If you ask some Christians which they would choose between humanity and religion, you would be amazed that many of them would choose religion over humanity.
The deeply religious ones among them would quickly defend their pick by stating that humanity is carnality and religion is spirituality.
But their conclusion is far from the teachings of Christ.
Do you know which of the two is carnality? Religion is carnality, while humanity is spirituality.
Religion is a rigid and fear-based means of interacting with God. At the core of religion is man’s attempt to please God. Religion puts the focus on abiding by rules even to the neglect of loving humans.
On the other hand, humanity is a flexible and love-based means of interacting with God. At the core of humanity is man’s attempt to interact with God. Humanity puts the focus on loving humans and effectively managing nature.
Humanity acknowledges that a loving interaction with humans and nature is a healthy interaction with God.
Religion acknowledges that strict obedience to rules is a healthy interaction with God.
Religion is a creation of satan and man. Humanity is a creation of God.
It would interest you to know that Christ didn’t come to introduce religion, neither did he speak in favor of the religion of his days.
Sadly, man and satan have made a religion of the higher way of living that Christ introduced to humans. And this religion is the reason many Christians are not living the higher life that Christ introduced.
What Christ introduced was humanity. He spoke in favor of humanity.
He once told a story of a man who was robbed while he was traveling to Jericho from Jerusalem. A Jewish Priest passed by that way and when he saw the man who was half dead lying on the ground, he passed by on the other side probably in a hurry to go worship God in the temple. A Levite, passing by, saw the dying man, looked on him, and left him in that state to go keep up with the temple worship of God.
It was a Samaritan man who had compassion for the man when he saw him in his dying state. The dying man lived because someone didn’t mind interrupting their schedule to attend to his health.
In another teaching, Christ stated that a good deed done to a fellow human is a good deed done to God.
The only way you can love and serve a God that you do not see is by loving and serving humans that you see.
May I remind you that Christ was killed by religious people. Humanity would have spared his life, but religion screamed, “Crucify him!”
God is not in religion; God is in humanity.
Apostle Destiny Kingston