Church and Religion

A recent comment from a friend of mine on another blog entry, got me thinking about church and religion.
I am a Christian but I don't have religion or am I in bondage to a church. So many non-believers think that if you are a Christian you are in bondage to religion or church which is quite the contrary. They think you must follow  the set rules of a church or religion. Sadly, many so called christians do just that and then judge others who do not follow the "rules".  This pushes so many people away from anything to do with God because they think Christians are an uptight group of people. I am here to tell you that Christians are not bound to one church's rules. We are free in Christ.
To give you an example of what I mean, old church of God rules stated that you could not go to the movies, could not wear jewelry, woman could not wear pants or make-up and had to keep their hair long. There was no biblical basis for these rules. They were just rules of the church. Church of God has changed its rules and now allows all of the things I listed.
Here is the issue.  If you weren't a christian and some one told you that you had to follow those rules, how likely are you to say yes? Its a turn off. When I talk to people about Jesus and they ask me ohh if I accept him I have to give up this or that and have to start doing this rule or that, my answer is no you don't. All God ask of you is to believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ died for your sins and you will be saved.  All those rules that churches make up you don't have to worry about. After you accept Him, as long as you strive to follow Him daily, then everything else will fall into place.
I know the argument that many will say against what I  believe. They will say but the Bible says we are to be set apart and to be a peculiar people.  Yes, your right it does say that but what sets us apart is that fact that we have Jesus in our lives. Our peculiarity comes from within us. On the outside, I look like every other person in the world. Nothing on the outside is different but what I have on the inside is. How often have I been told by people that meet me that I seem different. I one time was told by a friend that there was something very different about me, that he could see it with his eyes but something inside of me was different and he wanted to know what it was.  The difference is Jesus. That difference on the inside is what will draw people to us and what helps us share Jesus with others.
So don't become enslaved to church rules or religion's rules. Set your self free! Don't take anything a person says as fact, pray and study to see if what they say lines up with the Word of God.