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Decoding the “R” Word: Is Religion our Enemy?

Decoding the “R” Word: Is Religion our Enemy?

Last updated on: July 22, 2026 at 10:34 pm by Lee Ann B. Marino

Decoding the “R” Word: Is Religion our Enemy? 2026-07-22T22:34:55-04:00 Lee Ann B. Marino

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I know many of you reading this are already curious about where this is going. We know about words with various letters, but what is the “R” word? Better yet, what could possibly be the “R” word? I’ll give you all a hint. The “R” word has become the most lethal insult in the church today. We say someone or something is the “R” word anytime we don’t like what they say or don’t want to discuss any points they make because we’re concerned we might be wrong. Have you figured out what the “R” word is yet?

It is “religious.”

Whether we are defining something as “religious” or downplaying the word “religion,” there’s definitely a negative association with religion in our modern church circles. The term often comes up when matters discussed relate to three major areas:

Obedience to God
Following/upholding rules in church
Expecting Christians to act Christian

Are these things “religious”? Should we use religion as a slur? Better yet, do we understand what religion is?

Crescent moon symbol, star of david, and cross on the wall of a building

Photo by Noah Holm on Unsplash

Defining Religious

To define “religious,” we must first define “religion.” Definitions of religion vary. According to the varied definitions, religion refers to a variety of cultural and social belief systems that impact worldview, behavior, practices, ethics, morals, and beliefs with an understanding of eternity, spirituality, or supernatural events. Religion is not limited to these things, nor is it exclusively defined by them, making the challenge to define religion that much more complicated. If I was to define religion myself, I would say it is humanity’s search for meaning in life as we look backward, forward, and inward. Regardless of the specifics of belief, every person who embraces a religious viewpoint draws on historical testimonials (through scripture, stories, legends, or mythology), believes in some sort of future to come, and in the need to examine one’s self for better living and personal conduct.

Religion is a fascinating look at this cross-cultural journey. The historical testimonies influence what we feel is right for us, hoping to have similar results to those who’ve gone before us in belief. Among Jews, it is the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob). For Christians, it is the great Biblical figures, especially following the works of Jesus Christ. Among Muslims, it is Mohammad. For Hindus, it is Lord Rama or Lord Krishna (among others). For Buddhists, it is Buddha. Some groups have more modern figures, others more ancient ones. The principle remains the same: this worked for someone, so we will do it, too.

To be religious is to practice a religion. This means, like it or not, a large portion of the world falls into the definition of “religious.”

Why it Matters

The Bible speaks to us very profoundly about religion and its purpose. As the marker of a civilization, much of the ancient world held to religious practice in one form or another. Regardless of their system, religion dominated much of the identity of people in Biblical times. In regards to the Hebrews, the Old Testament system of religion was defined by the law. It was not an evil thing, nor a dirty word; it was the way by which God’s people reached out to Him and understood Him at that time in history. Whenever those people faltered from that purpose, they faltered far from God.

If we look in the New Testament, we learn the law’s purpose. It was not to be followed to the letter or to be imposing, but to make mankind aware of their need for a Savior. In Romans 1 we learn that everyone – all of mankind – had knowledge of God and that all were without excuse. This includes the Gentiles, despite the fact that they did not have the written law. If we rightly divide Romans 1, we understand why the Gentiles were also without excuse: they too had a knowledge of God, even though they did not understand it. They knew God through their religion as they watched nature through times and the seasons, in learning through seed-time and harvest, and beyond.

Even though they were not brought to the full letter of the law, they still had enough knowledge from their religious experience to recognize they could not save themselves. Instead of seeking a true Savior, the Gentile religions worshiped a host of gods (who, if are carefully inspected, we can see many of them were types of Christ), idolizing nature and the creation rather than the Creator.

Acknowledging that We Miss the Mark

Whether Jew or Gentile, all of humanity misses the mark with religion alone. The Jews wanted to be like their neighbors and didn’t want to do what God asked of them. The Gentiles wound up completely off the mark. Both became idolaters. The Jews of the New Testament followed leaders who imposed their views of the law as the word of God. They loved their religious customs and fanfare, the attention of others, and how advanced everyone thought them to be. The Gentiles also reached such a point. It is still common in various world religions to sell girls as temple prostitutes and worship religious leaders as gods on earth. What started out as a pointing to something else – and which can be and is an effective tool to make people recognize they can’t save themselves – became about self-worship and self-idolatry through those various means.

What we can see from all of this is that when people start to go beyond the bounds, religion’s purpose is lost until it becomes something that enslaves people. Being ‘religious’ can lead someone to the Savior as they learn all the rules, regulations, and sign points won’t get you there. God knew that. Now if we could only know that, and recognize religion is a part of God’s plan. It is not the end of it, but it leads one to where they need to get to be to recognize the Lord in it.

Recognizing Religious Piety as Part of Our History

Now we fast-forward to modern movements that are largely ignorant of their faith ancestry and history. There are many reasons for this. Perhaps the greatest is human hubris, which thinks itself superior to past ancestors. We’d like to think that technology separates us from our ancestors, somehow making us better. The old songs, older ways, and quieter methods are often seen as outdated. We label everything we dislike as “religious,” linking it to our past ancestors who considered themselves religious people. Over the years, I’ve had the following things labeled as “religious” by various individuals:

Believing baptism is still necessary
Using an older translation of the Bible
Maintaining a job to take care of one’s family
Disciplinary action of any sort against a minister
Rebuke for failing to obey God (or some other equivalent matter)

Whether we like it or not, none of these things are “religious” by definition. Equally, they are matters of necessity; things that are necessary sometimes (or all the time) given any specific circumstance. While they might be associated with older actions or conduct, that doesn’t make them outdated. If anything, it makes them timeless and important in the practice of religious belief regardless of era.

Obedience to God Matters

It’s a fact that the Bible still tells us faith without works is dead (James 2:26). This is not a contradiction to say we are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). These two perspectives create a whole, a motivation by which our faith becomes more than the result of an altar call. Our faith should motivate us to do good for others as we learn more about being good disciples of Jesus. The Bible is about more than just getting people to “get saved,” receive Jesus, or have a personal relationship with Him. It’s also about learning to follow Jesus as a lifelong disciple, one who is eager to grow in faith and live that faith before the world.

From the beginning, God has asked us to trust Him unto obedience. When we grow to the place of obedience, we won’t need religion to point to our need for a Savior. In obedience, we know His grace is sufficient. Everywhere we are weak, we will be strengthened. If we are obedient, we won’t have to worry about being misled because we will know what is God from what is not. Until we get to this point, we will always need to remember the message of repentance and the consistent call to change our ways and turn around. We turn to obedience because we are in Jesus Christ, and He in us.

If that makes us religious, so be it.

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About Lee Ann B. Marino

Dr. Lee Ann B. Marino, Ph.D., D.Min., D.D. (”The Spitfire”) is “everyone’s favorite theologian” leading Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z as apostle of SAFE Ministries. Her work encompasses study and instruction on leadership training and development, typology, Pneumatology, conceptual theology, Ephesians 4:11 ministry, and apostolic theology. She is author of over thirty-five books, host of the top twenty percentile podcast Kingdom Now, and serves as founder and overseer of Sanctuary International Fellowship Tabernacle - SIFT and Chancellor of Apostolic Covenant Theological Seminary. Dr. Marino has over twenty-five years of experience in ministry, leadership, counseling, mentoring, education, and business. You can read more about the author here.

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