Why do people not like Organised Religion?

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Any time the subject of the Church Hierarchy coming into conversation it is usually in a negative tone, and this is common. Why do people not like what is known as organised religion, what is the main reason, is it because of the scandals but even though all major institutions has had the same problem. Can someone explain it to me because even when I wasn’t religious I didn’t dislike or hate the Church, I just didn’t think of it.

I see it now more than ever and I cant get my head around it. Any reason?
 
Because people don’t want to change the way they live their lives.
 
One reason might be because people don’t like living up to what they consider someone else’s standards. If I can set the bar wherever I want to, I’m much more likely to consistently succeed. But if I let you set the bar, and the bar is challenging to meet, then perhaps I’m less able to think as highly of myself as I would like.

Another reason might be because folks have been scandalized by others who do follow a particular religion.

And yet another might be because they just don’t think a particular religion is true, either through ignorance or sincere reflection or what have you.
 
They are more worried about what people think of them than what God thinks of them.
 
A friend of mine, an atheist does not like organized religion for they all “grub for money.”
 
Some of the things that are often mentioned are:

the Institutionalization of something that should be personal and spiritual

hypocrisy, especially when it comes to money matters and (destructive) sexual behavior

power that corrupts
 
MaryT777 said:
A friend of mine, an atheist does not like organized religion for they all “grub for money.”
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And I’ve heard but not seen the actual statistic that the Catholic church is the largest provider of charitable services in the world.

I think another reason is that people outside church life often have a tendency to view people living life inside the Church or a church as hypocritical. Some of that may be due to exposure to what they consider religious hypocrisy in their childhood, or from not having any church experience in their childhood and hearing negative comments from their parents. I was very religious in my teenage years, but started to get the idea that I didn’t think most people who went to church were really interested in leading the sort of life that Jesus asked us to live or in following the example of the apostles. Eventually, after living in the moral cesspool of college life for a couple of years, I began to think, why should I bother with church, it looks like everybody else is having a lot more fun. Started drinking, etc. Took me a couple of decades to figure out that everyone, myself especially, wasn’t having as much fun as I thought. God is patient, and led me back to the Catholic church after about 25 years (eleven years ago now). I think a lot of my friends are still scratching their heads. I haven’t lost any yet that I know of, but, then again, we haven’t had serious talks about same-sex marriage, “transgender rights,” etc. I expect to be getting a lot fewer Christmas cards when/if that happens. That’s okay, though, I love my family and they tolerate me, and we are in agreement on the evil residing in those issues.
 
They believe in God the way they want to believe…not as some church tells them…they don’t believe you have to go to church to be a good Christian…they think the churches are full of hypocrites…all good excuses so they don’t have to actually make a commitment to live as God intends them to live…of course there may be some who have unfortunately been traumatized…ie…sexual abuse by clergy… who won’t have anything to do with religion…organized or not
 
Really the ones I run into want to live Genesis 3 (determine right and wrong according to their wishes) whether they realize it or not.
 
Today’s world has a fear of commitment. Organized religion is a commitment.

Plus, the “back pew mafia” doesn’t help (the “back pew mafia” are those busy body, judgmental, older women who are in every church, Catbolic and non, do nothing but complain and make people feel uncomfortable if you not part of their click)
 
Catholic_Nation said:
Any time the subject of the Church Hierarchy coming into conversation it is usually in a negative tone, and this is common. Why do people not like what is known as organised religion, what is the main reason, is it because of the scandals but even though all major institutions has had the same problem. Can someone explain it to me because even when I wasn’t religious I didn’t dislike or hate the Church, I just didn’t think of it.

I see it now more than ever and I cant get my head around it. Any reason?
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Because they don’t like the idea of having to submit to an authority and maybe admit that they may be wrong in some of their beliefs.
 
My sister in law just shared with me today a book she is reading called Jesus Hates Religion. The author defines religion as “forging ones’ own path to God”. The author was raised in Catholic schools, originally a Coptic Christian. I think people hate religion because they see it as man’s attempt to please God outside of grace. I also think people don’t want to submit their will to any rules (and religion is seen as a set of rules), but would rather be able to approach the Bible and read and apply it in any way they see fit.
 
