Bad Religion Can Kill You!
By Joel Nederhood
Some years ago, the teachings of a religious group called the Faith Assembly began to arouse attention in Indiana. This group prohibited its members from using medicine or consulting with doctors. Its leader advocated prayer, nothing else.I Corinthians 14:18-20 Statistics gathered afterwards reveal that between 1975 and 1982, pregnant women that were members of Faith Assembly faced nearly a hundred times greater than normal risk of death in childbirth, and that the perinatal mortality rate (death in late pregnancy or in the first month after birth) was almost three times as large for children born to Faith Assembly parents as in the rest of the state.
It is not my purpose to direct this message against Faith Assembly, but I want to use this instance to highlight the danger of bad religion. There are many religious teachers nowadays that encourage people to manipulate reality by means of mental exercises to achieve healing or prosperity. What all of these teachers have in common is that they drive a wedge between their followers and the real world. They brainwash them. People captured by such teachings often have serious trouble with their spouses, their children, and their friends.
Ecstatic religion. Another example of religion that can lead people in the wrong direction is the ecstatic religion often found in "storefront churches" in big cities. Now, I do not want to suggest that all religion found in storefront churches is dangerous. But there are elements of religious ex
perience that can become detrimental if they become the primary focus of one's religious life.One person, for example, described an ecstatic religious experience as a "gift from God, an overwhelming tingling all over. You're light and lighted up; you can feel it coming; you feel exceedingly good. It happens because you are striving and seeking, and because you are, He will give you the gifts of the Spirit, the gift of awareness, discernment, a deeper caring about what happens to others."
Religion of the Mind
Let there be no mistake: there is a strong emotional element in religion; but when emotions, ecstasy, trances, shouting, and even screaming constitute part of a worship experience, it becomes dangerous, often physically and most certainly spiritually. Such a religion separates you from reality and true Christianity. Why? True Christianity, the religion of the Bible, is a religion of the mind.This statement about religion, to be sure, cannot stand alone. Some non-biblical forms of religion also emphasize the mind. Some even talk about the positive power of the mind. But when I say that the mind is essential to Christianity, I mean that God expects us to use our minds in a critical, intellectual way. We are called upon to make intelligent religious judgments.
When Christians get together for worship or for any other meeting, what is important is what is said in clear, intelligible speech. God makes this very clear in I Corinthians 14.
If you are familiar with the New Testament part of the Bible, you know that when the early church was formed through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, there were many signs and wonders. Pentecost itself was a day of unusual sounds, unusual visual phenomena, and people speaking in foreign languages. And as the early church developed, there was a repetition of some of the Pentecost signs at a few exceptionally significant occasions.
Speaking in tongues. In addition, there seemed to have developed in the church a phenomenon called speaking in tongues. It was different from the speaking in other known languages described in the Book of Acts. Apparently, the speaking in tongues then was still Spirit-inspired. In some instances one person would speak in tongues, and another person would interpret.
In the Corinthian church, speaking in tongues became very dominant. So the apostle Paul wrote extensively in his first letter to them about the role of such ecstatic events in the church's life. Let me emphasize that he does not say these events are wrong in themselves at that time, because in those days God was still revealing truths supernaturally. But Paul does make it clear that intelligent communication should be the primary characteristic of the church. He writes:
I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all: Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue (14:18,19).The apostle then calls the members of the church to mature thinking:Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men (v. 20).Discernment. Material like this is extremely helpful when we make judgments about what is good religion and what is not. Such judgments are not easy to make. There are certainly high points in worship, either in church or in one's personal prayer life, when one does feel carried away by the Spirit, lifted up and overcome by emotion. Still, it is very necessary that we put all these in their proper place.When the apostle Paul says that five intelligible words are better than ten thousand words in a tongue, he makes it abundantly clear that when it comes to Christianity, intelligent communication of the truth of God is of the uttermost importance, while ecstasy is of very limited significance.
What this means for you is this: God wants to communicate with you mainly through your mind. He wants you to understand His will and His way. He wants you to examine Jesus Christ and His claims and to believe in Jesus in a way that enables you to say, "Yes, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life." He wants you to be changed through the renewing of your mind, and to renew your mind, you must receive the teaching of the Bible.
