I’ve seen many, many comments in which people have denounced “religion,” claiming that “religion” is antithetical to faith in Jesus Christ.
Of course, Judaism was and is a religion. Jesus lived according to and in that religion.
By the “Christian Religion” or the “Catholic Religion” is meant merely that living in accordance with the truth about Jesus Christ and according to his teaching (which includes certain essentials of the Jewish religion) imposes certain obligations. The preaching of Jesus himself is chock full of calls to fulfill certain obligations. To love God. To love one’s neighbor, even one’s enemies. To pray in secret. To be chaste in thought, word, and deed. To take up one’s cross. Etc.
Consequently, I cannot buy the notion that believing in Jesus Christ means that one does not have or follow a “religion.”
I think you are missing the point. A word can be used with different connotations and this is the case with how I used the word. Obviously, I realize that Christianity is a “religion,” as in a system of belief. However, in Christian apologetics one often uses the term to denote the difference between a man-made or humanly devised system of belief (ie. religion) versus the faith that is divinely revealed in the Bible.
“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”
John 1:18
“And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”
Matthew 16:17