What’s Your Religion?

Christianity is one of the major religions in the world, but what’s your religion? Perhaps you think, “I’m not religious. I don’t go to a church, synagogue or mosque and I don’t follow any teacher’s instruction. I don’t have a faith.”

But is that true? You do believe in certain things, don’t you? You may not have a formal religion, but isn’t it true that you (and everyone) have certain principles you live by? Perhaps you believe in tolerance, that everyone should tolerate everyone else’s decisions and choices. That would be the foundation for how you interact with people – you try to “live and let live.” Tolerance may be your religion.

If you are a parent, you have certain ideas about how to raise your kids. You may teach them to respect authority, to be kind to others, and to be a hard-working citizen in the community. You will also teach them what things are “right” and what things are “wrong.” You may not realize it but the way you live, the way you bring up your family is all based on particular beliefs you have about how it should be done. If you try to explain the decisions you’ve made for yourself or your family, you’ll even catch yourself saying, “Well, I believe this and this and that is why I made that choice.”
We all make choices based on our beliefs, on what we hold to be true, on what we think is the best way to live. That means that every person is religious, every person has a faith of one kind or another.

Now the question is: where does your religion come from? On what are your personal beliefs based? Why is your sense of right and wrong often different from your neighbours? Isn’t it because people’s beliefs are often based on their own feelings, their own experiences and ultimately their own desires? That kind of religion is always in flux, changing from generation to generation.

The Christian faith is a radically different religion. It is based not on personal feelings or individual whims, but on the Word of the living God. Christians take their direction from the Bible and operate according to God’s will, not human desire. Christianity stays remarkably consistent throughout time.
We know what’s right and wrong because God tells us, and He never changes. We know where we’ve come from, why we’re here and where we’re going. When you understand that there is a Creator who made us and a Saviour who has rescued us, then doesn’t it make sense to live life according to His rules, and not our own? Why should human will be superior to God’s will?

Decisions Christians make may puzzle you because they go against your personal beliefs. It’s one belief-system conflicting with another. Try picking up a Bible to understand what makes a Christian tick. Maybe you’ll discover the riches of a religion built not on shifting sands but on the solid Rock.