WHY IS YOUR LIFE A MINISTRY?
The US was founded with a major emphasis on personal freedom—especially religious liberty or religious freedom. What are organized religions today and what part do they play in your life and your freedom?
The 1st Amendment clearly states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. . . .”
That’s short and simple. The government body, congress, cannot and shall not pass laws that affect the establishing of religion or how that religion operates and exercises its beliefs.
Using the power of the internet, let’s look at the various definitions of religion.
Wikipedia says, religion is a social-cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, tests, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that relates humanity to supernatural, transcendental, and spiritual elements; however, there is no scholarly consensus over what precisely constitutes a religion.
How can there be a consensus? It has to be entirely up to the individual!
Merriam Webster is a little shorter definition: religion: [noun] The state of being religious. The service and worship of God or the supernatural. Commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance.
Hmm—this definition uses the same root in the definition. Not too mind-expanding or illuminating. This shows how truly difficult it is to define a religion.
The Britannica Encyclopedia goes on to state: Religion, human beings’ relation to that which they regard as holy, sacred, absolute, spiritual, divine, or worthy of especial reverence. Worship, moral conduct, right belief, and participation in religious institutions are the consistent elements of a religious life.
So it is implied by these folks that participation in religious institutions are part and parcel with religious life. Yet, the clearest definition found is, religion can be any object of one’s conscientious and high regard. It is a personal thing, not something regulated by institutions.
Yet today most of us regard religion as the territory of some organization where more educated in the texts, more pious in behavior and more dedicated to the service provide guidance in the form of rituals, teaching through sermons and lectures, and the discerning or explaining of the ancient holy texts. It is regarded as too vast and complicated for the layman to consider or comprehend. Like so many thing, we think we best “leave it to the experts.”
When it comes to your personal religion, the only expert is YOU!
Have you spent any reflection or contemplation time considering what your own personal dogmas might be? What do you believe and hold sacred. How must one behave in order to manifest and live their own dogmas or religion?
This is personal and individual. It has nothing to do with the church building on the corner. Church organizations can be one of your chosen parts of your own religion, but not the center or core. Your religious pursuit (your ministry) is 24/7, not just once a week (for some, twice a year).
Our Constitution—in the First Amendment—guarantees you CAN develop your own personal religion. Get started on it. We’ll share more on this website.
The US was founded with a major emphasis on personal freedom—especially religious liberty or religious freedom. What are organized religions today and what part do they play in your life and your freedom?
The 1st Amendment clearly states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. . . .”
That’s short and simple. The government body, congress, cannot and shall not pass laws that affect the establishing of religion or how that religion operates and exercises its beliefs.
Using the power of the internet, let’s look at the various definitions of religion.
Wikipedia says, religion is a social-cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, tests, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that relates humanity to supernatural, transcendental, and spiritual elements; however, there is no scholarly consensus over what precisely constitutes a religion.
How can there be a consensus? It has to be entirely up to the individual!
Merriam Webster is a little shorter definition: religion: [noun] The state of being religious. The service and worship of God or the supernatural. Commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance.
Hmm—this definition uses the same root in the definition. Not too mind-expanding or illuminating. This shows how truly difficult it is to define a religion.
The Britannica Encyclopedia goes on to state: Religion, human beings’ relation to that which they regard as holy, sacred, absolute, spiritual, divine, or worthy of especial reverence. Worship, moral conduct, right belief, and participation in religious institutions are the consistent elements of a religious life.
So it is implied by these folks that participation in religious institutions are part and parcel with religious life. Yet, the clearest definition found is, religion can be any object of one’s conscientious and high regard. It is a personal thing, not something regulated by institutions.
Yet today most of us regard religion as the territory of some organization where more educated in the texts, more pious in behavior and more dedicated to the service provide guidance in the form of rituals, teaching through sermons and lectures, and the discerning or explaining of the ancient holy texts. It is regarded as too vast and complicated for the layman to consider or comprehend. Like so many thing, we think we best “leave it to the experts.”
When it comes to your personal religion, the only expert is YOU!
Have you spent any reflection or contemplation time considering what your own personal dogmas might be? What do you believe and hold sacred. How must one behave in order to manifest and live their own dogmas or religion?
This is personal and individual. It has nothing to do with the church building on the corner. Church organizations can be one of your chosen parts of your own religion, but not the center or core. Your religious pursuit (your ministry) is 24/7, not just once a week (for some, twice a year).
Our Constitution—in the First Amendment—guarantees you CAN develop your own personal religion. Get started on it. We’ll share more on this website.
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