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A bit about the name:
We live in a world of division. We see the world as consisting of Us and Them. This occurs on many levels ranging from politics (Republican - Democrat), to sports, and yes it has even invaded our faith life (Catholic - Protestant, Liberal - Conservative). These divisions often lead us to view the "Other" group as enemy. But the Council of Trent reminds us that we only have one enemy, and that is the devil or Satan. Thus, rather than working to beat the Republicans or Democrats, the liberals or the conservatives, we should all be united and Working to Beat Hell.


Fr. Brian Carpenter responds to Jefferson Bethke's video "Why I Hate Religion but Love Jesus."

Why I Love Religion, Love the Church, and Love Jesus
Fr. Brian Carpenter

The phrase “I am spiritual but not religious” is a common mantra heard in our American society. Many people claim to believe in God and in Jesus Christ while simultaneously claiming that they do not need a church or religion.

The problem with this claim is that Jesus cannot truly be separated from religion. A belief in Jesus by definition necessitates a relationship with the Church. Jesus, after all, left the world with a Church, and that Church was charged with preaching the good news to the world.

The Good News that Jesus instructed the Church to preach was a way of life. If one is to believe in Christ and to follow Christ, it is impossible to do so apart from following this Way of Life. Why? Because this “Way of Life” is intimately linked with the person of Jesus. In fact, Jesus tells his disciples that He is the Way. (cf Jn 14:6). Notice that He does not claim to have found the way; He claims to be the way itself. This makes Jesus unique. No other founder of a major world religion identifies the way of life with himself. But Jesus does. This means that followers of Jesus, by definition, must be followers of The Way. Loving Jesus necessitates loving The Way.

This Way is in fact religion. Religion means to bind. Religion is to bind our world outlook. Put another way, it is to be the primary lens through which we see, understand and interact with the world. For Christians, that means following the Way of life outlined by Christ. Jesus is clear on this point when He says, “You are my friends if you do what I command you.” (Jn 15:14). He does not say you are my friends if you love me (although that is certainly a pre-requisite). No. He says, "you are my friends if you do what I command you. “In other words to be a friend of Jesus, means we must follow His commands.

It is for this reason that any follower of Jesus needs religion. Religion is a binding of these commands of Jesus. It is what brings the teachings of Jesus together in a systematic way, and applies these teachings to the reality of our lives. Without religion, we would scarcely know enough about Jesus to enter a conversation with Him, yet alone to love Him and to follow Him. The New Testament, through which most people first come to learn about Jesus, is itself a product of religion. It was compiled by the early Church as a way of spreading the Good News, as well as conveying acceptable and unacceptable religious practices. One need only to read the St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians to understand that Scripture views religion as a given. In this letter St. Paul is addressing abuses in religious practices. He exercises authority and tells the Church in Corinth that their practices are unacceptable and must be changed. The reason for this is that what the Corinthians were doing was not in line with the Way of Life outlined by Jesus.

Essentially, what St. Paul is doing is telling the Corinthians that you cannot claim to love Jesus and at the same time ignore certain religious practices. To love Jesus is to follow these prescribed religious practices.
The same is true today. It is not possible to truly love Jesus while ignoring religion. Without religion it is impossible to know Jesus. The Church is not simply a collection of people who adhere to certain rules and regulations as a way of clinging to the past. Rather, it is the Church that safeguards the Way of Life prescribed by Jesus. And by safeguarding that Way of Life, the Church actually becomes the Body of Christ. Put another way, since Christ identified His very person with the Way, the Church, who perfectly preserves the Way presented by Christ is identified with Christ Himself.

As individuals we are connected to Christ when we follow The Way. Yet as individuals we admit that we fail in living this Way to perfection. But the Church, the mystical body of Christ does not fail to preserve this Way of Life. And therefore the Church represents the fullness of this Way of Life, intimately uniting it with the Way in such a way that it truly is the Body of Christ. And because this is true, it is only by sharing in the life of the Church that an individual can share in the life of Christ. Thus, my love of the Church, my love of religion and my love of Christ are one and the same.

Brian Carpenter is a priest of the Diocese of Rochester, NY. Fr. Brian Carpenter. Rev. Brian Carpenter.