I can't keep quiet

Theres a viral video going around posted by a very talented poet who loves Christ and believes firmly in Him.  The video itself is immensely popular, being featured on CNN.com and has over 16 million views on youtube.  It's called "Why I hate religion, but love Jesus."  I believe that it's popularity stems from two things... the fact that it is expertly worded, and secondly because at first, it sounds like it makes sense.  When I first heard it, I was fascinated by the young man's talents, but at the same time, it made me sick.  It literally made me nauseous.  It was so full of misconceptions and half truths, ignorant claims, and illogical conclusions that when combined together, seemed to make sense.  It wasn't before I actually broke down what he said sentence by sentence that I realized just how misguided he was.  I started a post a response, breaking down each sentence and explaining why it was wrong, unfounded, illogical, or just simply wrong.  But it just didn't feel right.  So I'll post a simple(r) response to it.


I think that the main misconception the young man had was that if you called it religion, it is religion. True religion, or pure religion as James describes it in the bible, is "... To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." James 1:27.  It could also be more simply put in the words of Christ himself. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and will thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it.  Thou shalt love they neighbor as thyself."  Matt. 22:37-39.  


The poet also said  "The problem with religion is that it never gets to the core. Its just behavior modification, like a long list of chores."  I want to say that religion is truly at my very core.  It is all that I am, all that I do.  I am who I am because of religion.  See religion is a path, a way of life, not just an idea.  I sincerely believe Christ when he said "Not everyone that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Matt 7: 21.  Now I know that I am nothing, that without Christ I would be lost, no matter how righteous tried to be.  But I also know that Christ said I am the way.  He didn't say I'm the get in free pass.  He showed us the way by living a perfect life.  He, knowing that all humanity couldn't be watching is every move, told us the way, and did so through commandments.  You say chores?  I say freedom.  Keeping the commandments has set me more free and kept me more safe than anything else I could do.  I will always be grateful for my religion, because it has led me to God.  I hope it will for you too.