Has the Church/Religion turned people away from having an relationship with God?

Question

Has the routine of Church/Religion driven away peoples drive to get to know their only duty to God?

I heard someone say when religion meets crisis, religion we fail everytime. Only relationship with God can conquer all -- (this quote is from Frontline.to -- teaching Pastor Todd Philips)

Answer 1

I can't speak on the behalf of Christians because I am not a Christian, but I can speak on the behalf of Judaism.
The concept of the very first synagogue was developed during the Babylonian exile for Jews wanted to have a place to pray and to follow the Torah as a community like they did in Israel. This is why no where in the Torah (Bible) you will see go to synagogue and pray or you will be killed where you stand.
By the Jewish faith if you are an Orthodox Jew you go to synagogue to study, warship and make up a minyan that is crucial for Torah reading and for other beneficial prayers, to have a sense of community, to find yourself a bride or whatever. There were several times that I did not go to synagogue because I was in a place that if I would have walked it would have taken me 4 hours just to get there. However, I prayed at home. You are not allowed to break the Sabbath just to go to synagogue. Thus, all Jewish mothers educate their children from when they are little in the ways of the prayer and the Torah. When they get older the father takes over and then ultimately the schools. This allows for observant Jews to have deeper meaning with God.
A. Because you study the word
B. Because you yourself analyze the word based on our sages and you gain a better appreciation of the topic
C. If there are no synagogues in the area it allows you to meditate at home.
D. When the non-Jew made laws that forbade the Jews from practicing their faith. We could do it because we had the knowledge.
E. Synagogue is hence in a simpler words a community center that does offer prayer for those in need and when he/she needs it. After all, if you already have enough people why not pray.

And when religion meets crisis religion endures and comes through. Our faith in the Torah that God has provided is what kept us Jewish and if you know anything about history you will find out that we had one crisis after another. Yet, we survived and in doing so we even help our enemies when they need our help. Most Turkish people hate Israel (the Government is pro-Israel to a certain extent, but the radicals which do make up a huge % of the population hates the Jews and Israel) yet when the earthquake struck Turkey Israel was there offering humanitarian help. When Milosovich tried to kill ethnic Albanian Muslim. The Jewish Country of Israel offered 100 families a place in Israel. