{"id":3316,"date":"2011-12-06T10:41:31","date_gmt":"2011-12-06T16:41:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marccardaronella.com\/?p=3316"},"modified":"2011-12-06T10:41:55","modified_gmt":"2011-12-06T16:41:55","slug":"why-religion-is-not-about-being-good","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marccardaronella.com\/blog\/2011\/12\/06\/why-religion-is-not-about-being-good\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Religion Is Not About Being Good"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Name the 10 Commandments. What’s\u00a0the first one you\u00a0think of?<\/p>\n

Most of the time people say the “thou shalt nots.”<\/p>\n

Thou salt not kill. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not covet.<\/p>\n

What’s interesting is they don’t start that way! The first commandment is not a “thou shalt not,” and it holds\u00a0the key to understanding\u00a0the rest.<\/p>\n

So why do so many people\u00a0concentrate on the negative? It’s easy, we view religion through the lens of law, and laws make\u00a0people good.<\/p>\n

But is being good what\u00a0Christianity is really all about?
\n<\/p>\n

Why do we view religion through\u00a0the lens of law?<\/h2>\n

We’re conditioned to\u00a0think this way. We live in a rules-based society.<\/p>\n

There are rules in society and rules in our homes. When you were growing up, most likely your parents corrected you by saying, “don’t do this or don’t say that.” It’s kind of the way we operate.<\/p>\n

Now there’s a “new parenting” that stresses making only positive statements. Don’t correct the negative they tell you. But I can’t help it. I still fall into that same “don’t do that” mentality.<\/p>\n

Is religion about being good?<\/h2>\n

There’s a problem\u00a0with this rules-based viewpoint when it comes to religion. People think Christianity is just\u00a0about being good and not breaking\u00a0the rules.<\/p>\n

There are two things I hear all the time.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. “Why do I need religion? I’m basically a good person. I follow all the rules already. There’s nothing religion can do for me.”<\/li>\n
  2. “I’m a good Christian because I don’t break any commandments.\u00a0Christianity’s about being good and I’m good because I follow the rules. I don’t need to go any deeper.”<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    A rules-based viewpoint only gets people thinking about\u00a0the bare minimum they need to get by. What rules do they have to follow to be good? Why follow the rules if I’m already good?<\/p>\n

    However, you can’t really get the full benefit of\u00a0Christianity by just following the rules.\u00a0Christianity is not merely about being good. It’s\u00a0about relationship.<\/p>\n

    The first commandment sets\u00a0the tone<\/h2>\n

    If you don’t get the first commandment, all the rest might as well be just a bunch of rules. The first commandment sets the tone.<\/p>\n

    The first commandment is delivered\u00a0within the context of relationship.<\/p>\n

    Worship the\u00a0Lord your God<\/h3>\n

    “I am the\u00a0Lord you God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    God reminds\u00a0the Israelites of all he’s done for them. He rescued them from\u00a0Pharaoh. They made a sacrifice, ate a meal, put blood on their doorposts, and were saved.<\/p>\n

    God asked them to cut all ties with their former life.\u00a0He promised to take care of them and they trusted. They pledged themselves to God and\u00a0he took them in as part of his family.<\/p>\n

    Him alone shall you serve<\/h3>\n

    “You shall have no other gods before me.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    It sounds like God is petty and maybe a little afraid of competition. If he’s so\u00a0great, why is he afraid of rivals? Does he have low self-esteem?<\/p>\n

    You have to look deeper than that. God is saying, “If you’re\u00a0going to be in relationship\u00a0with me, I have to be in\u00a0the center or it won’t work. God knows that we need him. And, he knows that life doesn’t work right if he’s not in\u00a0the center.<\/p>\n

    God can’t be just one of those hundreds of things hovering\u00a0around you in orbit. He has to have the center place.<\/p>\n

    Your one-stop God<\/h3>\n

    This is radical for the Israelites! They were used to having lots of gods. They had a god for every need. And, when they needed something, they\u00a0would take that god out, put it on a shelf, and pray to it.<\/p>\n

    God said all that had to stop. He couldn’t be put on a shelf and taken off when needed.\u00a0He didn’t want them placing their trust in hundreds of other things. He had to be the only one. He wanted to be their one-stop God.<\/p>\n

    Who or what are your gods?<\/h3>\n

    And, don’t you do that too? I know I do. I rely on talent, hard work, and extra hours to make\u00a0the difference in my work instead of turing to God for help. I’ll often place a hundred other interests and concerns in front of devotions to\u00a0the\u00a0Lord, to prayer, and to penance.<\/p>\n

    I have time for hobbies but I often don’t have time for prayer.<\/p>\n

    Catechetical takeaway<\/h2>\n

    Religion is not merely\u00a0about following rules or being good. It’s not about being bad either though.<\/p>\n

    Religion is primarily\u00a0about being in union\u00a0with\u00a0God.<\/p>\n

    From the beginning, God has made us to be united\u00a0with him. That is our goal and destiny.<\/p>\n

    God first established a relationship\u00a0with Israel. He asked them to\u00a0believe in him, to trust in him completely, and to be a part of his family. Only after this relationship of faith and trust was established did he give them rules for family life.<\/p>\n

    The 10 Commandments are rules for living in God’s family. If you want to be a part of it and share in the great benefits, this is how you\u00a0should live. Otherwise, you\u00a0should be in another family.<\/p>\n

    The rules are ordered toward relationship\u00a0with God. They are necessary for continued and deeper union\u00a0with him. God wants us to be good because he is good. In acting like him we stay close to him.<\/p>\n

    The commandments are not the goal, they are\u00a0the means. Like everything else in Catholicism, the goal is union and the love that never ends.<\/p>\n

    Image: John Taylor<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Name the 10 Commandments. What’s\u00a0the first one you\u00a0think of? Most of the time people say the “thou shalt nots.” Thou salt not kill. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not covet. What’s interesting is they don’t start that way! The first commandment is not a “thou shalt not,” and it holds\u00a0the key to understanding\u00a0the rest. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-catechesis","post-wrapper","thrv_wrapper"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Religion Is Not About Being Good - Marc Cardaronella<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/marccardaronella.com\/blog\/2011\/12\/06\/why-religion-is-not-about-being-good\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Religion Is Not About Being Good - Marc Cardaronella\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Name the 10 Commandments. What’s\u00a0the first one you\u00a0think of? 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