Rules. Colossians 2:21. Religions often control people by demanding acts from leaders seeking profit. Some measure success by the number of attendees at meetings, while others count baptized converts or church members. Certain religious groups are involved for financial gain. Some believe salvation depends on specific actions or rituals, which are burdens placed on people by those who teach that salvation is a result of God’s grace plus what individuals do.
Some people base their demands on making money. They seek a percentage of your earnings, which they call “giving to God.” While giving to God is good, making it part of salvation is like adding your works to Christ's work; that would be a dishonor and an insult to His sacrifice for our redemption on the cross at Calvary.
Religion, based on human senses, is false because it relies on man’s limited knowledge and desire for personal satisfaction on his own terms. Man, at his best, fails to overcome sin. To get around the prick of conscience or persistent guilt that won’t fade, religions have been created to accommodate man's will, ideas, and sometimes imagination.
Standards are probably set with good intentions initially, but pagan practices change over time and adapt to the desires of people's hearts. Often, they turn into lustful things that appeal to the flesh. People leave a concert or play claiming that God has blessed them with spiritual insight, urging them to live for Him. However, when we are driven by emotions and feelings instead of faith that comes through the word of God, the initial enthusiasm quickly fades, and nothing truly changes or strengthens one’s faith in God and commitment to Him.
Prohibitions that impose legal demands often appeal to new Christians. They tend to prefer strict laws that make them feel more holy. We need to be patient, that’s true, but placing demands on others who lack scriptural principles and spiritual practices as their goal can quickly divert people from God's grace and cause unnecessary separation among believers. The clothes we wear, the food we eat, and the special days we observe are usually the opinions of some strong-minded person, or perhaps someone hiding something. The balanced and moderate life that God desires for us is that He is well-represented by those He has brought into His family and by those through whom His grace is shown in the Gospel.
Taboos that hindered the Jews have been incorporated into some “Christian religions” through symbols like images, relics, beads, holy water, and the observance of days and traditions set by “church fathers.” These are basic practices that are as pointless and misleading as the dead works of idol worshippers, law-keepers, and self-imposed pseudo-humility. Some seek to endure pain, hunger, and deprivation, believing it makes them acceptable to God. Imitating the sufferings of Christ means grieving our Lord Jesus Christ, who “suffered for sins,” the sins of others, to bring us to God.