Religion

I'm not sure if you've ever counted how many churches there are in town, but we have stacks. There's gotta be at least 15 and most, if not all of them have seen better days.
I recently read a book called Pagan Christianity, which rigorously examined every common practice within the modern day church, questioning their origin and how they became part of mainstream religious practice. The main point of the book is that most of what present day Christians do in church each Sunday, has its foundations not in the New Testament, but in pagan culture and rituals introduced into the church at different times in history. The idea of a weekly sermon, sitting passively in pews, identifying yourself as a Christian because you go to a Christian meeting, paid professionals, religious clothing, burning incense, any many more current traditions, all have questionable foundations that just can't be found in the bible.
In the not too distant past, it was highly inappropriate to question the institution. People did what they were told and accepted whatever came from the top down. Yet the world we live in today affords us the freedom to ask questions and not just swallow whatever we are fed. To stop and ask 'Why?' is one of the most powerful things someone can do. Therefore those of my generation must take this opportunity to ask questions of the validity of what we have inherited. It is not a sign of rebellion or disrespect; instead we are motivated by the thirst for what is real, authentic and trustworthy.
Karl Marx once said “Man is incurably religious” and I reckon he's probably right! I think people love the thought of a clearly defined set of requirements so they can tick the box and feel that God must accept them on the merit of what they've done. Yet people use their religion to justify themselves and their own behavior while condemning those who disagree or don't measure up to the same standards. Religion gives us man made laws, guilt, god in a box, restrictions on life and relationships, and hoops to jump through. It may be safe, comfortable and manageable, but it is not where God lives.
The apostle Paul once told the Jews that Jesus has truly set us free, therefore make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to religion. It interesting to see that while Jesus was on the earth, the only thing he attacked were religious systems of control as they actually keep people from finding God.
The Reality is that there is so much stuff within the Christian tradition that is seen as sacred that is actually a hindrance to people genuinely being connected to God. We need to take a fresh look at what it would be like to authentically relate with God - here, now, today.

Can you know God?

I recently stumbled across an article called "The Secret Life of Mother Teresa.". The story, in Time magazine of September 2007, based on letters between Teresa and her superiors tells of this beloved holy woman's 50-year crisis of faith. She revealed that for half a century she felt painfully distant and separated from God to the point of even doubting his existence. It is a startling contradiction that one of the great Christian icons of the past 100 years could feel so spiritually empty and totally isolated from the God she pointed countless others to. At one point she cried out to God: "If this be the way you treat your friends, no wonder you have so few of them."
To some, this makes her more of a saint because even in the midst of such pain and spiritual darkness she kept on faithfully doing the work of the Lord, while for many others her story proves that Christianity is a load of horse manure and that thinking about God is a waste of time.
If God is supposed to be so personal and loving, why didn't he make himself more known to one of his most devoted servants? If the most saintly person of our time can't connect with God, what does that mean for the rest of us? ? Is it even possible to know God or is He distant, abstract, and altogether unknowable?
I don't want to play judge on Mother T, but I think God was equally as devastated if not more so at their non-relationship. The point is that its not how He treats His friends at all, but it seems that in the midst of her fervent religious effort she sadly missed the friendship with God that is graciously and repeatedly offered each of us.
Relationship with God is not a formula. Religion sets us up for failure in this area because it says if you do this and this for long enough, then God must do this and this for you. It just doesn't work like that. His love, His presence, his nearness has nothing to do with performance. Even 60 years of your life given to helping the poor clearly still isn't enough to earn a place close to God.
The bottom line is that each one of us can know God, and as spiritual beings it is the only thing that will ever really satisfy us, yet no amount of religious activity or work can make God come near. Instead, when we abandon ourselves to God in a place of honesty and openness, desiring only to know Him and recognizing that even our best effort is never going to earn us any credit – in those moments it allows the God of love to become very real to us and it is the platform from which a real relationship is built.