These are heavy and dark days with the killings in Paris. People killing other people. Not by accident. People are taking the time to methodically plan to kill other human beings. They are willing to take a life and kill based on religion. I want you to hear this loudly: religion.

Merriam-Webster cites religion as:

1. the belief in a god or in a group of gods
2. an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods
3. an interest, a belief, or an activity that is very important to a person or group

I think it’s time to study religion a bit.

The belief in a god or in a group of gods.

I believe in God the Father, Maker of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son. I believe in the Holy Spirit. The Apostles’ Creed does a great job of summing up my beliefs, as well as that of other Christ followers.

Here’s the problem with belief: it is my personal belief. I believe there is only ONE God; therefore, I believe any religion with multiple gods is not the right way to belive. I believe it is through Jesus’ resurrection from the dead that I am able to go to heaven one day. These are my beliefs.

Similarly, there are those who believe in multiple gods or in a different god and their personal belief indicates that I’m wrong in what I choose to believe. That’s just it: belief is a choice based on what we’ve learned and experienced.

An organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods.

As we continue to believe in something, we look for others around us who have similar views. The longer we are with those like us, we begin to clarify how things need to be done and what we believe to be true. This is how “religions” are formed. We develop rules to make sure those following us will continue in the beliefs we have found to be true for our lives.

Religion, therefore, is man-made. It is our trying to understand our God, or group of gods.

An interest, a belief, or an activity that is very important to a person or group.

We  have to have a belief in something in order to worship a list of rules and regulations set up by man. Having a lot of like-minded people around us can be comforting and can also verify for us that what we believe is definitely true. This group of people in this various religion will become vital to us to carry on with our belief system.

Once you hold a belief long enough, especially one that involves following a man-made list of rules and regulations, you can become numb to why you began to hold this belief in the first place: relationship.

The God I serve and worship and love is a God based on relationship. Did He give rules in the Bible? Yes. Here’s the thing, though. I follow these rules based on my love for Him. I want to love others because I get my love from Him. I long to do right because each of the people I come in contact with are His children, whether they know it or not.

So, what does it mean to kill in the name of religion? It means you’ve lost your relationship with God.

We are called to condemn the killing of people in the name of religion…on both sides. We don’t like it when people kill in the name of ISIS. Lest we throw the first stone, let us not condemn all these soon-to-be killers to hell without first praying for their souls. They are equally children of God, they are just unaware of their calling. They are equally loved by God and for that very fact, they are my lost brothers and sisters.

This is my belief. I choose not to kill in the name of religion. I choose to love in the name of God.

I pray that all hearts would be softened to God’s love today.

“Peace for Paris” Illustration by @jean_jullien #jesuisparis

© 2015 Susan M. Sims