"I'm a Christian but I don't believe in religion."

[tokutter]

I've heard this too. It's yet another dance step to add to the christian shuffle. One more slogan/bumper sticker/sales pitch to add to the repertoire. Most of the christians I bump into, this is about all they can do, repeat the sales pitch. If I press them further, they usually start talking about the weather.

[Tonus]

We have one or two of them here, don't we? If I am not mistaken, enrico and goodnews eschew religion for a direct personal relationship with god, Jesus, or "the spiritual." Some people abandon religion because they're at odds with a particular teaching or doctrine(s); they still believe in god or Jesus, but are soured by their experiences with religion and decide that Jesus didn't want no religion after all. Which strikes me as another case of shaping your beliefs to fit your circumstances.

I've seen others state that the Bible doesn't support the idea of an earthly organization or congregation, and that Christians were meant to be a sort of loose association bound by their acceptance of Christ's sacrifice. Which means that in addition to the tens of thousands of different denominations of Christianity, you have countless additional "personal relationships with god" to contend with.

[Minimalist]

enrico and goodnews eschew religion for a direct personal relationship with god

Egotistical fuckers, aren't they.

[CapnAwesome]

I've heard various (moronic) people claim that Christianity isn't really a religion. It's a relationship with god or some trap-clap. Must be nice to just be able to make up your own definitions for everything.

[Minimalist]

Once again, Sam Harris has made the most damning indictment of this particular bit of fundie stupidity.

There is, in fact, no worldview more reprehensible in its arrogance than that of a religious believer: the creator of the universe takes an interest in me, approves of me, loves me, and will reward me after death; my current beliefs, drawn from scripture, will remain the best statement of the truth until the end of the world; everyone who disagrees with me will spend eternity in hell.

--Sam Harris Letter to a Christian Nation

[Just another girl]

I've heard this too. It's yet another dance step to add to the christian shuffle. One more slogan/bumper sticker/sales pitch to add to the repertoire. Most of the christians I bump into, this is about all they can do, repeat the sales pitch. If I press them further, they usually start talking about the weather.

Haha this is so true I've sat with Christians while they discuss how to get people to go to church and they literally say things like "you have to sell Christianity, make them want what you have in Jesus or their never gonna take it"

It's like they know that their trying to sell bullshit no one needs

[littleendian]

I've heard various (moronic) people claim that Christianity isn't really a religion. It's a relationship with god or some trap-clap. Must be nice to just be able to make up your own definitions for everything.

Makes me feel hopeful, though, that even believers are now moving away from the term "religion". I hope it shows that dogma is in decline.

[Terr]

"I'm a Christian and I have a relationship with Christ but I don't believe in religion."

This is a direct quote from one of the RA's in my residential college today.
I think by religion she's talking about the rules and regulations of religion, yet she follows those rules ie. goes to church every Sunday, says Grace before every meal etc.
I'm just wanting a bit of help deciphering what motive would be behind this oxymoronic statement, and maybe a bit of insight into why someone would believe this?

Thanks everyone!
T

It's been my experience that no two people have the same religion, they all have their of personal view. The will have a basic foundation but they build their own faith as it were.

[pgardner31]

A rational, informed person must despise religion- and hate it because it is the most destructive cultural force in man's history. However, it is unjustified to blame (& reject) God because of religion. Religionists (not merely Jews) killed Christ, thinking that they were serving God. Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater!

...
{ II. The Religious System
A. The Source of Religion <Hint: NOT God>
B. The World’s Religions
C. The Jewish Religion
D. Christianity, the Religion }

[Polaris]

It tickles me no end to see the enormity of effort Christians put into distancing themselves from Christianity.

It would seem obvious to a person of reasonable intelligence that if you have an Albatross tied round your neck, running away isn't going to accomplish much of anything; you must cast off the foul thing altogether.

(Geek point: "Way I remember it, albatross was a ship's good luck... til some idiot killed it.")

I believe it's more them trying to distance themselves from orthodoxy (aka the strict rules from the Catholics, etc.) than Christianity.