and the outward show of religion without inward sincerity is like a tree without heart, lifeless.
---Ralph Venning---
What say you?
2007-09-07 04:19:17 · 11 answers · asked by Fae 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
i am a pagan, i am asking you..I found this quote intriguing.
2007-09-07 04:30:54 · update #1
I love it... incredibly true and even more incredibly sad how far most are from acting on it. Of course I disagree that a tree without fruit is worthless... All life has value.
hugs feona, Have a great day!
2007-09-07 05:44:04 · answer #1 · answered by ? 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The reverse seems to be just as or even more bad to me.
Some people have all the outward show of religiousness and rituals and self-righteousness but no TRUE personal relationship with the Creator that grows and develops along the way.
If anyone truly has a relationship with our Creator, they would be so humbled by it and so caught up in that wonderful, awe inspiring devotion they would not have time to be so pre-occupied with what other people think of their "outward show" or trying to do things to please or satisfy human religious demands or trying to convince others to follow their way.
Let people judge the outside. Who cares. You have God on the inside.
2007-09-07 11:28:40 · answer #2 · answered by pixie_pagan 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I agree.
I also like pie. But saying that I like pie isn't saying much. Who doesn't like pie? Faith needs action to be of any use. Religious activity without faith is pretty much a stage play. Now that we are in agreement, what do we do about it? Faith without action is useless, but just because one believes something, and then acts on that belief, does not make that belief valid or that action useful. See Zion Copticism. See Heaven's Gate. See Jim Jones and the Peoples' Temple.
Also, you could do a lot worse than to read Ralph Venning's works in their entirety. I'm just sayin' ...
2007-09-07 11:41:59 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I absolutely agree with you. Well said. In other words we must walk our talk. You can say you are a Christian till your blue in the face but if your actions and words don't reflect christ then you better really reflect on what a Christian is. A Christian reflects Christ. Jesus is love we are to love others:
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth (1 Corinthians 13:4-6)
2007-09-07 11:31:44 · answer #4 · answered by Kaliko 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I say inward religion is having faith with grace. Outward religion is just showing off or recruiting.
.
2007-09-07 11:26:24 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Outward show meaning charity, kindness and the like..
does it mean spreading the word through preaching?
just curious to know
2007-09-07 11:27:47 · answer #6 · answered by Hope 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
religion is about a personal connection with spirituality, period.
with mutual respect, one can discuss and compare philosophies of life, but this does not work when only one side offers respect and the other is only looking to convert/impose/recruit.
2007-09-07 11:29:51 · answer #7 · answered by kent_shakespear 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The only point of outwardly showing your religion is to share it with others; your religion is intended for yourself, for your life, to be utilized in your life to fulfill your spirit; it's not intended to feed others. That's a Christian concept that I don't adhere to.
2007-09-07 11:26:05 · answer #8 · answered by Ta'Nish 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I agree. So does St. James the Apostle:
"Faith, without works, is dead."
2007-09-07 11:25:00 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
hun, since when is a tree useless!!!?
2007-09-07 11:35:08 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