House Church Talk - Cults and other Illusions

[Glenn Frank]

On 8/8/04 6:20 AM, "jim sutton" <goodword at bresnan.net> wrote:

> It's common in civilized societies to have various kinds of religious wars and
> conflicts and competitions.  "My religion is better than your religion,"
> someone might say.  Or, "My religion is right and yours is all wrong."
> 
> My question: What good is any religion at all, if that's all we have?
> 
> Is there a religion that gives us eternal life?  Is there a religion that
> makes us right with God?  Does it really matter to God that the tenets and
> practices of a religious group are essentially correct, if the lives
> themselves are lost to Him?


There are only three verses I know of in scripture that use the word
RELIGION to refer to Christianity (all the rest refer to the Jewish system
of religion):


1 Timothy 5:4
But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of
all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and
so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.
(Whole Chapter: 1 Timothy 5 In context: 1 Timothy 5:3-5)


James 1:26
If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on
his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.
(Whole Chapter: James 1 In context: James 1:25-27)


James 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look
after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being
polluted by the world.
(Whole Chapter: James 1 In context: James 1:26-28)