Love Over Fear: A New Perspective on Jesus and Religion

Religion is incapable of providing certainty about ultimate things. It can only offer the illusion of certainty, which is highly dependent on two things: the fear and ignorance of its adherents and the persuasive power of its leaders. 

That’s not to say that all religious endeavour is disingenuous or poorly informed. There are many sincere and well-intentioned followers and leaders in every spiritual tradition, and many highly intelligent people profess faith. 

It’s simply to point out that the whole system doesn’t work without large numbers of ignorant, fearful followers and a few confident, convincing leaders. 

Despite its inability to definitively answer the ultimate questions of life, religion isn’t entirely pointless. 

In exchange for accepting the appearance of certainty, religious devotees gain meaning and a sense of belonging. As long as they don’t think too deeply about the basis of their convictions or question the demands and dictates of their religious conventions, they will continue to find affirmation, acceptance, and support within their communities of faith. 

Given our vulnerability and existential angst, this is, for many, a worthwhile transaction, and one that has the potential to make the most persuasive religious leaders extremely rich and immensely powerful. 

That persuasion can be coercive and controlling or polite and charming. Either way, those who don’t know any better rely heavily on the confidence of those who claim they do. The truth is that neither knows any more than the other, but the whole system is built on the pretence that one group is enlightened with divine revelation and empowered with divine authority (the leaders) while the other simply trusts and obeys (the followers).

Whilst all of this is abundantly evident to many, religions persist, and probably will for a long time to come. So why are they such a pervasive part of human culture? 

I think the reason is simply because there are so many aspects of life that remain unexplained. Religious beliefs are our attempts to make sense of the enduring mysteries and brutal adversities of life. Through them, we imagine answers to our most profound questions, invent worlds we wish could exist, and conceive of causes and destinies that are found only in the collective psyche of all those who long for the assurance that we’re going to be okay. These shared mythological narratives then hold our tribes together and ensure that we have the support and strength of those who share our fears.

I suspect that Jesus was not particularly concerned with promoting or perpetuating religion, either the one he was born into (Judaism) or the one that would emerge in the wake of his life (Christianity). While he clearly participated in the religious practices of his culture (Judaism), he strongly criticised it and repeatedly challenged its assumptions and aspirations. Despite this, it appears that Jesus wasn’t interested in dismantling the old religion or starting a new one. 

I think Jesus knew that religion was an inevitable and understandable part of the human experience. Still, he wanted us to see that there is something far more important than our fear-based, religious adherence, and that is a mutual and radical commitment to a particular way of being in the world, motivated by love. Jesus essentially said this: If you genuinely want to love God, then love one another the way I have loved you. Be kind, gentle, patient, merciful, compassionate, truthful, selfless, generous, and welcoming. This will not only transform the world into the kind of place we all want it to be, but it will transform us in the process. To the extent that religion promotes and achieves this, it is good and worthwhile. 

However, Jesus also warned us about how binding and blinding religion can be; how easily it can lead to self-righteous contempt for all those outside our particular group. The danger of religious conviction is that it can breed a kind of certainty that becomes a justification for all sorts of evil perpetrated against those who disagree with our professed beliefs. 

When religions become preoccupied with defending their truth, protecting their tradition, or controlling their tribe, rather than comforting the afflicted, encouraging the hopeless, or protecting the vulnerable, they lose their way. 

Following Jesus, then, is not about choosing the “right” religion over all the other “wrong” ones. It’s about recognising, like Jesus, that all religions fall short (Christianity included), and that the only hope our world has is the salvation (healing and liberation) we receive when we follow Him, not by believing the correct propositional statements about who he was or what he did, but by living out the love priority exemplified in His life.

I recently came across these words from Barbara Brown Taylor. They sum up so beautifully the essence of what I’m saying here: 

“The only clear line I draw these days is this: when my religion tries to come between me and my neighbor, I will choose my neighbor… Jesus never commanded me to love my religion.” – Barbara Brown Taylor, Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others