Reblogged from canadafreepress.com
By A. Dru Kristenev -- Bio and Archives October 28, 2015
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Yes, it sounds convoluted, but mull it
over. If an adherent to a religion cannot subscribe to the founding
tenets of that belief system, then why follow it in the first place, or
follow it just far enough to want or feel compelled to change it? (Get
used to this as the whole article is one query after another.)
Is it tradition? The individual feels duty-bound to walk the same road as his ancestors even though he disagrees with the doctrine?
Is it shame? That should the person turn to another faith that speaks more to his belief system he would be shamed by family and friends, even threatened were he to leave a militaristically dogmatic religion such as Islam?
Is it the comfort of sticking with what he knows even if some of the basic ideas stir up strife in his heart, effectually making him restless and uncomfortable? And does one follow a religion because it makes them comfortable, or because it calls them to step out beyond their comfort zone? Or does someone choose a religion because their friends or peers attend?
In accepting a religion, there should be a strong spiritual draw to that belief to begin with, otherwise, why even bother? And for whatever reason a person follows a religious belief system, it is assumed, at some point, they accept the religion as being grounded in truth. Then why reform?
If truth cannot change then reforming a
religion in order to be relevant in a modern world disputes the truth of
it, making it irrelevant rather than the opposite, and, in effect,
wrong. Truth is truth, or it is not – simple. If truth needs reform then
it was never truth in the first place.
This is why Tayyip Erdogan is correct when he said, “Islam is Islam and that’s it.” He had a point in that for every religion, as an adherent, one believes it or they do not. If the original faith was true, then changing (reforming) it makes it not true, in which case, there cannot be a reform Islam, Judaism, Hinduism or Christianity. Changing it makes it a different religion. If the religion needed to be reformed then the reformer didn’t believe it at the outset.
This is why Jesus said not to add or take away from His Word (Rev. 22:18-19, Deuteronomy 4:1-2) and why purposefully changing it to fit a fad, custom or whim of society – man’s new interpretation – voids the truth He gave. Truth is not malleable or flexible to suit individual desires or the drifting mores of a secular social scene.
To reform a religion is to change it and what we seek in Christianity today is to restore our understanding of truth, not to re-form it. Even the term “revival” has more meaning and application because it is meant that the Word be revived in our hearts. However, if pastors and Church leaders are hell-bent (that’s what I said) on re-forming the Church to fit a modern social venue – i.e. blessing gay marriage, abortion, or other amoral and immoral behaviors – then they never did believe the Truth for which Jesus sacrificed His life on the Cross.
It is time to examine what you believe… is it true or would you “reform” it?
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Is
there such a thing as a “reform” religion? Given some thought, a number
of questions crop up regarding what is actually a reform religion,
particularly when applied to the mosques, synagogues and churches that
claim to practice their faith under the auspices of newness.
Starting with this: If one believes in the religion, yet thinks it must be reformed (changed, re-“formed”) in order to be applicable to their lives, then is not the act of reforming the “truth,” making it a new or different truth, in fact, denying that the original “truth” was truth at all
Starting with this: If one believes in the religion, yet thinks it must be reformed (changed, re-“formed”) in order to be applicable to their lives, then is not the act of reforming the “truth,” making it a new or different truth, in fact, denying that the original “truth” was truth at all
Is it tradition? The individual feels duty-bound to walk the same road as his ancestors even though he disagrees with the doctrine?
Is it shame? That should the person turn to another faith that speaks more to his belief system he would be shamed by family and friends, even threatened were he to leave a militaristically dogmatic religion such as Islam?
Is it the comfort of sticking with what he knows even if some of the basic ideas stir up strife in his heart, effectually making him restless and uncomfortable? And does one follow a religion because it makes them comfortable, or because it calls them to step out beyond their comfort zone? Or does someone choose a religion because their friends or peers attend?
In accepting a religion, there should be a strong spiritual draw to that belief to begin with, otherwise, why even bother? And for whatever reason a person follows a religious belief system, it is assumed, at some point, they accept the religion as being grounded in truth. Then why reform?
This is why Tayyip Erdogan is correct when he said, “Islam is Islam and that’s it.” He had a point in that for every religion, as an adherent, one believes it or they do not. If the original faith was true, then changing (reforming) it makes it not true, in which case, there cannot be a reform Islam, Judaism, Hinduism or Christianity. Changing it makes it a different religion. If the religion needed to be reformed then the reformer didn’t believe it at the outset.
This is why Jesus said not to add or take away from His Word (Rev. 22:18-19, Deuteronomy 4:1-2) and why purposefully changing it to fit a fad, custom or whim of society – man’s new interpretation – voids the truth He gave. Truth is not malleable or flexible to suit individual desires or the drifting mores of a secular social scene.
To reform a religion is to change it and what we seek in Christianity today is to restore our understanding of truth, not to re-form it. Even the term “revival” has more meaning and application because it is meant that the Word be revived in our hearts. However, if pastors and Church leaders are hell-bent (that’s what I said) on re-forming the Church to fit a modern social venue – i.e. blessing gay marriage, abortion, or other amoral and immoral behaviors – then they never did believe the Truth for which Jesus sacrificed His life on the Cross.
It is time to examine what you believe… is it true or would you “reform” it?
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