It's the idea that if we go through the motions, go to church to check off a list, raise our hands because the person next to us is, let's sacrifice a lamb because that's what we're told. The prophets had a strong message about religious ritualism; God hates that. Amos spoke this message from God: “I hate and despise your feasts, and I will have no pleasure in your solemn assemblies. Yes, even if you offer me your burnt offerings and your meal offerings, I will not accept them; neither will I consider the peace offerings of your great beasts” (Amos 5:21,22). The Christian Messenger notes that “insincere worship—worship divorced from justice and righteousness—is vain” (3). and you can see it in Amos5:24. Religion without relationship is dead, that is why Christ came to die. According to Hindson and Yates, Jeremiah had this to say about religious ritualism: "'Jeremiah courageously announced that the Lord was prepared to destroy Jerusalem and its temple because the people had substituted meaningless ritual for true obedience" ( 4). This is why the prophets spoke so boldly in those days, because people were just gesturing. These messages from far away have a huge impact today