In today’s culture, the world religion means many different things. For some, religion is an ideology, a set of beliefs that guide their daily living and decision making. It provides for them not only a moral compass, but a hope for the hereafter. For others, religion is more cultural. Many people believe that that are a particular religion simply because they have been born in a certain geographic location. They do not practice any particular rituals or attend any services, but consider themselves religious because of their culture and history. The way that religion is defined is deeply personal and attends strictly to the individual.
Webster’s dictionary gives two clear definitions of what religion is, or could be. The first definition states that religion is “the service and worship of God or the supernatural,” adding a “commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance.” (Gove, 1993) This definition lends credence to the idea that religion relies on action. There must be action in the service and worship to God that religion entails. The Bible says that “faith without works is dead.” Such is true is one is to claim true religion.
HOwever the current movement in our society is to ignore to ideological part of the definition of religion and to move toward an all-action theology. Many believe that their good works will be enough to buy their salvation and that is simply not true. In this, we examine the second part of the definition, where it states that religion is a “commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance.” (Gove, 1993). The idea that religion requires commitment is not held in high regard in today's’ society. Many want to surrender their religious convictions at will, or when the constraints of the religion become too much for them to bear. This results in a watering down of conservative ideologies that constitute religion, particularly from a Christian standpoint. To be clear, when one chooses not to commit to an entire religious ideology, but to sample and choose the parts that they wish to believe, then they are not committing to that religion at all. They are in essence, creating a new religion, one that is personalized for their own situation and is often without accountability. This sort of perversion of religion will not be honored by God, as His word stands true, without fault or blemish.
The necessity of commitment to the religious process is supported by the etymology of the word religion. Coming from the Latin “religare” which means “to bind,” the word is also combined with the Latin “religio,” which indicates obligation. And so the roots of the word itself means that there is an obligation, a commitment required of anyone who professes to practice a religion.
The end result is that religion itself does not matter. What truly matters is the relationship that one has with their Creator; this is the crux of all things. From this spreads the idea that one must do works in obedience and accordance to God’s will and a commitment to fully embrace the truth and not only parts. But at the root of all religion is the relationship with the God that is served.
Works Cited
Gove, Philip Babcock. "Religion." Def. 2. Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged: A Merriam-Webster's. Springfield: Merriam-Webster's, 1993. Print.
