Effects of Religion
In my own opinion religion causes wars, discord and keeps people from seeking a personal relationship with God. It causes family, marital, and friendship problems because of peoples certain beliefs.
All religion, other than the Jewish religion, which was created by God, is made by man and is man’s attempt to please their gods and control other people. All religions have rules, rituals and laws to follow. Every religion believes that they have the answers for redemption. The answer for redemption through religion, lies within man’s ability to perfectly follow its teachings, which man can not do. Jesus is the only one who followed religion perfectly. Jesus is God’s way to reach down to mankind with love, forgiveness, acceptance and grace. Jesus is not a religion. He is God and He is the way for man to have fellowship with God.
When we come to Jesus, we are full of the original sin nature and the sins that we have committed. He cleanses us when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior and repent of those sins.
Our redemption and salvation results from Jesus’ willful and sacrificial death on the cross to take our place for our sin nature and our sins. He is the only atonement possible because He is without sin. Jesus does it for us because we are incapable of following any religion perfectly. He did follow the law perfectly.
Coming to Jesus as our Lord and our Savior, not religion, is what God requires for us to become forgiven, sanctified and have the personal relationship with God that He intended from the start. Jesus is the only way to God. There will never be any peace between people because so many people have so many different beliefs on religion and life. I believe that in time everyone will start to see that there is only on God and we will see exactly the same thing and have the same beliefs.