Why do people not like Organised Religion?

[mackbrislawn]

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?

The irony of it is that without organized religion, no one would believe in the Christian God at all. It was the organization of the Christian Church that assembled Scripture, sent out missionaries, kept the belief in Jesus alive. Without a strong hierarchy and authority, the nascent Jesus movement would have sunk into obscurity with the rest of the mystery cults of the Roman empire.

It was only because the early Christians were able to form an organization with recognized authority that Christianity was able to continue and thrive. Without the organized Church, we would all still be pagans.

 

[MaryT777]

The irony of it is that without organized religion, no one would believe in the Christian God at all. It was the organization of the Christian Church that assembled Scripture, sent out missionaries, kept the belief in Jesus alive. Without a strong hierarchy and authority, the nascent Jesus movement would have sunk into obscurity with the rest of the mystery cults of the Roman empire.

It was only because the early Christians were able to form an organization with recognized authority that Christianity was able to continue and thrive. Without the organized Church, we would all still be pagans.

Great point.

Mary.

 

[ComplineSanFran]

. Without the organized Church, we would all still be pagans.

Or Jews. Or Muslims.

 

[mikeeh]

Because people don’t want to change the way they live their lives.

FPBP

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?

Sneaux is right. People just want all of the pleasures of the world and none of the consequences. They want to be able to interpret religion themselves. Add to it the atheist movement that has grown in recent decades, and organized religion becomes an antediluvian institution that’s sole purpose is to keep people subjugated. They don’t realize how religion is liberating. It’s interesting how I’ve had conversations with far-left people who claim the more laws a society imposes to ensure universal equality the more freedom everyone is given, but somehow all the rules religion has created over thousands of years is bad for society.

 

[mackbrislawn]

Or Jews. Or Muslims.

You know, not Muslims Because without Christianity, Mohamed wouldn’t have known about Jesus either!

 

[ComplineSanFran]

You know, not Muslims Because without Christianity, Mohamed wouldn’t have known about Jesus either!

Sorry? If the Church never existed, Islam would still be alive and well. It springs from Judaism - and Abraham - not Jesus.

 

[mackbrislawn]

Sorry? If the Church never existed, Islam would still be alive and well. It springs from Judaism - and Abraham - not Jesus.

Islam springs from Christianity more directly than from Judaism. True, it is an Abrahamic religion as is Christianity but Islam accepts Jesus as a prophet, and reveres Mary. I’m sure without Christianity there wouldn’t be Islam either.

 

[phil19034]

Sorry? If the Church never existed, Islam would still be alive and well. It springs from Judaism - and Abraham - not Jesus.

There are some historians who believe that Islam was “inspired” by Christanity and an attempt to “fix Christanity’s errors.”

The argument is that Chrstinanity leads Muhammad to study Abraham and Ishmael (who died in Mecca) and believe that the monotheists in Arabia were the true spiritual decendents of Abraham.

But without Christianity, it’s doubtful that he would have studied to begin with (unless Islam is Divinely inspired, which we Christians deny).

God Bless

 

[jlhargus]

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?

There are probably several reasons. I would say the first being they want to have their own personal religion with themselves as pope. They prefer disorganized religion because that’s what they see with thousands of denominations.

 

[ComplineSanFran]

There are probably several reasons. I would say the first being they want to have their own personal religion with themselves as pope. They prefer disorganized religion because that’s what they see with thousands of denominations.

I would say that many people just don’t like institutions micromanaging things that are considered personal. One sees this preference also with politics and the distrust of the federal government.

And disorganized religion? I wouldn’t call it that. There are many religions throughout the world, from Hinduism to Shintoism to Christianity. Lots of choices, which is something we tend to like. At least those in the Seeker generation do. Others have different ways of finding faith.

Those who choose NOT to go with an organized tradition have strong reasons from my experience.

 

[auctoris]

Random thought here. You know how people say things like, “I’m spiritual, but not religious.” Would it be fair for atheists to say, “I’m religious, but not spiritual”?

I thought of this when I read a story about atheists holding Sunday services. That struck me as odd. They don’t believe in God, but they are scratching the “religious” itch. I would say that behavior is “religious but not spiritual”.

Of course we all know what “spiritual but not religious means”. It means, “I like all the happy, warm, fuzzy part of religion but I don’t like being held responsible for my actions.”

 

[xNoOnex]

It’s a little disheartening to see so many people dismiss folks views on organized religion as “just wanting to live their life they way they want”. Maybe for some people, that’s certainly true, but to actually dismiss someone’s conflict like that… Well, that’s part of the reason why people dismiss organized religion.

I left the church of over a decade. I’m not entire sure I’m back for good. But I never left because I wanted to just do what I wanted to do. I tried still living a “Catholic” life, even if I refused to step into a church. I didn’t always succeed, but I don’t think anyone can say they live a life free of sin.

