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I’ve sometimes heard a person say: “I’m not religious”. That phrase of course can have a wide range of meanings depending on the person who speaks it. For example, it might mean that the person is essentially an atheist. They don’t believe in God and as a result have no interest in prayer, studying the Bible or other holy books, and doing anything else deemed to be religious such as attending a church, synagogue or mosque.  

              Another person using the phrase might believe there is a God, might believe in a heaven somewhere for ‘good’ people, and may well use other phrases such as ‘he or she is up there looking down’ or ‘he or she is in a better place’ when a loved one passes on.

              One thing to remember in all of this is that choosing not to believe in gravity does not in any way change the fact that gravity exists. I am intrigued by gravity. We can’t understand why the masses of planets have this mysterious force that lifts tides and pulls us unceremoniously to the floor when we fall. We can’t see it, we can’t feel it, only feel its impact after we experience it. Gravity is after all a wonderful example of diversity and inclusion. It treats everyone the same regardless of race, nationality, or skin colour.

              If God exists, and as Christians we certainly believe he does, saying ‘I’m not religious’ will not in the least way change the fact that he exists. Likewise, if heaven and hell exist and Jesus certainly taught that they do, saying ‘I’m not religious’ will not change their existence.

              The logical approach then for the skeptic is to determine as best he or she can whether they can confidently come to the conclusion that God, heaven, and hell do not exist. We are after all free will agents and are free to come to our own conclusions. But if on the other hand, one cannot be confident in such a conclusion, then one should live their life somewhat like we do with gravity, that is being respectful of its existence and its potential benefits or negative impacts should we fail to do so.

              As Christians we believe all three exist. We believe that our relationship with our loving heavenly Father God has been broken because of our sin. We believe that the same loving heavenly Father sent his son to die on our behalf so that we might if we choose to, avoid the penalty for our sin, have our relationship with him restored, and be assured of a place in heaven.  Doing so, that is believing in Jesus and his accomplishment on the cross, asking for forgiveness, and living as best we can for him, might well be deemed religious by some, but even if many think that way I believe that it is infinitely more effective than simply thinking everything will be ok by simply saying ‘I’m not religious’.                        Pastor Dave