Aloha, friends.

If you asked the average person, they could probably name no more than ten religions.  But the fact is that there are thousands of religions all over the world.

And I’m not the judgmental type.  I’m respectful of other cultures and beliefs that are different from my own…

Yes, there are people who worship this guy.

…But there are some crazy, flat out stupid religions out there.  Forget Scientology or Baha’i.  They are just barely scratching the depths of crazy.  And I know that I believe that a Jewish rabbi was born as the Son of God 2,000 years ago and rose from the dead after being executed on a cross, and that sounds kind of crazy on the surface, but these religions will make even Christian beliefs seem perfectly normal.

Are you ready?  Let’s take a little tour of a few of the crazy religions you could be joining.

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What’s the worst thing to accuse someone of?

Think carefully.  I’ll give you a hint.  It starts with the letter ‘R.’

Is “racist” the most serious accusation you can throw at someone?  What about “Republican?”

Keep thinking.  It’s even worse.  The worst thing a person can be encompasses all the evil of the entire human race, and sums it up all in one word.

If I were you, I wouldn’t want to be accused of being…

…religious.

God, no, not that!  I think some people would rather have dinner with a rapist than a religious person.  And with Jeff Bethke’s video about hating religion, making the rounds, I don’t think religious people are going to be winning any popularity contests any time soon.

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What makes a day in your life?

If you didn’t catch Ridley Scott’s Life in a Day when it was released, it’s now on Netflix.  It’s that movie made of hundreds of home movies from all over the world, clipped together, to make a complete picture of human life in one day.  People sleep, go about their morning routines, play with their kids, go to work, worship and pray, have dinner with family, and all the other imaginable human activities.

It’s kind of a remarkable movie, if only because it’s a film made of a bunch of smaller films that no one would ever want to watch.

But it also made me think.  What does a day in my life look like?  What about yours?

And more importantly is this: Christians boast that Jesus is the most important part of our lives.  But is he this most important part of our days?

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Google "spiritual but not religious" and a picture of a shirtless, greasy-haired hippie weirding out everyone on the beach will be among the first results.

“I’m spiritual but not religious…”

Few phrases in the English language chap my delicate, pasty hide faster than that one.  It conjures images in my mind of aging hippies playing with magick crystals and talking about faeries and just generally needing a punch in the face because they misspell nerdy words to make them seem more alluring.

Nevertheless, it has come to my attention that despite all evidence to the contrary, not all spiritual, non-religious people are like this.

Then I started really thinking about what it means to be “spiritual” but not “religious,” and it dawned on me that maybe these people have the right idea.

So, just for today, I’m going to suppress all my face punching urges, because I’ve learned a few things about what it means to be spiritual but not religious.

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Some people would say so, anyway.

Well, make that most people.  I can’t begin to estimate the number of people outside of religion that lump all religions into one category.  Not to mention, there’s a good chunk of people inside religion who have convinced themselves that all religions are equally valid paths to God, and they are much more enlightened for thinking so.  When it comes to everything from politics to parenting, we’re not afraid to be the only ones who are right, and damn everyone else to hell.  But when it comes to religion, well you just can’t insult something as personal as someone’s faith. You can’t presume to have all the answers, to be the only one who’s right, lest you look like a crazy person, and probably a racist or a bigot.

But I started thinking about it.  Maybe all that political correctness really has enlightened us.  Maybe we’re past the point where I’m right and you’re wrong, and we can all just hold hands because all our beliefs are equal.

I suggest you keep reading.

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Do you know what the world’s fastest growing religion is?

This year, American churches will pour millions of dollars into new programs and services, designed to attract new people to God.  They’ll built more extravagant buildings.  They will buy radio ads and billboards and build giant sparkly crosses to tell everyone about God.  Pastors will try to be more relevant with their messages.  They’ll create a better show, broadcast it to more people, collect more money, get more cards signed.

And Christianity in America will continue to lose influence, while Islam continues to be the world’s fastest growing faith.  Europe will be 50% Muslim in the coming decades.  Islam is fighting with Christianity for supremacy in Africa.  Even in America, where anti-Islamic hyperbole flows freely, many are turning to the Islamic faith.

A simple question: why?

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