I don't do RELIGION! I don't believe in ORGANIZED RELIGION!

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I’ve encountered a few individuals, mostly of the non-denominational denomination that have stated the above quotes. How can I respond to those statements? What would be the best approach?

For the “I don’t believe in organized religion” statement I am tempted to respond “…so, I take it you believe in dis-organized religion?”

Thanks in advance for your comments.

God Bless…
 
Then how did the learn about God?

Either they made Him up or God revealed Himself personally to them.

Now do they feel the same way about knowledge and education? I don’t need school, I don’t need to cite my references, I don’t need to follow up on the facts, scientific method what?

As a Catholic, I didn’t make this up and God never revealed Himself personally to me. I learned through the Traditions and Scholars of the Church. The same way I learn everything else, I learn from people who were taught by someone else, who taught them.
 
These kinds of statements are right up there with, “I’m not religious but I’m very spiritual.” The correct response would do the person no good (i.e.: I hope you outgrow that.) But perhaps something less cyinical would just open the door a crack. How about: “A lot of people feel that way until they have a reason to explore the matter in depth.”
 
Ah, personal anarchy–the highest “Freedom” to so many. . .

I don’t have to do anything, listen to anyone, follow any rules. I, and I alone, “choose” what I will “allow” of God into MY life. I am “spiritual”, “tolerant”, “find many paths to God”, am “non-judgmental”. I “pick and choose” from what “I” like about religion, and make it “personal to me”.

am God, and God is, not me, but created by me. He’s there to blame if things go wrong for me, to “listen” when I’m having a bad day and, of course, to “back up” everything I wish to do or say with GOOD FEELINGS. Sure, I consulted my “conscience” and IT told me to “do what feels RIGHT”. Oh, every now and then I’ll be “aware” of God–when I look at something beautiful, say, and then I’ll pat myself on the back because I didn’t need to “find God” in some stuffy church full of hypocrites. Oh no. I found Him ALL BY MYSELF. I don’t need anybody or anything. And I CERTAINLY don’t need to believe those musty old “legends” and “fairy tales” about Him. He was a great moral teacher. Yep, people should be “doing unto me” and everything will be ok.

<<<>>>
 
I believe the best answer to give your friends is to tell them that the church IS an organization. Because there are bishops, teachers, lay people and guides to assist us in our worship. Also a church must stand for something or it stands for nothing. If I attend a church down the street, I certainly want to know what their beliefs are. Because what you believe is what you are. If you want to attend a church that has no name and no definite statement of belief, then you will soon find yourself groping in the dark for Christian identity. Being a Christian is much more than simply believing in Jesus, it also is following the teachings Christ laid down and given through his apostles.
Ron from Ohio
 
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rarndt01:
I believe the best answer to give your friends is to tell them that the church IS an organization. Because there are bishops, teachers, lay people and guides to assist us in our worship. Also a church must stand for something or it stands for nothing. If I attend a church down the street, I certainly want to know what their beliefs are. Because what you believe is what you are. If you want to attend a church that has no name and no definite statement of belief, then you will soon find yourself groping in the dark for Christian identity. Being a Christian is much more than simply believing in Jesus, it also is following the teachings Christ laid down and given through his apostles.

Ron from Ohio
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Kudos.
 
Now, for the REAL answer to those who “don’t do religion.”

“It sure does seem as if there’s a lot going wrong in today, doesn’t it?” Then, when they start in with all the scandals etc.

“Yes, Jesus faced a lot of difficulty Himself. He associated with sinful people. He lost one of His original 12 apostles, who betrayed Him. He, though sinless, died for all of us–even those in organized religion today.”

"Of course, organized religion HAS had some very good effects both on people and on societies. (Here’s where we give examples of people like Mother Teresa and her influence on hundreds of millions of people).

Then, I usually like to recommend reading something by C. S. Lewis, like “Mere Christianity”. It’s quick, it’s eminently readable, it has the virtue of not “espousing” a particular Christian denomination, and it brings up a lot of the UNITY aspect of Christianity in a positive way.

Once the person has read something, then you have something tangible to discuss, that you have both read, that doesn’t have “red flags”, that you don’t have to explain, “well, there’s MY point of view, the Episcopal point of view, the Orthodox point of view” etc.

And don’t forget lots of prayers!
 
It’s simple - If Jesus founded and organized Catholicism and you don’t believe in organized religion then you don’t believe Him.
 
Do these non-denominational religions use the Bible? Then they have the Catholic Church to thank for writing it.

I’d be curious to find out exactly what about “religion” they don’t like. There is a lot about “religion” that I don’t like, so I might find some points of agreement. I have come to the conclusion, though, that whether I like it or not, without the religion and the apparent phoniness that often accompanies it, the stubborn bureacracy, the faithful who will fight for the Church, and all the other trappings, Christianity probably would have been effectively squashed centuries ago.

