DO YOU HAVE EMOTIONAL RELIGION

The other day, I was listening to the radio and a man came on who had just become a "Christian." He was telling how happy he was, the only thing is that he cried the whole time.

The question is, does God want you to cry all the time in connection with worship of Him? Does God want you to flagellate yourself with a whip, real or emotional? Does God want you to worship Him with constant tears and strong emotions? No. Why do people do that? Because most religions confuse emotionality with spirituality. They perceive it as a sign of repentance. But sadness is simply an emotion, it doesn't change anything. Esau sought repentance by emotion and tears...he cried and cried and cried...but it didn't cut any slack with God. Simply because crying does not equal repentance. Esau sought repentance but couldn't find it. He was looking in the wrong place. Had he quit crying and started trying to find out what God wanted him to do, he would have been in a much better place.

Somehow in this world of religion, we are taught that God wants us to suffer, and to cry, and to be punished by roasting in hell from eon to eon. Religion of this world tries to apply the mind and attributes of Satan to God! Satan is really the one who wants us to cry and suffer and burn, but not God. If your religion involves a lot of crying, you have missed the boat somewhere.

There is actually a mental disease called scrupulosity. It involves mentally beating yourself up all the time. It involves much shame and guilt for any and everything. In fact, it is fostered by religions that demand tears and guilt and shame for simple things that are not sins... (Playing cards, music, dancing, etc... etc...) If you feel ashamed all the time, if you feel like beating yourself up, if you feel guilty for the smallest thing, then you have "scrupulosity." It is not spirituality... it is a wrong state of mind that has been foisted on a lot of people. It also shows a lack of faith in God. Yes, you are going to mess up, but God doesn't want you flagellating yourself with a mental or physical whip. It is just like a baby learning to walk. When you fall down, you don't sit there and cry and cry, you get up and you try again.