Why We Don’t, and Do, Need Religion

Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cross sea and land to make a single convert, and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.” -Matthew 23:15 (NRSV)

I often hear two messages about religion. The first message is: You don’t need it. The second is: You gotta have it.

According to the first message, religion is not only backward, unscientific, superstitious, and irrelevant, it is also oppressive, power hungry, manipulative, and destructively self-interested. The sooner we ditch it, the better.

It’s true. Religion has caused a lot of harm from the Taliban to Texas to our own experiences of church-hurt.

Jesus would agree. He was sharply critical of toxic religion. His ministry was almost exclusively directed toward those who were barred from, or looked down upon by, religion. He said, “The kingdom of God is within you.” In other words: “If you are not welcome at the temple, don’t worry. You are the real temple.”

At the same time, Jesus was a faithful and observant Jew who built a faithful and observant community. He obviously believed religion had merit despite its abuses.

Religion is like food. Diet is directly related to a host of health problems—diabetes, heart disease, kidney issues, cancer, etc., but no one says we should therefore stop eating. The solution to bad food, unhealthy food, poisonous food is not no food but better food, healthier food. In the same way the answer to bad religion, unhealthy, toxic religion is not no religion but better religion, healthier religion.  

I hope your religious life is laden with good, delicious food. If not, say something. Demand better nutrients and more caring service. Your heart, and mine, are worth it. 

Prayer
God, we need you. Feed us well.

About the Author
Matt Laney is the Senior Pastor of Virginia Highland Church UCC in Atlanta, GA and the author of Pride Wars, a fantasy series published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for Young Readers. The first two books, The Spinner Prince and The Four Guardians are available now.