Blake Bowden
Founder
What do you think the world would look like without "organized" Religion?
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Organized Religion
- Thread starter Blake Bowden
- Start date
*Moved this to own thread*
Errr, as much as I am against organized religion, I do think that it curbs the chaos that would be created if some people didn't have the institutionalized fear of hell. I believe that we are still years away from the masses being able to think about religion/spirituality on their own. It would be like removing laws and the police force, and expecting crime to "not happen."
Organized religion = Control
No organized religion = No control (chaos)
That is a wild question, though, since it a concept unknown to this world since time began on earth.
Errr, as much as I am against organized religion, I do think that it curbs the chaos that would be created if some people didn't have the institutionalized fear of hell. I believe that we are still years away from the masses being able to think about religion/spirituality on their own. It would be like removing laws and the police force, and expecting crime to "not happen."
Organized religion = Control
No organized religion = No control (chaos)
That is a wild question, though, since it a concept unknown to this world since time began on earth.
A7V
Registered User
I am honestly torn on this issue. I can't even put my thoughts into words really. I have typed out two replies and erased both of them.
In my heart I love organized religion, if I was not married I would have sought a vocation as a monk. I am still trying to decide if my vocation is the priesthood.
The other side of this coin for me is in my studies seeing how the Roman Catholics have basically warped and twisted everything, makes me scared of organized religion, at least on the grand scale that the Roman Catholics have.
In my heart I love organized religion, if I was not married I would have sought a vocation as a monk. I am still trying to decide if my vocation is the priesthood.
The other side of this coin for me is in my studies seeing how the Roman Catholics have basically warped and twisted everything, makes me scared of organized religion, at least on the grand scale that the Roman Catholics have.
yea, i'm not a huge fan of organized religion, but i'll definitely claim cafeteria catholic.
it is a nice way to organize your practice. you definitely shouldn't be disorganized about it... it's hard to grow spiritually when everything is disjointed. but then, because it's a general presentation, you have to turn it into your own, imo.
it is a nice way to organize your practice. you definitely shouldn't be disorganized about it... it's hard to grow spiritually when everything is disjointed. but then, because it's a general presentation, you have to turn it into your own, imo.
Sirius
Registered User
It's interesting that there were so many divergent ideas when christian theology was specifically discussed. However, when the topic turns to just 'organized religion' most are against it, at least in principle.
But it does beg the question, is your organized religion OK? Or does the concept have it's draw backs no matter the religion?
But it does beg the question, is your organized religion OK? Or does the concept have it's draw backs no matter the religion?
A7V
Registered User
No, my organized religion is not okay. I am an Episcopalian and the Episcopal Church is a member of the larger Anglican Communion of other churches around the world. The goal is to be in "communion" with the see of Canterbury. Well, we almost got kicked out a few years ago when a Bishop consecrated a homosexual priest as a Bishop. Unlike the Catholics, a Bishop can almost do what he wants in his episcopate. This caused and uproar around the world, especially with the Nigerian Anglicans who are ultra-conservative. The Archbishop of Canterbury asked that we no longer ordain openly homosexual priests and bishops, and we went along with it for years. Last month, the Episcopal Church decided to piss on everyone that wasn't a flaming liberal and allow homosexual priests and bishops which basically puts the whole Church in the USA in jeopardy of being out of communion.
That is why a lot of churchs broke off and now elect to fall under a special mission of the Bishop of Nigeria. They are not part of the Episcopal Church, and are not in communion with Canterbury. This may change though, since the Episcopal Church decided to act like jackasses, the Archbishop says that he can now see two roads in America emerging and may have to recognize both! This is great news, it would be akin to the liberal Episcopal Church and the conservative Anglican Church in America.
The Episcopal Church started going down this slippery path long ago and had a chance to save itself and chose not to. It endorses same-sex marriage, and it is also moving toward a universalist eschatology, it now appoints openly homosexual bishops and priests.
So no my organized religion is not okay. It has become heretical. I have left my church that is in "communion" and visited an Anglican church last week for the first time.
I can not be part of an organized religion that does not see a problem having openly homosexual i.e. living openly in sin, without repentance, priests and bishops leading the flock. The Church has refused to call them to repentence and the church refuses to repent itself, so it is in the words of the great theologian J. I. Packer (who was fired by the Anglican Church in Canada) "heretical".
Blake Bowden
Founder
Good info.