What pushed me away was sex scandals. How could I trust an organization that was compliant with a horrible crime? That opened my eyes to look around me and I saw people more concerned with their presentation then their faith. I saw people gossip, judge other people, and people who lacked charity. In the supposed body of Christ, I saw the world, not God.

And most people I know? They have similar stories. When you dismiss the way they feel, you’re pretty much becoming part of the reason they dislike organized religion in the first place.

 

[Minion_w_a_drum]

My opinion is there is a segment of the population that believe that the catholic church is the one true church set up by Jesus. They also believe that the church, as it was set up by Jesus, is perfect. However, Jesus then handed over his church to mortal human beings on earth, and thus it is not run perfectly here on earth. And there is no way it can be because the people that are running it are humans. And thus, most complaints about organized religion are directly tied to the imperfections of the human element of religion and the church. Or such is my opinion…

 

[phil19034]

It’s a little disheartening to see so many people dismiss folks views on organized religion as “just wanting to live their life they way they want”. Maybe for some people, that’s certainly true, but to actually dismiss someone’s conflict like that… Well, that’s part of the reason why people dismiss organized religion.

I left the church of over a decade. I’m not entire sure I’m back for good. But I never left because I wanted to just do what I wanted to do. I tried still living a “Catholic” life, even if I refused to step into a church. I didn’t always succeed, but I don’t think anyone can say they live a life free of sin.

What pushed me away was sex scandals. How could I trust an organization that was compliant with a horrible crime? That opened my eyes to look around me and I saw people more concerned with their presentation then their faith. I saw people gossip, judge other people, and people who lacked charity. In the supposed body of Christ, I saw the world, not God.

And most people I know? They have similar stories. When you dismiss the way they feel, you’re pretty much becoming part of the reason they dislike organized religion in the first place.

Hello,
You have some valid points. However, please keep in mind that I don’t think any one was claiming that each individual has the same reasoning to dislike organized religion, but I do believe most people were on point regarding the general movement to disliking organized religion. The dislike of organized religion isn’t just targeted towards the Catholic Church, but to mainline Protestants.

The push towards “non-denominationalism” among evangelicals also fuels this too.

This systematic trend is because many people don’t want to be held to dogmas, doctrines, etc. Some people find this in a “non-denominational” group where the pastor believes the exact same things they do. Others who can’t find that perfect fit wide up become the Church of Me & Myself (aka they become their religion of one).

Culturally, this does all stem from Protestanism and the idea that we are totally free to make up our own minds and not subject to any human authority. Protestantism was basically archaism in the Church, it shouldn’t be surprising that the archaism they created is now hurting all Western Christians.

God Bless.

 

[phil19034]

It’s a little disheartening to see so many people dismiss folks views on organized religion as “just wanting to live their life they way they want”. Maybe for some people, that’s certainly true, but to actually dismiss someone’s conflict like that… Well, that’s part of the reason why people dismiss organized religion.

I left the church of over a decade. I’m not entire sure I’m back for good. But I never left because I wanted to just do what I wanted to do. I tried still living a “Catholic” life, even if I refused to step into a church. I didn’t always succeed, but I don’t think anyone can say they live a life free of sin.

What pushed me away was sex scandals. How could I trust an organization that was compliant with a horrible crime? That opened my eyes to look around me and I saw people more concerned with their presentation then their faith. I saw people gossip, judge other people, and people who lacked charity. In the supposed body of Christ, I saw the world, not God.

And most people I know? They have similar stories. When you dismiss the way they feel, you’re pretty much becoming part of the reason they dislike organized religion in the first place.

As far as the sex scandal is/was concerned - it was and is horrible. We all feel or felt scandalized by it.

However, we have to keep in mind that the Church has ALWAYS had corrupt priests and bishops. After all, Judas was an Apostle and chosen by Christ. The Church will always have Judases.

However, with that said, the OVERWELMING majority of priests and bishops are good, holy men.

And as far as Bishops covering it up, we have to remember their were also tons of laity covering it up too. This is because society back then viewed it as a mental disorder and didn’t treat it as a crime. They treated it as a mortal sin, but not a crime. So the priests who did this horrible thing were often treated with far more mercy by the Church than they deserved. And as wrong as we may view their actions, we have to remember that it was in keeping with what other organizations in society were doing at the time.

We have a tendency to view our priests as saints, but they are sinners like us and they make mistakes like us.

If you use the apostles as the sole example, 8% have no business being a priest (1 out of12) and 92% (11 out of 12) will suffer from lack of faith at one point or another. Plus, 100% of them were sinners

In conclusion, I pray that you will be able to see past the Judases and return to the Church. The Church is perfect, but the people who run it and who are part of it are not.

God Bless and I pray for your return home.

 

[StudentMI]

It’s a little disheartening to see so many people dismiss folks views on organized religion as “just wanting to live their life they way they want”. Maybe for some people, that’s certainly true, but to actually dismiss someone’s conflict like that… Well, that’s part of the reason why people dismiss organized religion.

