Parade Magazine had a picture of a small church building on its October 4, 2009 cover, and the inside, related story is titled, “How Spiritual Are We?” The two-page article contains information comprised of a poll, but the reader searches the six columns in vain to find how the data was accumulated. It appears in the fine print underneath the border on page 5:
The PARADE Spirituality Poll was conducted by Insight Express among a national online panel of adults ages 18 and older. Surveys were completed by 1,051 respondents May 8-12, 2009.
The reader might wonder how representative those in this online panel were. Were they, for example, from all 50 states? Were they all from major cities, such as New York or San Francisco, or were they a cross-section of America, including smaller towns and rural areas? Also, no margin of error percentage was provided; so we will assume the figures could be higher or lower by 5%.
The first statistic cited is that 69% of Americans believe in God (4). Can that be correct? Most polls have usually registered about 90%. A decline of 21% would certainly be significant. Even more puzzling, however, is that the very next paragraph argues that Dawkins’ The God Delusion and Hitchens’ god Is Not Great have not made a significant impact on society despite their popularity because only 5% of those surveyed “didn’t believe in God” and 7% “weren’t sure about the existence of God” (4). The way math used to be taught, 7 + 5 = 12, and 100 – 12 = 88. Starting with 100% of the respondents and subtracting the 5% who definitely do not believe in God, along with the 7% who style themselves as agnostic, should leave 88% who believe in God, but we were already told that the number was only 69%. Theoretically, the remaining 19% could have omitted commenting on that topic, but then why answer the rest of the questions if that one is too tough?
Equally cryptic are the first two bits of information taken together: “69% of Americans believe in God”; “77% pray outside of religious services” (4). Uh, who are those extra 8% praying to? Apparently, these two bits of information are unrelated. The second statistic may mean that of all of those who believe in God and attend worship 77% pray outside the worship, but it is an odd juxtaposition.
The third piece of initial information is that 75% believe that “it’s a parent’s responsibility to give children a religious upbringing” (4), which tells us what? Obviously, atheists would not believe that children should have a religious upbringing, period. Of those who believe in God, is it only 75% who think parents have this responsibility? Who should do it, then—private religious schools, churches, the state? In the Scriptures, God holds parents responsible for this work (Deut. 6:4-9).
Spiritual But Not Religious
In recent years, more and more people have been referring to themselves as spiritual, when it was obvious that they did not know what the word meant. It is as vague as the word religious, and both of them mean mostly what each individual means by it—which is anybody’s guess. According to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, the word religious means “pious” or “godly”; other definitions include “extremely faithful” and “conscientious.”
The word religion is used in the Bible as the way one relates to God. It includes how God is to be worshipped, as well as the doctrines that man is required to follow. Paul lived according to the strictest sect of the Jewish religion (Acts 26:5). James ties one’s daily conduct to his religion: “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless” (1:26). He then defines pure religion (v. 27):
Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
The notion of pure religion suggests that the way that some people practice religion is not pure. When people allow themselves to be tainted by the world, they become impure. Religion, as taught by God, requires obedience to His commands and living a life that is pleasing to Him. Some who call themselves religious have made no attempt to conform their lives to His Word, which amounts to a misuse of the term.
The word spiritual is used with greater frequency in the New Testament than the words religious or religion. That which is spiritual is contrasted with that which is natural and that which is carnal (1 Cor. 2:11-14). The natural man has no spiritual inclination. He fancies himself as practical and therefore has no use for religion—unless he can use it to make a profit or to manipulate others. He is only concerned about matters pertaining to this world. The carnal individual may be somewhat attracted to spiritual concerns, but he is mainly motivated by the things of the flesh. Many who refer to themselves as spiritual fall into one of these other two categories.
Those who are genuinely spiritual must, like those who are serious about religion, link themselves to being faithful to God. Paul wrote: ”If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write to you are the commandments of the Lord” (1 Cor. 14:37). Once again, the Scriptures speak of a correlation between having faith in God and expressing that faith in the way we live (observing the teaching in the New Testament).