Alan
 
I guess it all comes down to what is meant by “organized religion.”

On one hand you can say that God is not chaos - God is perfect in form and intent therefore he is by definition the ultimate example of organization. We also know that God’s house has many rooms, which also hints at organization in heaven. The angels are spoken of in titles such as Cerebrum in the bible which also hints at a kind of organization.

Unfortunately, this simple answer is probably not what they are referring to… They are most likely referring to a kind of monarchal arrangement of priests, bishops, synods, and the like. This is what they are not ‘in to.’

I think this all stems from a want to be autonomous and the human nature of always being skeptical of the ‘MAN.’ Being a protestant I do not have a problem with people wanting to have their own independent Church. I do however get upset when such Churches spend more time on trying to remain unique and autonomous to the point that they discard, neglect, and shun some very important Christian practices and beliefs.
 
Anybody who thinks the Church is “organized” hasn’t spent much time in it! 😃
 
Anyone who doesn’t like “oganized religion” isn’t familiar with scripture. Religion has been organized even since God set the Levites apart from the other 12 tribes.

So, if these “non-oganized” people claim to be Christian ask them about the Levites.

They will probably reply that was only for Old Testament times, and that Jesus came to do away with all that.

In which case two passages spring to my mind, and they probably work well togther. Matthew 23:2-3 indicates that Jesus believed in in an earthly religious authority, while the Catholic favorite of Matthew 16:18-19 indicates that Jesus was establishing a new earthly religious authority.

The key word is authority. Most of the “I’m against organized religion” folks are really opposed to an external earthly authority. It’s not the organization they dislike, it’s the authority that the organization claims to have that they dislike.

That’s how I see it, at least.
 
My advice is this:

(1) Work with people who want to be worked with.

(2) Ask God to work with the people who aren’t ready

(3) If possible, try to open some door for God to do His work in somebody’s heart.
  • Will they receive a blessing from a Priest?
  • Will they bless themselves with Holy Water?
  • Will they listen as you read a scripture verse to them?
  • Or if you give them a tape (for example, John Michael Talbot), will they listen to it?
If so, that is a start.

(4) Don’t spend time or argue with people who are not ready.
God must work on them first. We can’t do God’s work for Him.
 
My husband and I have a very good friend who attends a non-denominational church. He is a good Christian. We recently asked him if he would like to attend the Fr. Corapi conference with us and he accepted. He is now praying the rosary!!! We knew that he would really respond to someone like Fr. Corapi because of the way he preaches. Sometimes, you just have to get to know someone and what they will accept. This person has been our friend for a few years now, and we only recently have begun to share more of our religion with him. We established a relationship of mutual respect first. Then we started doing more. I guess my advice would be to get to know these people a little better first, and find out what most motivates them. Then you can start from there. Also, don’t forget about the power of setting a good example. People are more likely to listen to what you have to say if you are living your faith and acting accordingly! God Bless and Good Luck! 👍
P.S. The above poster has very good points. Just thought I’d acknowledge that!
 
For those who don’t believe in organized religion and prefer to follow the example of the early church, which they believe was a loose association of believers, I would point them to Acts 15, in which the first council of believers met to discuss the conversion of the Gentiles. This chapter clearly shows the early church was organized and hierarchical, with Peter making his pronouncement and everyone immediately obeying his command.

God bless!

Eric
 
I would respond by telling them that God is not anti-religion, so why is he?

James 1:27 (KJV) “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world.”

The word “religion” in James 1:27 is translated from the Greek word “threskeia”, which means …“religious worship, esp. external, that which consists of ceremonies; religious discipline, religion” (Blue Letter Bible. "Dictionary and Word Search for 'threskeia (Strong’s 2356) ’ " . Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2002. 28 Sep 2004. http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/words.pl?word=2356&page=1)
 
Suggest that just as the enemies of God believe in organized crime, the friends of God should believe in organized religion.
 
Thank you all for your comments. I just didn’t know what would be the best way to respond. For now, I’ll continue to be a good listener and dialogue when I think she’s open for some truth. She’s very hostile to anything catholic and holds back no criticism of our faith. She hates catholicism with a passion.

By the way, I just happened to be reading America’s Bishop, The Life and Times of Fulton J. Sheen by Thomas C. Reeves and came across the following quotes in the book (Chapter 6, pg 184):

“You can love the lovable without being religious; you can respect those who respect you without religion; you can pay debts without being religious, but you cannot love those who hate you without being religious; you cannot atone for your guilty conscience without being religious”

"The modern man who is not living according to his conscience wants a religion without a Cross, a Christ without a Calvary, a Kingdom without Justice, and in his church a “soft dean who never mentions hell to ears polite.”

God Bless…
 
God Bless Bishop Fulton Sheen!! He most certainly had many gifts of the Holy Spirit. 👍
 
Ask them how they think God feels about religion, since He was very precise in how He established both Judaism and the Church.
 
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