12 January 2012

Can a person honestly love Jesus but not religion?

There is a video circulating through YouTube, Facebook, and Google+ from a young man titled, "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus: Spoken Word."  If you watch the video, don't sucked in by, as Rich Mullins would say, the young man's attempt to make "cheap cliches out of timeless truths;" don't get caught up in emotions and sentimality, but keep your reason and judge his statements logically.

Well intentioned though the young man may be, he is quite wrong, on many points; it simply is not possible to love Jesus and hate religion at the same time.

Because Marcel at Aggie Catholics in his post Does Jesus Hate Religion? Should You? and Marc in his post Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus: The Smackdown at Bad Catholic (whose response is more thorough than Marcel's) have already answered the young man's accusations very well, I need not do it here.  Please, go and read their responses to the video and learn why religion is not only good, but necessary and willed by Jesus himself.

I hope Father Barron will also offer a response to the video.

Update: The Anchoress has also weighed in on the video.

Update: I've also weighed in.

Update: Several years ago, Jeffrey Pinyan did a word study on religion, that he was kind enough to bring to my attention.

Update: Tom Hoopes weighs in, reversing much of the young man's logic against his complaints.

Update: Even the friendly atheist has weighed in.

Update: Phat Catholic also has a response.

Update: Father John Hollowell offers a response in kind, as does Trent H.  Jimmy Akin has also responded, explaining why he hates people dissing religion.

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