THE SPIRIT OF RELIGION "I'm not religious. I just love the Lord." It is a popular bumper sticker proudly displayed for all to see. But there was a time when being called "religious" was a compliment and not an insult. Can a person be religious and still love the Lord with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength? When and how did it happen that "religion" became an uncomplimentary word? Is it true that all religious people are hurtful, sanctimonious legalists that cannot tolerate anyone who is not like them? Should we gather up our whips made of cords and drive all of these intolerant ones out of our churches like money changers in the Temple? There are those who say religious people are plagued by "religious spirits" - demons that turn otherwise nice people into evil vision killers and "party poopers" in the church. Christians with these evil religious spirits are said to be motivated by fear and suspicion of anything that is new, strange, and unfamiliar. Are they right who say that religious people are plagued by demons and must be delivered? Are religious Christians, merely traditional obstructionists - legalists that love to throw Bible passages at free spirits in the church in order to quench the Spirit and rein them in? Should the religious abandon their stance and join parade of the non-religious believers who claim the moral high ground as the truly loving, tolerant, totally free spirits who claim that truly following Jesus means worshiping God however they please free of any restrictions? Is it true what they say, that Jesus was not a religious person and therefore we should shun any and all trappings of religion? Is there such a thing as a pure and undefiled Christian religion? And if so, what does it look like? Can we truly love the Lord and still be religious? All these questions and more are answered as the author of The Spirit of Religion takes the reader through the Scriptures in search of the answers.
