Originally Posted by antlers
You practice a ‘religion’...just like the Pharisees practiced a ‘religion’. Rules and regulations. There’s no saving power in the sacraments. The Jewish religious leaders were thoroughly educated, highly trained, and well versed in their ‘religion’. And they practiced a graceless and hypocritical religion. Jesus criticized them for it. This is what happens when championing religious rules and religious regulations becomes more important than the people that these things were designed to serve and benefit. Modern day Pharisees are the same as the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. Following Jesus isn’t a ‘religion’...it’s a way of life. Some angry ‘Christians’ seem to be mad because they can’t burn heretics at the stake nowadays.
The Pharisees weren't "the Pharisees" because of the God-given laws. They were "the Pharisees" because they lost sight of the spirit of the laws.

Frankly, I can't think of anything more graceless than encouraging people to destroy themselves. That was then, this is now. Now nihilists are the problem.

Politics is War by Other Means