Teaching How to Think vs Indoctrination

I get to teach a high school class at church this week. We are looking at the topic of apologetics.
Last week was an introduction to the topic. This week's lesson is How can I know there's a God?

The point of my lesson isn't to prove to them there is a God, nor is it to defend my beliefs. The point is to equip them to examine and defend their own beliefs -- even if they differ from mine!

Looking over the lesson this morning has me thinking about how my own thinking on Jesus has evolved over time. I am really beginning to value the freedom of slowly leaving religion behind and simply following Jesus. I'm not sure when or how I came to the realization that religion (not just Christianity) tends to seek control, but God wants to set us free.

In evangelicalism, we always talk about Jesus delivering us from sin and the punishment from sin. We tend to ignore that Jesus said he came to set the captives free, give hope to those in poverty and release the downtrodden from their oppressors. Jesus didn't come to burden us with religion. He came to set us free from religion!

I'm finding this following of Jesus to be both freeing and uncomfortable at the same time. The difficulty is in becoming less religious and being okay with that. The voices and religions of the past still speak to me. All of them are not traditional religions.
Voices like, "Be a man!" and "Proud to be an American" are also semi-religious voices that seek to control our thoughts and behaviors. In the Bible Paul writes that in Jesus there are no national boundaries, no economic divisions, no gender biases -- just simple followers of Jesus. Everyone is welcome and everyone is equal.

It is this present philosophy of religion and following Jesus that makes me want to be very careful as I teach and preach the way of Jesus -- especially to young people. As much as I want them to know what Jesus said two thousand years ago, I also want to equip them to figure out what that means for them in 2019.
I don't want them to follow John.
I want them to follow Jesus.

The Old Testament has 613 laws for the Jews to follow.
I have no idea how many laws today's religious Christians have to follow.
Jesus summarized the 613 laws into two -- Love God and love people.
Then he said, "Follow me."

I can live with these three.

John <><