Thank you LS, yes that's what I meant. I realize now UC I worded that very carelessly - I know what I thinking, so it was very clear to me.
OK, clearly, I'm saying what she said, with an addition; "there are many wonderful people in churches, but I'm not so crazy about [MANY] church doctrines & systems".
I don't want to discourage anyone, or presume to tell anyone what to do. That's between each one and God. I do believe fellowship is good, and I believe He has us where He has us, until He's ready for us to be somewhere else. Then He'll let us know, and guide us toward making the decisions we need to make, and empower us to make them; as we learn of Him, trust, and obey.
However, I don't want my
personal feelings/sentiments to seem, at the
very least, unexplained or without reason. So I'll phrase it this way;
anti-
institutionalized religion sentiment from me is several-fold, but namely;
I believe history [and revelation] shows that the Christian faith ("first so called at Antioch") was very adversely affected by organized christianity beginning around 4-500 A.D., and has perpetuated much of the error we're currently sorting through and "working our way out of". There has been a concerted, organized effort - often based on politics, power struggles, money, and power - to distort the truth and control the masses. Much of the time it has worn a collar. However, I believe even most of protestantism has bought into deceit and confusion, and don't even know it. Most of the translations and many of the organized church beliefs perpetuate the Dark Ages hijacking of the Christian faith - the mistranslation of hell and its related concepts is just one glaring example. For instance, Jesus only used the phrase kolasis aonian - temporary correction/discipline. Yet how much teaching is there about hell, eternal torment, etc., based on Constantine's abuses, Dante's fables, and the "church" gobbling it up and pushing it forward all these years? Jesus' words about Gehenna, the Jewish religious leaders being judged and losing their place of privilege, etc., have become threats to the masses of an eternal torment in literal flames. I could go on and on, but I think I've at least given an example. The Reformation went part-way away from distortions of works and affiliation-based salvation, but has continued to flounder in the mire of official christendom, and millions are still affected.
So do I dislike much of organized, sanctioned, institutionalized religion? Yes. It's caused many problems in many peoples' lives - when the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World; whom the Son sets free is free indeed; take my yoke upon me and learn of me, my yoke is easy and my burden is light; there is one Mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ - will more than suffice.
So the thoughts I personally need to have are, love and live for the Savior, love and do good to the people, don't get caught up in the religion.
God bless.
Thought-provoking article;
http://www.tentmaker.org/Dew/Dew2/D2-CirceDaughterOfTheSun.html
