You're making a nonsensical distinction between "religion" and "Christianity". Christianity *is* "a religion". Don't take my word for it, take the Scripture's:
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. -- James 1:27ALL religions have/do something that is contradictory to the Bible
Even the one that's taught in the Bible?
Jesus told us not to do that with earthly men because we had but one Father and He resides in Heaven.
Paul apparently didn't get the memo; see 1 Cor 4:15. IMO, Jesus was using hyperbole in Matthew to express how unworthy the Pharisees were of the title "Father".
There are over 30,000 sects of Christianity - Christianity is not a religion - all the sects are religions. While they mostly have the commong theme/thread running through them, they all have different interpretations/views/rites on what the bible is telling us.
At the time of James, "C hritianity was not yet well-defined and his use of the word "Religion" was in a literal sense the constant practice of ones belief system:
26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
If taking care of orphans and widows is a religion, then anything is a religion - it was a standard of conduct that one would expect from someone who believed the Great Commandement and the one that Jesus followed up with. He then told us that where ther is love there is no harm and that meant that acting with love as the prime motivation was fulfillment of the commandments/law of the Old Covenant.
I guess you can have your opinion on what Jesus meant by not calling earthly men "father", but the only place I see permutations used as a defense is where it pertains to the Catholic Church. It looks and reads like, while Pharisees were hypocrites, one was told to do what they say and not what they do. It also looks/reads like the titles of rabii, father, and teacher were reserved for the Messiah and God Himself:
23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. 5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries[a] wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others. 8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Granted - I'm no Theologian, but I understand that much of the Biblical Word has to be taken in context of the day and the audience, along with the mores of the day, and other areas can still be taken at face value even in today's mores/understanding.
Please understand, i am not attacking the Catholic Church as the institution that has done more to bring souls to od than any other, but expressing my doubts that all Chritian religions adhere strictly to Biblical Truth - they are all envisioned/modified/molded by eathly men and therefore have inserted some fallibilities. I believe the Bible tells me everything I need to know to make my choices and be saved by His Blood - making certain practices/people "holy" as endorsed by men is uneccessary. That's why I am a member of a non-denominational Church which preaches Christianity and uses the Bible (no additions/deletions) as the basis. I don't pray to the saints (we're all supposed to be seen as justified, holy saints in God's eyes once we give ourselves to Christ the Savior), when I have a straight conduit to Him. I believe the Lord's Prayer, as given by Jesus is the purest form of prayer and like Him, I address my prayers to "Our Father, Who art in Heaven".
I state my opinions and do not wish to cause controversy, but rather essay to prompt flks to do some more thinking on their belief system. My current and past pastors in non-denominational Churches tell us to hear what they say, but not to believe it all without doing our own reading/talking/research lest we leave ourselves open to any charlatan who might preach what is not true with the expectation that we believe him because of his position. I see no harm in it because some of the most avid purveyors of God's Word were once atheists who studied hard to disprove God's existence and were finally convinced that He is who/what Christianity says He is.
God Bless