Things To Look For
How then can you tell whether a form of Christianity is true? What are some of the things you should be looking for?First, you should examine what the minister is trying to do and what he is trying to do to you. Is he trying to get you into some emotional state or is he trying to communicate to you truths found in the Bible?
Charles Southern, an assistant professor of Afro-American studies at Loop College in Chicago, points out that many people don't want to hear messages when they go to church but want to experience the Holy Spirit and/or Jesus. And of the preachers in these churches he says, "Ministers attempt to find the right rhythm for the congregation. The minister shows what vibration is happening in the Spirit, and he's also supposed to demonstrate how to incorporate that into part of your being. He leads the congregation to that direct personal experience of feeling God."
Now, if you attend a church where the minister is interested in establishing rhythms between himself and you, you're in the wrong church. Remember, intelligible words are thousands of times more important than unintelligible words or experiences.
Second, you should ask this about a religious leader: What is his purpose? Sad to say, there is an evil strain in the human race that makes people want to dominate other people. It is perverse, but there is something of this in many of us. We want other people to think as we do and do as we tell them to do. And this evil strain often comes to prominent expression in religion.
On the other hand, it seems that some people want to be manipulated when it comes to religion. There are many people around who are willing to oblige. Taking advantage of this, religious leaders like to set themselves up as if they have some special insight
and therefore can relay to you the will of God better than anyone. Yes, it is possible for a powerful and unscrupulous religious leader to make people his slaves to the point where they will do whatever he asks of them.So be careful. Don't allow yourself to come under the influence of others. Domineering religious leaders get people to put their minds in neutral. They want to be the leaders who think for you. Remember to use your mind.
Third, ask yourself this about your religious leader: Is he dedicated to speaking clearly and faithfully about the truths of the Bible? Remember that the apostle Paul said he would prefer to speak five intelligible words to teach others than ten thousand words in tongue. The key here is to teach others.
When we read the New Testament, we learn that the apostle Paul always based his message on the Scriptures. Again and again the Bible says that Paul proved from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. It is the Bible, the Word of God, that must be the basis of the intelligible words that are spoken to the people of God. If the religious ideas that human beings tell you about are not from the Bible, they have no place. The Bible must control whatever is said about our Lord and religion.
Christ: Center of the Bible
This means, basically, that the message that comes across must be the message about the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the center of the Bible. All true religion must bring people closer to Jesus. When we talk about the work of the Holy Spirit and the experience of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we should remember that the Holy Spirit wrote the Bible and is the Person who binds us to the Person of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit opens people's hearts and enables them to believe in Jesus.Jesus must be exalted in our worship. The Bible must be central. And when this is done, the religion we are involved in will bring us closer to reality, not further away from it. True religion, biblical religion, does not make people do strange and bizarre things. Biblical religion shows us that there is an experiential side to Christianity, but this religion does not allow us to pursue forms of religion that are merely experiencetrue religion does not allow us to become addicted
to ecstasy.Controlled emotions. To be sure, the religion of the Bible cannot be separated from our feelings. Anything that is so glorious and fundamental as the Bible's teaching about our Savior, Jesus Christ, is bound to affect the way we feel. In fact, much in the Bible will make a person cry Hallelujah!" But that is something different from the wild frenzy that some people consider to be true religion.
Religion can be deadly when religious ideas drive people to do dangerous things. It can also be deadly if it establishes a barrier between us and Jesus Christ. Those who are led astray by false religion finally turn aside from the central message of the gospel: the good news of salvation through the cross of Jesus Christ.
Salvation is the issue here, the very salvation of our souls. Take a look at the religion you are following. Before it's too late, find a church where Jesus Christ is supreme, where the Bible is central, and where you can find intelligent teaching about the things of God. Find a church that speaks to your mind.
Don't forget, bad religion can kill you. Think clearly and protect yourself. o
Dr. Joel Nederhood, retired, was Director of Ministries and Radio Minister of The Back to God Hour, 6555 W. College Dr., Palos Heights, IL 60463.
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