In today's secular American society many don't want to talk religion, i.e. Biblical Christianity that is. "Religion" is typically the code word for true Christianity. Now if you talk about yoga, or you got involved in the latest New Age cult, etc. now that's a different story. Interest in false doctrines draws the attention of the crowds, or the wicked.
In Luke 14:16-24, Jesus told the Parable of the Great Banquet. It was about the excuses that people gave concerning invitations to a banquet--one man just bought some land. He wanted to check it out, roll around on it, or perhaps check out the view, I guess. Another bought some new oxen and perhaps felt he needed to plow a field, and still another had just gotten married.
All were lame excuses in light of the benefit offered. I would submit that all those invited had different priorities, foolish ones. They didn't "get it" as we might say today. the Parable shows the folly of choosing the temporal over the eternal.
Furthermore, the parable is a lesson showing the perils of making excuses about failing to follow God or to respond to His saving grace because ultimately the invitation will be revoked. In Luke 14:21 the invitation was then offered to "...the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame." And ultimately, in Luke 14:24 the parable ends, Jesus offered this judgment, "I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet."
I once had a discussion with an older Roman Catholic man who used a few of the common modern tricks or excuses of the day to avoid talking about the Bible, or at least to avoid using it as an authoritative resource in a discussion about religion.
The "tricks" he used were:
*I read a verse from the New International Version. He asked which version I was reading because he didn't like what he heard as I read from Matthew 10:34, which is the passage where Jesus says, "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." As I read the passage he asked skeptically and nervously, "What version is that?" For the record, the King James version, the New King James version, and the English standard Version would have likely prompted the same objection and nervousness. This objection or more aptly, "red herring" is used by some, typically among certain denominations, who either assert that only one version is inspired or acceptable, and others are not. However, in most situations, differences in Bible versions are minor, and not substantive to understanding a given passage. This objection can also be a cover for someone who doesn't know the Bible; a great way to shut off debate. Besides, having attended Catholic schools myself, I recall the religion teachers saying that difference in most versions are subtle.
*If an Old Testament verse is used as support, then the objection, "That's Old Testament" or "That's of the law; I'm under grace" is often raised. Now, if a "nice verse" like one in the Psalms or Proverbs or another "positive" Old Testament passage is read, then that "objection" seems not to be raised. Psalm 23:1, for example, "The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want" typically is viewed as harmless, at least among professing Christians. Again, this is typically used by someone who doesn't know the Bible, hasn't studied the Bible to realize that challenging passages can be reconciled, or who may not believe in the validlity, let alone infallibility of the Bible. The bottom line is, according to II Timothy 3:16 NIV, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for training in righteousness..."
*A final obection arose in my itneraction with this older man. It was "You can be a good person without the Bible." This is very deceptive. It is possible to be saved like the thief on the cross just before death. However, often the Bible is preached, which brings about such an immediate conversion. This argument illustrates the danger inherent in the "religious holiness" found in the Roman Catholic Church or other churches or religions that have a long history, beautiful buildings, and an "aura" of holiness. A form of godliness (II Timothy 3:5) or "holiness" can be mastered in such an environment. People like this man who claimed to go to Mass often, perhaps even daily, but asserted that it was possible to be good without the Bible are deceived indeed. Jesus warned the Pharisees of His day about similar behavior. Furthermore, if a person goes to any Mass then he would hear a reading from the Old Testament, a reading from the New Testament, a Psalm, and a Gospel reading. Indeed, the Mass commemorates the biblical account of Jesus' sacrifice recorded in the Bible. Sadly, many religious people may go to church their whole life without putting the Word into practice in their life as Jesus commanded in Matthew 7:24-25. Jesus is the Bible according to John 1:1 NKJV, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." It is impossible to separate the Bible from Jesus Christ, the Savior of all mankind. Furthermore, Jesus adds in John 8:31-32 NKJV, "If you abide in My word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth , and the truth shall make you free."
