Every so often I hear someone say, "Christianity isn't a religion" or something along those lines. Statements like that drive me nuts. I get what we're trying to say there. Christianity isn't like other religions. Our beliefs center around God coming to earth and becoming human in order to save us. We Christians don't believe we can earn our salvation by doing enough good works; we believe salvation is freely given to us. We believe God is relational. The three persons of the Trinity are in relationship with one another, and God desires to be in relationship with His people, loving us and receiving our love. If you picture religion as a quest for humanity to reach up to God or a bunch of people worshiping a distant, vengeful deity, then Christianity is different from that.
But while Christianity doesn't fit some people's conceptions of what a religion is, by any common definition, Christianity is a relgion. We believe in and worship a supernatural being. While we don't believe we need to earn God's favor, we do orient our lives around trying to live for God and do things that please Him. Christians meet together for worship services and have spiritual practices we share. We have a sacred text, the Bible. Saying "Christianity isn't a religion" requires a lot of explanation to make sense. Even if we're talking to someone with a very negative perception of religion, we still would have to go into detail about how Christianity doesn't fit that negative perception.
What's more, saying "Christianity isn't a religion" can easily come across as arrogant if we're talking with someone else who follows a different religion. I don't believe all religions are the same. I don't believe any set of beliefs will lead you to God or the truth about God. I believe different religions have contradictory beliefs, and I believe salvation is found only in Christ Jesus. However, while I don't believe other religions are true, I don't believe there is no truth in other religions. For example, Muslims believe God is merciful, and Christians believe God is merciful. Buddhists believe that overattachment to earthly things hurts a person's spiritual life, and Christians believe that overattachment to earthly things hurts a person's spiritual life. If we Christians are going to have conversations with people with different religious beliefs, I think a good place to start is finding places where our beliefs line up. Certainly we eventually need to talk about how and why our beliefs are different, but just coming out bashing everything a person believes generally just puts them on the defensive and doesn't make them open to hearing what you have to say. Plus, I think these overlaps in our beliefs can help strengthen our argument as Christians that there is only one God, and He reveals Himself to humanity.
So let's be clear that we Christians aren't exactly the same as everyone else. But let's not give anyone the false impression that Christians are completely different. Let's have thoughtful and careful dialogue when it comes to explaining what we believe.
Grace and peace,
BMH
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