The dictionary contains several definitions of spiritual, among which are: “Of, concerned with, or affecting the soul”; “Of, from, or pertaining to God”; “Of or belonging to a church or religion.” These definitions were valid in 1969, but those who use this designation today have re-defined the word to mean something entirely different, which is the reason that 24% have placed themselves in this new category—“spiritual but not religious.”
What people mean by this phrase may vary; it “means different things to different people.” In fact, one can go so far as to say that people describing themselves in that manner have “combined diverse beliefs and practices into a personal faith that fits no standard definition” (4). In other words, it is an adaptation of the philosophy, “If it feels good, do it.” In this instance, the maxim is, “If it sounds good, believe it.” This approach makes the individual the sole judge and arbiter of his own belief system. People who have never read the Bible have become their own theologians. To be sure, many who have studied it thoroughly have come to the wrong conclusions, but what chance does the person have of getting it right who thinks the epistles are the wives of the apostles?
Regardless of what people mean when they call themselves spiritual, they invariably share in common three characteristics: 1) They do not intend to submit to what the Scriptures teach concerning character; 2) They do not intend to live a holy life; and 3) They neither know nor care about anything doctrinal. The way the Parade article put it was that “they aren’t legalistic or rigid” (4). The translation of these two words is simple. Legalistic to them means they do not feel bound by the commandments and the laws of God. In other words, they are lawless. They may agree with God some of the time, but when they disagree, God just needs to take a back seat to their “wisdom.” Not being rigid means that they will not stand for truth because, as they view it, truth is subjective. They will not abide by the objective morality that God teaches in His Word. For that reason, such people who may drink alcoholic beverages, use drugs, pepper their language with profanity, gamble, commit adultery, practice homosexuality, or view pornography will still affirm, “I’m a spiritual person.” Perhaps the best response to such individuals is to ask them to define what they mean and point out that loving this world and the flesh is directly opposed to the definition of the word they are abusing.
The Only True Faith
“A scant 12% of respondents said that their own religion was the only true faith” (24). Such is the effect of our Postmodern, politically correct society! The other 88% should be told: “If you don’t believe you are part of the one true religion, then leave it and find the one that is!” Why would anyone want to be part of something they were unsure was true? Would anyone take medicine from the pharmacist if he didn’t think the doctor prescribed it for him? “Excuse me, sir,” he says to the druggist. “This is not my name.” “The smiling face in a white coat smiles and say, “Take it anyway; some of the ingredients are bound to do you good.” Who would accept those terms—and pay for it? Yet people have bought into the notion that all religions teach some good things; therefore, it doesn’t matter which one you select.
God reveals the truth concerning salvation and worship. When someone obeys that truth, God writes His name in the Book of Life. No one’s name gets into that Book unless he does what God commands (Acts 2:38, 8:35-39; 22:16; Rom. 6:3-5; Col. 2:11-12; 1 Peter 3: 21). Satan has authored many counterfeit plans: some of them say that Jesus’ atonement was insufficient and that man must pay an additional price. Some say that repentance is not necessary, that baptism is not necessary, that faith is not necessary, that obedience is optional, or that all of the Bible can be ignored because people can be saved on their own merits.
There is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Eph. 4: 5). Those who are not confident they are in that one faith need to devote themselves to seeking it, and those who are in it need to devote themselves to explaining to others how they know they are (1 Peter 3: 15). The Bible is our only standard of authority.
Tolerance
Not surprisingly, 59% of the participants in the survey said that all religions are valid. Really? How would that work out in mathematics? Suppose the problem called for factoring x2 – y2, and the four multiple choice answers were: a) (xy)(xy); b) (x-y)(x+y); c) (x-y)(x-y); d) (xy)(x-y). Suppose further that the class percentages for each answer was 45%, 2%, 33%, and 20%. Would any teacher in his right mind say that all the answers are valid? Then why is it that when it comes to the answers of life, people act so frivolously as to say that all of the answers are valid? Some might say that the most popular response was the correct one, but it is not. Does the fact that the correct response only received 2% of an affirmation mean that it is less valid? No! Truth is right regardless of the number of people who agree with it!
