Topical Encyclopedia
The term "irreligious" refers to an attitude or disposition that is indifferent or hostile to religion, particularly the worship and reverence of God as depicted in the Bible. This concept is not explicitly named in Scripture, but the Bible addresses behaviors and attitudes that align with irreligion, often warning against them and highlighting their consequences.
Biblical Context1.
Indifference to God: The Bible frequently warns against a lack of reverence for God. In the Old Testament, the Israelites are repeatedly admonished for turning away from God and neglecting His commandments. In
Jeremiah 2:13 , God laments, "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and they have dug their own cisterns—broken cisterns that cannot hold water." This passage illustrates the futility and danger of abandoning God for self-reliance or other pursuits.
2.
Hostility Toward God: The New Testament also addresses irreligion through the lens of hostility toward God.
Romans 1:21-22 states, "For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools." This passage highlights the spiritual blindness and moral decay that result from rejecting God.
3.
Moral Decay: Irreligion often leads to moral decay, as seen in the behaviors condemned in Scripture. In
2 Timothy 3:1-5 , Paul warns Timothy about the godlessness of the last days: "But understand this: In the last days terrible times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such as these!"
4.
Consequences of Irreligion: The Bible warns of the consequences of irreligion, both temporal and eternal.
Proverbs 14:12 cautions, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." This underscores the ultimate peril of living without regard for God. Additionally,
Hebrews 10:31 states, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God," emphasizing the seriousness of rejecting God's authority and grace.
5.
Call to Repentance: Despite the warnings, the Bible consistently offers a call to repentance and a return to God. In
Acts 17:30 , Paul declares, "Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent." This invitation to repentance is a central theme, offering hope and redemption to those who turn from irreligion and seek God.
ConclusionThe Bible presents irreligion as a serious spiritual condition characterized by indifference or hostility toward God. It warns of the moral and spiritual consequences of such an attitude while offering hope through repentance and faith in God.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
a.) Indifferent to religion; ungodly; not controlled by religious motives or principles.
2. (a.) Indicating a want of religion; profane; wicked; as, irreligious speech.
Strong's Hebrew
2611. chaneph -- profane,irreligious... 2610, 2611. chaneph. 2612 . profane,
irreligious. Transliteration: chaneph
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-nafe') Short Definition: godless.
...Library
Conduct of the Arians Towards the Nicene Council. Ignorant as Well...
... Ignorant as well asirreligious to attempt to reverse an Ecumenical Council:
proceedings at Nic??a: Eusebians then signed what they now complain of: on the...
The Gods of the Mythic Class the Poets a Very Poor Authority in...
... Book II. Chapter VII."The Gods of the Mythic Class The Poets a Very Poor Authority
in Such Matters. Homer and the Mythic Poets. WhyIrreligious....
Extracts from the Thalia of Arius. Arius Maintains that God Became...
... And the mockeries which he utters in it, repulsive and mostirreligious, are such
as these [1839] :"God was not always a Father;' but once God was alone, and...
Subject Continued. Third Proof of the Son's Eternity, viz. From...
... Next, let them tell us this,"or rather learn from it howirreligious they are in
saying, Once He was not,' and, He was not before His generation;'"for if...
Circular Letter to the Clergy of the Arch-Deaconry of Suffolk.
... And the only way now likely to do this being sensibly to convince them of their
mistake herein, by a strict prosecution of all such,irreligious wretches, who...
Defence of the Council's Phrases, "From the Essence," and "One in...
... The Council [883] wishing to do away with theirreligious phrases of the Arians,
and to use instead the acknowledged words of the Scriptures, that the Son is...
But Even this is Nothing. ...
... they had seven times partially and gradually undertaken, since the time of
Charlemagne,"the philosophers of the second school, theirreligious school, the...
The Chaff Driven Away
... define it. We sometimes call menirreligious; and, surely, to beirreligious
is bad enough; but to be religious is not good enough. A...
Salt Without Savour
... There is not a hair of difference in that respect between hundreds and thousands
of professing Christian men, and theirreligious man that has his office up...
Two Senses of the Word Son, 1 Adoptive; 2 Essential; Attempts of...
... If for the toil's sake God was content with making the Son only, instead of making
all things at once, this is anirreligious thought, especially in those who...
Thesaurus
Irreligious (7 Occurrences)... 2. (a.) Indicating a want of religion; profane; wicked; as,
irreligious speech.
Multi-Version Concordance
Irreligious (7 Occurrences).
...Godless (31 Occurrences)
... God. The godless man is not merely the atheistic, unbelieving or even
irreligious, but the openly impious, wicked and profane man....
Irreligion (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (n.) The state of beingirreligious; want of religion;
impiety. Multi-Version Concordance Irreligion (1 Occurrence)....
Frivolous (4 Occurrences)
... 1 Timothy 6:20 O Timothy, guard the truths entrusted to you, shunningirreligious
and frivolous talk, and controversy with what is falsely called 'knowledge...
Talk (164 Occurrences)
... 1 Timothy 6:20 O Timothy, guard the truths entrusted to you, shunningirreligious
and frivolous talk, and controversy with what is falsely called 'knowledge...
Heathen (145 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) Anirreligious person. 4. (a.) Gentile; pagan; as, a heathen author. 5.
(a.) Barbarous; unenlightened; heathenish. 6. (a.)Irreligious; scoffing. Int....
Opponent (13 Occurrences)
... (WEY). 1 Corinthians 6:1 If one of you has a grievance against an opponent, does
he dare to go to law beforeirreligious men and not before God's people? (WEY)....
Grievance (7 Occurrences)
... (WEY NIV). 1 Corinthians 6:1 If one of you has a grievance against an opponent,
does he dare to go to law beforeirreligious men and not before God's people?...
Wisdom (320 Occurrences)
... phronesis). See also PRUDENCE. 2. History: (1) In the prophetic period, indeed,
"wise" generally has anirreligious connotation. Israel...
Indulge (12 Occurrences)
... (See NIV). 2 Timothy 2:16 But fromirreligious and frivolous talk hold aloof, for
those who indulge in it will proceed from bad to worse in impiety, (WEY NIV)....
Resources
What is irreligion? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does the Bible mean when it says, “The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God'”? | GotQuestions.orgHow can I overcome the fact that I am struggling with faith? | GotQuestions.orgIrreligious: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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