Are You Religious Or Are You Spiritual?

Do you consider yourself religious, or do you consider yourself spiritual? Is there a difference? I think there is a big difference.

I was talking to a repairman at our home and the subject of the end of the world came up. As our discussion proceeded, he asked me if I was religious and spiritual. Now that's quite a question.

I had been talking to him about how I believed that Christ will return. I told that when he does return, those who are born again will be gathered together to meet him in the air. That's what the Bible says.

Now some when they hear statements like that might immediately think, "Oh, he's a pretty religious person." Others might think, "Well, someone who believes that sort of thing must be a spiritual person." Well, which is it?

I couldn't give the repairman a simple, "yes," or "no" answer. The biggest problem in answering a question like that is simply terminology. Being religious means different things to different people, just as being spiritual means different things to different people.

Personally, I do not believe that Christianity is a religion, although I think there is a lot of religion in what people refer to as "Christianity." Religion is man made and it is usually full of rules and regulations on how to be right in God's eyes.

Contrary to that, I believe that true Christianity is the way of the Father with His children. I believe true Christianity involves a real, personal relationship between a person and God Almighty. I believe true Christianity is what the Bible teaches, not what some people think that the Bible teaches.

Anyone who has read the Gospels knows that the greatest opposition that Jesus Christ faced while here on earth was from the "religious" leaders of that time. They were so caught up in all of their rules, regulations, and traditions that they failed to even recognize that the Messiah had finally arrived.

They saw Jesus as interfering with their system. They were jealous of the numbers of people that were following him. They were absolutely afraid of losing their power and control.

They were afraid that if his popularity continued to escalate then they might soon be out of a job. So they opposed him at every turn. It was the religious leaders who instigated his arrest and his execution.

After the death of Jesus, it was again religious leaders who persecuted the early Church. The followers of Jesus were labeled a cult by the same religious leaders. These religious people endeavored to silence those who preached about Christ, especially those who preached his resurrection from the dead.

Throughout history, time and time again, terrible things have been done by religious people. People convinced that they were right, believing that they were doing God a favor, have done many cruel things. Who will ever know how many people have lost their lives at the hands of religious people?

Meanwhile, true Christianity is not about rules and regulations or sacrifices and penance required for heaven. True Christianity is all about what God made available to people through the accomplished work of His Son, Jesus Christ. True Christianity is all about the Father and His family.

When it comes to being spiritual, that term has different meanings to a lot of different people too. There is indeed a natural realm and there is a spiritual realm. But being a "spiritual" personal does not necessarily mean that someone is involved with the one true God.

The Scriptures declare that when someone is born again, they receive God's gift of holy spirit. Looking at it that way, you could say that such a person is indeed a spiritual person. That would be accurate because the person has God's spirit residing in them.

The Bible states that God is Spirit, and that holy men of God wrote the Bible, being directed by the Holy Spirit. It would then seem to be very profitable to gain information and understanding about spiritual matters from the Scriptures. And, in a manner of speaking, someone who regards the Scriptures as God's communication to mankind could indeed be called a spiritual person.

Regardless of your definition of what constitutes religious, or what makes someone spiritual, The Bible cannot take a back seat in these matters. And, after reading this article, perhaps it will be easier for you to answer the question: Are you religious, or, are you spiritual?

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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC '-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN' 'http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd'><html><head><title>Articles Back Link | Are You Religious Or Are You Spiritual?</title></head><body><h3>Are You Religious Or Are You Spiritual?</h3><br><br> By: Michael A. Verdicchio<br><br><p><p>Do you consider yourself religious, or do you consider yourself spiritual? Is there a difference? I think there is a big difference.</P><p>I was talking to a repairman at our home and the subject of the end of the world came up. As our discussion proceeded, he asked me if I was religious and spiritual. Now that's quite a question.</P><p>I had been talking to him about how I believed that Christ will return. I told that when he does return, those who are born again will be gathered together to meet him in the air. That's what the Bible says.</P><p>Now some when they hear statements like that might immediately think, "Oh, he's a pretty religious person." Others might think, "Well, someone who believes that sort of thing must be a spiritual person." Well, which is it?</P><p>I couldn't give the repairman a simple, "yes," or "no" answer. The biggest problem in answering a question like that is simply terminology. Being religious means different things to different people, just as being spiritual means different things to different people.</P><p>Personally, I do not believe that Christianity is a religion, although I think there is a lot of religion in what people refer to as "Christianity." Religion is man made and it is usually full of rules and regulations on how to be right in God's eyes.</P><p>Contrary to that, I believe that true Christianity is the way of the Father with His children. I believe true Christianity involves a real, personal relationship between a person and God Almighty. I believe true Christianity is what the Bible teaches, not what some people think that the Bible teaches.</P><p>Anyone who has read the Gospels knows that the greatest opposition that Jesus Christ faced while here on earth was from the "religious" leaders of that time. They were so caught up in all of their rules, regulations, and traditions that they failed to even recognize that the Messiah had finally arrived.</P><p>They saw Jesus as interfering with their system. They were jealous of the numbers of people that were following him. They were absolutely afraid of losing their power and control.</P><p>They were afraid that if his popularity continued to escalate then they might soon be out of a job. So they opposed him at every turn. It was the religious leaders who instigated his arrest and his execution.</P><p>After the death of Jesus, it was again religious leaders who persecuted the early Church. The followers of Jesus were labeled a cult by the same religious leaders. These religious people endeavored to silence those who preached about Christ, especially those who preached his resurrection from the dead.</P><p>Throughout history, time and time again, terrible things have been done by religious people. People convinced that they were right, believing that they were doing God a favor, have done many cruel things. Who will ever know how many people have lost their lives at the hands of religious people?</P><p>Meanwhile, true Christianity is not about rules and regulations or sacrifices and penance required for heaven. True Christianity is all about what God made available to people through the accomplished work of His Son, Jesus Christ. True Christianity is all about the Father and His family.</P><p>When it comes to being spiritual, that term has different meanings to a lot of different people too. There is indeed a natural realm and there is a spiritual realm. But being a "spiritual" personal does not necessarily mean that someone is involved with the one true God.</P><p>The Scriptures declare that when someone is born again, they receive God's gift of holy spirit. Looking at it that way, you could say that such a person is indeed a spiritual person. That would be accurate because the person has God's spirit residing in them.</P><p>The Bible states that God is Spirit, and that holy men of God wrote the Bible, being directed by the Holy Spirit. It would then seem to be very profitable to gain information and understanding about spiritual matters from the Scriptures. And, in a manner of speaking, someone who regards the Scriptures as God's communication to mankind could indeed be called a spiritual person.</P><p>Regardless of your definition of what constitutes religious, or what makes someone spiritual, The Bible cannot take a back seat in these matters. And, after reading this article, perhaps it will be easier for you to answer the question: Are you religious, or, are you spiritual?<br></P></p> <br><br> <b>Author Resource:-></b>  <br><br><b>Article From</b> <a href='http://www.articlesbacklink.com/'>Articles Back Link</a><br></body></html>