Being a Christian vs. Being Religious

A quote collected by Dana Derosier from the book Circle of Seven, by Clay Jacobsen:

There is a big difference in being religious and being a Christian. Being religious is following a system of Do's and Don'ts. The Do's- go to church, read the bible, help others, pray. The Don'ts- don't drink, don't smoke, don't kill people. The trouble with religion is that it traps people into a flash sense of security that if they follow the rules, then they will somehow be acceptable to God. Christians believe that no matter what you do or how perfect you are- you still aren't good enough to be accepted by God. With other religions you have to achieve some level of perfection within yourself by adhering to their guidelines. With Christianity it's all about Grace. It's not about what you can do- it's about what Jesus did. Being a Christian is not a boring set of rules or following a fun killing religion. Being a Christian is an exciting daily walk doing our best to follow what we see out God doing.