Amen.

 

[auctoris]

What pushed me away was sex scandals. How could I trust an organization that was compliant with a horrible crime? That opened my eyes to look around me and I saw people more concerned with their presentation then their faith. I saw people gossip, judge other people, and people who lacked charity. In the supposed body of Christ, I saw the world, not God.

Welcome to the world of human beings. It is everywhere. Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist, Hindu. If a human being is involved, there will be imperfection. When people tell me they leave church because of all the hypocrites, I ask if hypocrites keep them out of their local gym or favorite restaurants. If humans are involved, there are hypocrites.

The problem comes from some expectation that God will make the church heaven on Earth and immediately make anyone involved with it a perfect person. Not going to happen. Did he make you a perfect person since you were in the church? Did you still struggle with sin and act inappropriately towards others? The church is a hospital and it is filled with sick people who need help. Not going because there are sinners behaving like sinners is like not going to a hospital because there are sick people in it.

I say all of this as a lifetime Protestant on my way to Catholicism in spite of the sex scandal. I have no expectation for the church or the people in it to be perfect. That is not reality and to my knowledge nowhere in scripture does it say that God will make his church heaven on earth and anyone in it an immediate saint.

You probably don’t like “judgmental” people in your church. Yet you are judging them and condemning them by your absence. Ever heard the saying about the speck and the plank.

I do not mean this to sound harsh, but I have come across it several times and it makes no sense to me. Also, if you have such a problem with the Catholic Church that you think it is irreversibly broken, why don’t you start going to Protestant churches? Some will say, “Well all organized religion is the same.” Exactly what I said, if humans are involved, they will be imperfect. Yet scripture tells us to not forsake gathering together. It tells us that the Church Jesus founded will not be overcome. It tells us we should be involved in the Church. And no where does it tell us to expect perfection out of humans or an organization that involves humans.

Okay, end of rant. Sorry if that sounded harsh, it was just frustration.

 

[fisherman_carl]

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.

Yes, I think for many ‘Bible alone’ Christians this is a main point. When I was younger what I heard was that religion is man trying to reach God, but that Christianity was God trying to reach man. This is all lumped in with the works righteousness thing. If you are following a religion and following a bunch of man made rules then you are trying trying to earn your salvation rather than putting your faith in Christ to receive your righteousness from him. While there is some truth in this we also need the Church and its spiritual gifts to help us on our journey. It’s not just me and Jesus alone. And if we need a church, which is the one that has the fullness of truth? The one that Jesus promised to lead into all truth. The one that is built on St. Peter and the other apostles. Of course there is more to it than this.

 

[fisherman_carl]

du. If a human being is involved, there will be imperfection. When people tell me they leave church because of all the hypocrites, I ask if hypocrites keep them out of their local gym or favorite restaurants. If humans are involved, there are hypocrites.

That is a good point. Although, if all of the people who ran your favourite restaurant were found to be child molestors you probably would no longer eat at that restaurant. And, if even only one of the employees were found to be a child molestor, but the owners covered it up, and kept the offender employed, then you would probably still not eat at that restaurant. So I could see why some people could be disillusioned if there is a cover up in the Church.

I think that really the question is not whether I can overlook that there are imperfect people in the Church, such that I can keep going. But, rather the real question is, is the Church merely an organization of men, or is it of divine origin? Because, if it is merely an organization of men then it is no different than any other organization of men. There is no reason for me to stick with such an organization. But, if it is an organization started by God and through which we can experience God then that is a sufficient reason for me to stick with it despite all the bad men who have tried to corrupt it throughout history.

If the restaurant was of divine origin and the food in it is heavenly food then that may be sufficient reason to keep going to the restaurant. If selfish and immoral owners have taken over the restaurant then we must get rid of those owners and substitute them with better men. Because the restaurant itself is worth saving despite the horrible deeds of those previous owners.

 

[Nyx]

There are many reasons for whom some people might dislike organised religion. For example, some people have personal reasons (as in bad experiences), others dislike it because they think it contradicts their beliefs or social outlook. Two of the more “general” reasons for disliking it would be:

1. The idea that organised religion restricts (to a certain degree that differs depending on the religious group) freethinking. A person who enters (or is born into) an organised religious group have to accept certain beliefs/ideas/morals and so on because this is what that group believes (and most often- because the leaders decide this is what the group should believe regarding a certain issue).
   Talking about this, many will point out there is a pretty important difference between an adult that joins an organised religion (assuming he/she joins because he/she knows and agrees with their beliefs) and someone born into an organised religious group where he/she will grow up being taught all these. But I think this is another subject.
2. The idea that an organised religious group, especially if they have a degree of influence/power in a community (just like an organization, system, movement, etc) tends to become interested at some point to want to preserve the status quo, either by being suspicious or rejecting changes. And in certain " extreme" situations, by refusing to accept any opposite idea that might disturb the status quo and that group’s influence in society.