How far does this religious tolerance go? 82% said that they would consider marrying someone of a different “faith” (the Bible says there is only one, Eph. 4:5), but 78% said they “would never consider converting to another religion” (4). How inconsistent is this? 59% say that all religions are valid, but 78% would not switch. If it doesn’t matter what a person believes, why is it so difficult to change? Are people saying that they are more tolerant than they really are? Or is the influence of one’s early childhood religious experience just too dominating to break?
This statistic is a sad one, if it held up, because it would mean that people do not intend to change even if they learn the truth. What kind of allegiance is this? Would we admire people who were raised in idolatry for remaining with what is patently false? Would we revere Ruth if she had chosen to continue to worship Chemosh rather than becoming a follower of Jehovah? If Saul of Tarsus had told Jesus on the road to Damascus, “I cannot leave the religion into which I was born,” would we know him as the beloved apostle Paul? To change is noble if one is wrong. Perhaps this percentage is high because it asks what they would do instead of what they have actually done.
Of course, it might be that tolerance is a one-way street. As with political liberals, so religious liberals believe in tolerance—so long as tolerance is defined as others agreeing with them and allowing them to do whatever they wish. In Mike Demory’s October Iowa Messenger, e.g., he describes the situation that a young man of 23 found himself in. He was living in a denominational “mission” facility, which required residents to attend Bible study on Sunday afternoon and Wednesday evenings. Apparently, it was not sufficient that he attend worship, period; it had to be with them. Eventually, they scheduled a woman to teach; the young man explained to the head of the housing that he could not take part because of what the Scriptures teach about the role of women (1 Tim. 2:8-15). They told him that was his opinion and that he was still required to attend. After ten minutes he arose and left; the “tolerant” folks there expelled him from the housing.
One might think that, when a certain practice violates one’s conscience, those in charge might be “tolerant” enough to forego forcing someone to practice something contrary to what the Bible teaches, but, no, tolerance for many only works in their favor; they do not intend to extend it to others. Those who operate such a “mission” should be ashamed.
How Important Is It?
According to the survey, 24% said that religion was the most important thing in their lives (4). This would be a higher percent than in most nations. The disconcerting statistic is the next one: “22% said that religion was a part of their lives but that it was not that important” (4). A good follow-up question would be: “If religion is not that important, why do you bother with it at all?” We could provide multiple choice options for them to check:
a. My family members would not like it if I quit attending worship.
b. I have just enough fear of God to avoid quitting being a Christian altogether but not enough confidence in Him to do things His way instead of mine.
c. God is important to me but not as important as myself. Religion cannot be counted as important as family, job, or recreation.
d. I don’t want to burn any bridges; so I leave the door open to God in case I need to get back in. Someday I may have more time to devote to Him.
e. Other (please explain).
Do people think they do more for God than He does for them? He gave us “life and breath and all things” (Acts 17:25). He provided marriage and family life at the very beginning (Gen. 1:27-28). He gave the first work order so that man would have a sense of worth (Gen. 2:15). He provided a Paradise, which had to be altered because of sin (Gen. 3 and 6). He has made truth available to all of us so that we can know what pleases Him. He tells us the purpose we have for living (to glorify, honor, and serve Him) and what will happen to us after this life has ended. He gives us our daily bread and will forgive us of our sins when we repent and obey Him. He, through His providence, grants us opportunities to come to know Him better. Jesus died so that we might be saved from the sins that condemn us to an eternity apart from the goodness of God. Now, what is it that is more pressing than religion (our relationship to God)?
Another 22% said that religion was not a factor in their lives at all. The sad thing is that on the Day of Judgment, when everyone appears before the judgment seat of Christ, “religion” will be the key factor between salvation and damnation. It will suddenly become the most important thing to everyone, but a lifetime of ignoring God will not go unnoticed. A few seconds in His presence cannot undo or change the patterns of a lifetime. The time for the right priority is now!