Making religion a good word again

Russ Waldrop / "From the Pulpit"
Published: June 5, 2008

People respond differently to the word “religion.” For some, it is a stuffy, super-serious suggestion that there is too much fun going on in the world and that we should put a stop to it. For others, it is a positive word that means church, family, faith, discipleship, the Bible and anything else pertaining to God. Others dislike it for much the same reason.
Since Jesus’ biggest arguments were with the religious leaders of his day, some have assumed that the problem was, indeed, religion. But that is too sweeping a rejection. His problem was with the people misusing religion, not religion itself.
In Latin, there were two definitions of “religion,” each from a root word meaning “to be bound or tied together.” One was negative; that is, being bound or tied up as with chains or ropes. The other was positive; that is, as having one’s sweater tied or knitted together where there were holes, or having one’s wounds bound up with bandages.
Is the word found in the Bible and, if so, what kind of meaning does it have there? That might help us decide whether to use the word today or discard it altogether.
The word “religion,” or some form of it (religions, religious, etc.) is found only a handful of times in the Bible. The Apostle Paul describes himself as “a member of the strictest party of our religion, the Pharisees” (Acts 26:5b). The problem was not his “religion” per se, but rather the strictest version of it which he had rejected to follow Jesus (See also, Gal. 1:13-14 TEV).
He used the word again in a positive sense when he was brought before the City Council of Athens, Greece, for preaching about Jesus in a community that believed in many gods. He told them, “I see that in every way you Athenians are very religious. As I walked through your city and looked at the places where you worship, I found an altar on which is written, ‘To an Unknown God.’ ” This act of diplomacy allowed him to identify Jesus with that “unknown God” and continue to preach in a non-combative way that helped some to believe in Jesus (Acts 17:22-34 TEV). “Religion” was a bridge, not a barrier.
The word “religion” is defined only once in Scripture. The Apostle James says: “Does anyone think he is religious? If he does not control his tongue, his religion is worthless and he deceives himself. What God the Father considers to be pure and genuine religion is this: Taking care of orphans and widows in their suffering and keeping oneself from being corrupted by the world” (James 1:26-27 TEV).
While this practically exhausts the uses of the word “religion” in the Bible, it can still be instructive for us to remember Paul’s respectful and evangelistic use of it, and James’ detailed re-definition of it from God’s perspective. Is that what we mean when (or if) we use the word?
Granted, unhealthy religion can produce the deceptive, even dangerous, characteristics that James described in a later chapter (James 3:1-18). But, he also says that healthy religion “takes care of orphans and widows in their suffering” and “keeps oneself from being corrupted by the world.” According to him, this is God’s own definition; that is, “what God the Father considers to be pure and genuine religion” (James 1:27).
Let us be sure that we are true to God’s definition of religion. If we do, we may be able to make it a good word for everyone.
The Rev. Russell G. Waldrop, D. Min., LPC, is a pastoral counselor and is chaplain of Western State Hospital. Contact him at 540-332-8004 or at .