A survey of the Scriptures reveals that there is one category that God hates above all others. God hates religious tradition! Of course some will be confused, if not offended by such a statement because they have identified God with religious tradition and ritual. Religious tradition and ritual, therefore, needs to be defined and differentiated from the Christian gospel of the Bible.
The English word "religion" is etymologically derived from the Latin word religo, meaning to "bind up." Religious tradition and ritual binds people up in rules and regulations or in ritualistic traditional patterns of devotion.
Biblical Christianity, on the other hand, was never meant to be a religion of traditions and ritual. Biblical Christianity is the dynamic spiritual life of the risen Lord Jesus indwelling the spirit of man so as to create functional behavior to the glory of God. Granted, men have succeeded to force Christianity into the molds and forms of religious tradition and ritual as can be evidenced from great number of followers of religious traditions and rituals. For example a Church based on Relgious tradition and ritual has over one billion adherants; whereas Jesus says, "Fear not, little flock..." (Luke 12:32) and "Many are called but few are chosen..." (Matthew 22:14). So we can glean from Scripture it is the few, the little flock who are the true flock of whom Jesus is the Shepherd, not the great number who follow religous tradition and ritual.
DavidJ
[quote=menorot]
My dear brothers in Christ, Agent-of-Grace and David J,
I want to say how sorry I am that my posts in the forum have given such offence. I promise you it was unintentional. I did not realise that there were people in this forum who felt so strongly against the Roman Catholic Church and against tradition. I can see I stepped into a minefield unaware.
Hi Menorot
first off
you havent "offended" me in any way, you dont need to ask for my forgiveness (no harm no foul)
though i am not to keen on the traditional type of anglican churches simply because i always found and still find it restricting, though there is a "movement" happening within the Church of England, and i am glad for this, but like i said i still love the classics like To God Be The Glory unfortunately i dislike it when some churches (charismatic,pentecostal) attempt to speed them up and fail to sing them properly (that annoys me)
though i respect the church of england ministers ( well some anyway)
some treat the position like a job, but many stay in the church, where they are placed for many years and serve the communitys around them
whereas so many ministers in the pentecostal churches tend to move around too much (this annoys me)
to the RCC i have to say that like the anglican church some of the traditions take away peoples freedom to worship
but also some years ago God sent me to a Roman Catholic Church in order to teach me a lesson, so i went and sat and listened and watched
and amidst all the traditional going-abouts i saw and watched a couple of nuns polishing and cleaning till the furniture shined, in this i saw DEVOTION each one doing the job given like they were doing it for God
maybe we all could learn from each other, by simply watching and listening a little (that church was spotlessly clean and tidy, unlike ours )
ps in between writing i was listening to Carmen, strumming away on my Air Guitar
ALSO
i still have a book of common prayer and use it occasionally sometimes when im finding it hard to pray and i need some inspiration
If tradition began to produce intimacy with God< menorot and still does,
Amen
Jesus Is the only way to the Father. He kept tradition to no avail...... in the eyes of the father, He pleased Him well.
I keep thinking of that song,
When the roll is called up yonder. 
The sacrifices of the Lord are a broken and contrite heart thou wilt not despise.- King David
All of us are not fit for a "normal" church service, nor a "sunday school
setting". For those who have not abandoned the lifting up of G-d in the
assembly, in whatever manner the Holy Ghost would choose, Amen.
I have found the tenor of some of the posts at this site not to be as palatable as some of the others. I have overstepped my bounds in as much as I am conditioned by my flesh experiences, as well as my spiritual experiences.
I've had a double portion of legalism, and a triple portion of pompous
bombastic shows. So for now, I will type in something that albeit somewhat formal, calms my spirit and nature.
Abraham -father of a multitude
Isaac -he will laugh
Jacob -seize the heel
Judas -Jehudah, Judah, celebrated
Phares -make a breach, break out disperse
Esrom -courtyard in Palestine
Aram -I am of Arabia Israel
Ammanadab -people of liberality
Naason -prognosticate, enchanter
Salmon -investiture
Boaz -pillar of temple
Obed -serve, serving
Jesse -extant, exist, entity
David -loving
Nathan -given, ascribe, assign
Solomon -peaceful
Roboam -population has grown,
make room for tribe
Judah, Benjamin
Roboam -don't fight your brother, or take many wives
These names make sense, along with the fact that God chooses to preserve his word by whatever means he chooses.
I hope all who read this know, we must bear our cross daily, and bear one anothers burdens as the Holy Spirit would have us.
Matthew 11:28 -Jesus -(Y'shua will give you rest)
Shalom
Thank you cor 517, what a lovely post.