin, can be deadly, and should be avoided at all costs. And it’s nice to have that friend who informs me of such and helps keep me from making bad decisions as such.
The Choice of Being Inhibited by Religion
Most often, when people are asked where they’ll go, or where they want to go when they die, they’ll say “Heaven”. However, a huge number of those same people want nothing to do with the God that decides whether they’ll go there or not. Instead, they’ll try to get there by other means (religions). So they have the choice and means of being set free, but instead, they choose to be inhibited by religion.
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