What is your biggest gripe about organized religion?

Question

Many people profess to believe in God, or something bigger than themselves that runs the universe, but they are unwilling to explore or expand their faith by attending or even searching for a church. In my youth I had my own issues with organized religion and have since made peace but I am curious as to how others feel about it all?

Answer 1

Greed and corruption.

Answer 2

I would have to say the biggest gripe of organized religion is that every time someone has a different view they choose to split off and form another branch of Christianity.
This action breeds contention between believers. Each time you get a split the faith and the word get rehashed and watered down. I do believe reform was necessary at times. If we don't take a hard look at what we believe from time to time we will loose some of the doctrines that make our faith what it is.
We must remind ourselves why we believe what we do. Some things we keep up front in the faith others we slide to the back and soon take for granted.

Answer 3

Generally the larger a religion is, the less likely they are to change when they see they have been wrong. After all, if a religion discovers the Sabbath, for example, they will not ordinarily announce such a thing to the congregation, knowing that 90 percent of the people will react in a negative way and 90 percent of their income will go out the window.

Answer 4

My biggest gripe with organized religion is that it's hardly organized. Most if not all of them refuse to use information technology and business (gasp!) techniques that make the corporate world extremely profitable, and the same would apply to ministry, but they cannot see the trees for the forest. Frustrates me to no end, church leadership just does not realize its similarity to business practices and would rather pray for revival than use the tools all around them that could make it happen. That's probably not the answer you expected, but outreach boosted by modern practices could help the searchers find what they're looking for.

Answer 5

People in the church can be so stuck on themselves and their social group. To many people thats what church is; Its a social club. Rudness and arrogance have been common in churches ive went to. These types of things have bugged me. Of course there are nice people too. But in my experience some of the negative characteristics have come up alot more when interacting with people at church than those outside of church. it confuses me.

Answer 6

inspect the Christian Bible as a selection of information appropriate to the relationship between guy and God. that's what some human beings believed on the time; it replaced into not intentionally written as an handbook for human beings of our time. What you could nicely be conscious is that the recent testomony seems to make extra experience than the previous. And Jesus informed human beings to attempt all the previous regulations against only 2: love God, and love your neighbor. you could agree or disagree with the content textile, however the textile itself is extra comprehensible. even even with the indisputable fact that there is a final financial ruin - and end element- to written scripture, there isn't any such termination of our thinking and information. We proceed to evaluate the meaning of existence, God and faith based on the situations and this type of thinking triumphing in OUR time. desire that helps. EDIT: in step with asker's kind remark. the reality is that, no remember what our non secular association all of us might desire to come to a determination for ourselves what rather suits our very own information, our very own theory of what "is clever." because of the fact all human beings is unique, no 2 will provide the real comparable intending to any non secular theory or coaching. it is by no potential constrained to faith - it applies to each thing for which a decision might exist; no 2 Republicans will think of alike on political concerns, no 2 cooks will prepare the comparable dish interior the comparable way, etc. And the ameliorations exist because of the fact we are all diverse to some diploma. having pronounced that, for countless reasons we would locate ourselves affiliated with communities, inclusive of non secular denominations which do exactly not look like the ultimate extra wholesome. if so, we would come to a determination to evolve to the reality, and make despite adjustments are maximum desirable to our ideals and temperaments. in all probability why we are possessed of "unfastened will."

Answer 7

If one follows the actual religion instead of just picking and choosing what one likes, then one learns that the teachings of most religions encourage intolerance, hatred, and misogyny. If one misses organized religion, may I suggest Unitarian Universalism. They are organized, but not zealots.

Answer 8

Jesus said to the scribes and pharisee's, you hypocrites, you will not enter in yourselves and you stand in the doorway and will not let those enter who would do so. I find this is true today. the church powers that be give their Flocks just enough truth to keep them enslaved, living in what they believe is a permanent state of Sin. Sheep are so gentle, one can fleece them and eat them at will. I believe they do this in ignorance, not knowing the esoteric teachings of jesus. The power to baptize in spirit has been lost, only the pure in heart who listen to God within their own hearts find the way. A true teacher of God introduces you to God, setting you free, Know the truth and the truth itself will set you free. "God dwells within you as you."

Answer 9

My biggest gripe about organized religion would be...

That everyone thinks they have the right to judge you. They think they are better than you. They nose into your life. And if your doing one thing they don't agree with your condemned to hell.

Answer 10

They make tons of money and spend it on jewelry rather than donating it to the needy. I once saw some people taking donations and I was about to put some money in there, thinking it was for the homeless or for a hospital or something, and then I asked what it was for. They said it was to spread the gospel, to send their missionaries overseas to share the news of Christ. I kept my money.

Answer 11

Religion seperates many people from Christ. Even Jesus talked about that in the Bible. If people get so hung up on religion they forget about God. That would be my gripe.