James has more to say about the tongue later in the letter. Here he says that control of the tongue is a sure sign of true religion. If we cannot control our tongue then we are deceiving ourselves. He then contrasts this "false" religion with "true" religion. True religion shows itself by taking care of widows and orphans.
It is noteworthy that James uses the phrase "Religion that God our Father accepts.." There many people who talk a good game, but actually do very little. Talk may impress others, may even impress ourselves, and in our society there is great emphasis on appearances. God is impressed by actions.
Along with looking after the poor is keeping ourselves from being polluted by the world. It is very easy to infected or affected by the culture around us. We need to be on our guard against this.
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