Jennifer132 said:
My sister in law just shared with me today a book she is reading called Jesus Hates Religion. The author defines religion as “forging ones’ own path to God”. The author was raised in Catholic schools, originally a Coptic Christian. I think people hate religion because they see it as man’s attempt to please God outside of grace. I also think people don’t want to submit their will to any rules (and religion is seen as a set of rules), but would rather be able to approach the Bible and read and apply it in any way they see fit.
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Yes, it’s one of the ultimate outcomes of Protestantism. “All I need is my relationship with Jesus and my Bible. Nothing else.”

I’ve even seen Lutheran church advertise “hate organized religion, we do too”. 😦
 
Catholic_Nation said:
Any time the subject of the Church Hierarchy coming into conversation it is usually in a negative tone, and this is common. Why do people not like what is known as organised religion, what is the main reason, is it because of the scandals but even though all major institutions has had the same problem. Can someone explain it to me because even when I wasn’t religious I didn’t dislike or hate the Church, I just didn’t think of it.

I see it now more than ever and I cant get my head around it. Any reason?
Click to expand...
Scandals are a convenient excuse ,but the real reason is organized religion tends to point out things that are sinful.Humans are attached to those sins and we resent the things we enjoy being called sinful.
 
Because we hubristically think we can join on to God without the body He created, which is the Church?

ICXC NIKA
 
I agree that people do not want to change the way they live their lives. And I also feel that many do not like to answer to anyone or anything. (The Pope, the teachings of the Church, etc) They, the people who dislike organized religion, do not like accountability.
 
Piney_Woods said:
And I’ve heard but not seen the actual statistic that the Catholic church is the largest provider of charitable services in the world.

I think another reason is that people outside church life often have a tendency to view people living life inside the Church or a church as hypocritical. Some of that may be due to exposure to what they consider religious hypocrisy in their childhood, or from not having any church experience in their childhood and hearing negative comments from their parents. I was very religious in my teenage years, but started to get the idea that I didn’t think most people who went to church were really interested in leading the sort of life that Jesus asked us to live or in following the example of the apostles. Eventually, after living in the moral cesspool of college life for a couple of years, I began to think, why should I bother with church, it looks like everybody else is having a lot more fun. Started drinking, etc. Took me a couple of decades to figure out that everyone, myself especially, wasn’t having as much fun as I thought. God is patient, and led me back to the Catholic church after about 25 years (eleven years ago now). I think a lot of my friends are still scratching their heads. I haven’t lost any yet that I know of, but, then again, we haven’t had serious talks about same-sex marriage, “transgender rights,” etc. I expect to be getting a lot fewer Christmas cards when/if that happens. That’s okay, though, I love my family and they tolerate me, and we are in agreement on the evil residing in those issues.
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Was an inspiring post that is well written. My sister was raised Catholic and you hit the nail on the head regarding her issues with people in the Church being hypocritical or as you say not really following the examples of the apostles. I pray that she will find her way back someday as you have.

Yes, Catholic Charities I have also read does HUGE amounts of service in the World.
May God bless all who are involved in this in any way and all other charitable endeavors.

God Bless,

Mary
 
Unless the person is a complete and absolute individualistic anarchist, it seem hypocritical to reject organized religion. All other aspects of human life are “organized” in some way or another (from families to towns to countries to businesses to hospitals to sports, etc., etc., etc., etc.) Human beings are social animals–organization, which simply social order, is natural and good. Social disorder is not.
 
Possibly, each of these:
ComplineSanFran said:
the Institutionalization of something that should be personal and spiritual
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In other words, religion is between God and me; somebody doesn’t think they need other people’s involvement.
MaryT777 said:
A friend of mine, an atheist does not like organized religion for they all “grub for money.”
Click to expand...
Piney_Woods said:
I think another reason is that people outside church life often have a tendency to view people living life inside the Church or a church as hypocritical.
Click to expand...
Two similar reasons; based on the perception that some members of organized religion are bad people.

Or, some people who don’t go to church are good people. One of my cousins once said that my three other cousins are great people and not one of them goes to church. A variation of that is that God cares whether you’re a good person, not what you believe or whether you go to church.

And, my grandfather who did not go to church taught my father, “God isn’t just in a church, God is everywhere.”
 
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