HKTidwell
Premium Member
Wrong is wrong no matter what, only a hypocrite sees wrong in others and not self. While the "Christians Churches" have their share of hypocrites they by no means have the market cornered on hypocrisy. From here on out I stick to the term Organized Religion to reflect organized religions as a whole and not limited to Christianity.
Organized religion can have good and bad points.
Good points:
Can keep all organizations in step with key portions of their messages. Present a common message across many fronts. Increased funds to do more good in specific areas.
Different organized religions have different methods of putting laws in affect. ie sometimes a single person makes the decree while other groups may vote on issues and believe in a democracy for interrupting biblical points(seems redundant to me, thought the bible answered most the question).
Bad Points
While similar to the good points these in my opinion out weigh any good. I believe that our path to salvation is a personal journey and religion is something that we must experience and personally look into. With Organized Religion people do not research and garner information as much as they should. People tend to strictly wait for a handout to understand. This is not the standard but is the typical. Each person in a organized religion is dependent upon the next layer of the organization.
Just my opinions.
Organized religion can have good and bad points.
Good points:
Can keep all organizations in step with key portions of their messages. Present a common message across many fronts. Increased funds to do more good in specific areas.
Different organized religions have different methods of putting laws in affect. ie sometimes a single person makes the decree while other groups may vote on issues and believe in a democracy for interrupting biblical points(seems redundant to me, thought the bible answered most the question).
Bad Points
While similar to the good points these in my opinion out weigh any good. I believe that our path to salvation is a personal journey and religion is something that we must experience and personally look into. With Organized Religion people do not research and garner information as much as they should. People tend to strictly wait for a handout to understand. This is not the standard but is the typical. Each person in a organized religion is dependent upon the next layer of the organization.
Just my opinions.
for me, if you want to call them athiests, agnostics, whatever... there are generally 3 types of people
1. those who love god
2. those who hate organized religion
3. those who hate the people involved in organized religion
the worst to witness to are #3, because they've been violated by someone involved, generally.
every man feels a pull towards organized religion whether they want to admit to or not. the proof is that we have a billion dollar industry that is called "organized religion." everyone wants to be closer to a creator... they just aren't willing to admit to it.
call me pants-on-head retarded or arrogant or whatever you want, but it wouldn't be as successful if it was if it wasn't true.
the problem comes from within organized religion itself. even though it's necessary to organize one's thoughts and beliefs towards a creator, the people that get involved don't always have the best of intentions. and even if they did, "the road to hell is paved with... the best of intentions."
it's really tough here, because without it, we'd have anarchy. every man would believe what he wanted and it would be entirely too difficult to work towards a better understanding, and with it, we create #2 and #3.
of course, this post isn't entirely inclusive or correct, by any means, because i'm not the best at organizing my thoughts, so i'm sure there will be dissidence and corrections, but oh well.
1. those who love god
2. those who hate organized religion
3. those who hate the people involved in organized religion
the worst to witness to are #3, because they've been violated by someone involved, generally.
every man feels a pull towards organized religion whether they want to admit to or not. the proof is that we have a billion dollar industry that is called "organized religion." everyone wants to be closer to a creator... they just aren't willing to admit to it.
call me pants-on-head retarded or arrogant or whatever you want, but it wouldn't be as successful if it was if it wasn't true.
the problem comes from within organized religion itself. even though it's necessary to organize one's thoughts and beliefs towards a creator, the people that get involved don't always have the best of intentions. and even if they did, "the road to hell is paved with... the best of intentions."
it's really tough here, because without it, we'd have anarchy. every man would believe what he wanted and it would be entirely too difficult to work towards a better understanding, and with it, we create #2 and #3.
of course, this post isn't entirely inclusive or correct, by any means, because i'm not the best at organizing my thoughts, so i'm sure there will be dissidence and corrections, but oh well.
absolutely. what i'm saying is, the necessity for religion is that they are trying to help millions to god, not just one.
if it were all one-on-one, we'd never need religion, imo.
i came to the catholic faith because i was tired of struggling to maintain a spiritual relationship without some guidance. doing it on your own can be too much.
as much as my priest would not like, i pick and choose what i like from the religion as I please, though, openly shunning some parts of it and accepting it. the only reason i picked catholic was that it had the highest percentage in line with what i believed.
I do. Religion to me is following another man's definition of God, and travelling another's path to get back to God. To me, religion seems to be the lazy way to our spiritual end, since it rids the individual of his responsibility discover Deity on his own.
At one time or another, we can all benefit from organized religion. The thing that gets to me is when somebody gets int to the pulpit and sentences me to hell when he doesn't know what he is talking about.