Components of Religion

Emotion

These are the people that want to “feel” a connection with God.  Without the other components, these people search for emotional highs and the warm fuzzies when worshipping God.  They can become more concerned with what they get out of a worship service than what they give to God.  These people seek a religious experience and when they cannot replicate it consistently they may lose interest and fall away.  They need other people to validate their emotion and seek for others who also look for the same type of experience.  The emotional person often cannot be challenged for his views because their feelings “cannot be judged.”  This person is often over-accepting.  

Legal

These are the people that are concerned with doctrine and how God is worshiped.  Without the other components this person focuses only on the “letter of the law” to the exclusion of commands of service and love.  This person can become fixated upon how worship is carried out and is intolerant, and potentially vitriolic, of opposing doctrine.  Doctrine to this person is the whole of the religion.  This person often faithfully attends worship service and feels that having done so he has fulfilled his religious obligation.  This person is uncomfortable discussing emotional aspects of religion since it does not fit into his self-imposed regimen.  This person is often highly judgmental and may disassociate with others that do not meet their expectations.  

Service

These are the people that want to do good things.  Without the other components, this person wants to appear to be compassionate and often trumpets the virtues of loving his fellow man.  He can become obsessed with well-doing as a means of earning salvation.  This person is tempted to accept anyone who appears to work for the betterment of mankind, regardless of motive or belief.  Mission work and charity can be substituted for corporate worship and this person’s social connections to the church are through “programs.”  

Other components of religion could probably be identified but these are basic and others can probably be tied to these main categories.  Extremism results without a balance of each component.   Man looks for a simple answer or solution to his questions.  Therefore, he may identify with one component more than the others depending upon his individual personality to the exclusion of the others for the sake of simplicity.  It is easiest to accept one view than to work on areas when your are deficient.  

Regardless of the religious group, if someone is not working toward the center where each quality overlaps, he will not be pleasing to God.  Am I?