Coptic Dad & Mom

I know that this topic has been exhausted, but people are still falling under this heresy, and I'm tired of it. A "celebrity" of sorts posted a status today basically saying what has been said over and over in the last few years, a wonderful piece of contortion by the devil to lead people to damnation. And let's be real, this is the first time I have ever used that word, so I'm not saying it lightly. "I don't need religion," they say, "I just need Jesus." One of the comments, a prime chunk of the "creed" of this new heresy, states, "Religion has too many rules. Who are we to say what God wants?" Am I the only one who sees the nonsensical paradox here?

Now Christianity is a faith of paradoxes. We suffer to find joy. In tribulation, there is peace. In death, eternal life. But "let's make up our own rules because who are we to say what God wants" is NOT one of them.

C.S. Lewis, where are you when the world needs you? Did one of Screwtape's letters cover this? Should I write my own?

"If you can once get him to the point of thinking that "religion is all very well up to a point," you can feel quite happy about his soul. A moderated religion is as good for us as no religion at all—and more amusing." Uncle Screwtape, The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis

(what follows is my draft attempt at a Screwtape letter on this topic)

MY DEAR WORMWOOD,

I am delighted to hear that your patient has taken up this idea that religion is overbearing and man-made. We want him to grow increasingly comfortable with this idea that he should do as he likes. Let him believe that he has a personal relationship with the Enemy simply because he claims to. Let him believe in his own ego as a guide toward perfection. Let him feel that his own personal experiences and those alone are valid in formulating truth. 

Let him forget that the Enemy is above all and sees all. Let him forget that the Enemy loves order and organization, that the Enemy created rules for the physical world, that He set the planets in their orbits, that He hung the stars in the heavens. Let him focus on his own concept of the Enemy and ignore entirely those things the Enemy has commanded. Fix his attention inward that he no longer looks beyond himself to see truth, but instead believes only in himself as the ultimate source of knowledge, wisdom, and learning. From sola scriptura, derive sola ego. Then you can feel that everything is truly going well.

Your affectionate uncle,
Screwtape

Of course, people that subscribe to this idea don't read C.S. Lewis in the first place, do they?

Claiming to have a personal relationship with Christ is not enough for salvation. Christ Himself said, "If you love Me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15).