Organized Religion

[greyphilosophy]

I've noticed a number of people talk about organized religion in a negitive way. It is my belief that the concept of organized religion is a very good thing, however I realize some particular religions have methods that could be considered bad.

What organized religion provides:
A way for people to learn about the religion
A way for people with a particular religion to practice the disciplines of that religion
A way for like-minded people to have fellowship

When people say they are against organized religion, what are they really against, religion, organization, both, or neither?

~Grey

[garthoverman]

Yesterday @ 10:05 PM post located here (http://www.theologyweb.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=148973#post148973)
greyphilosophy:

I've noticed a number of people talk about organized religion in a negitive way. It is my belief that the concept of organized religion is a very good thing, however I realize some particular religions have methods that could be considered bad.

What organized religion provides:
A way for people to learn about the religion
A way for people with a particular religion to practice the disciplines of that religion
A way for like-minded people to have fellowship

When people say they are against organized religion, what are they really against, religion, organization, both, or neither
I understand what you mean. I personally have a problem with the limitations that are inherent in the structures that result from organization. IOW, organization tells people too much what they CAN'T do, or what they MUST do. I refuse to be so confined.

Yours,
Garth

[mickiel]

For example; guns are not inherantly evil, its just an instrument, a tool, a gun is a gun. Its how they have been used that is causeing so much anger towards them. They have not been used just defensively, but more so the offensive use of them hurts people both directly involved and indirectly involved. It is simular with religon. Religon is not harmful in and of itself, it is simply mans effort to reach God. Mankind trying to understand God.

However, when men use this effort to hurt people, the offensive use of religon can devestate a people. Religon can be and has been a murderous tool in the hands of sick minded men. History bears this out. The catholic preist who molested thousands of young boys is a good American example of this hurt, a horrible abuse of religon. Hiltlers slaughter of millions of jews had religous overtones involved, he wanted a "pure race", and he invoked religon in many of his speeches. Gods chosen race, he called it. The examples are too many to list, but the deception religon has placed upon mankind far outweights the advantages in my view and studys. Religon has hurt far more people than it has helped.

However , one must ask; would the world be better off without it? In my view, yes. Religon is mans effort to reach God, that is fruitless if God cannot be found. In my studies of his word, he himself must find the man, we just have it backwards--- and history records the result of mans effort to reach God. Pure religon is Gods effort to reach man. Pure religon is defined in the bible as visiting widows in their affliction, or actually careing for those in need, and keeping ones self unspotted from the world. I have never met anyone who is unspotted, and i certainly am not myself. So i think true religon has yet to be established by God into a people, but the word shows it will be in some time ahead. God speed that day.

[Pereynol of Sheer Dread]

I think that congregations sometimes become mere organizations, devoid of love and appreciation of the individual people within them. The wheels of the organizational machine turn, no matter who is there to make them turn. Individual human beings can become expendable, interchangable parts that are replaced as the expediency arises. Such a scenario is nearly always regretable.

It is not the attribute of being organized that is bad; rather, mere organization becomes bad when all that's left is the shell of organization bereft of the substantial goodness that should also be there---"the form of godliness without the power."

[Bob Jenkins]

"What organized religion provides:
A way for people to learn about the religion
A way for people with a particular religion to practice the disciplines of that religion
A way for like-minded people to have fellowship"

All are laudable provisions.

Organized religion can be guilty of corrupting those aspects.

- Organized religion provides a power base for those who want to set standards of faith, command followers and personally profit.
- Organized religion casts a large net in society to bring others to their practise.
- Organized religion provides, through fellowship, the power of peer pressure.

As with all good things, there is an effort by some to pervert the goals.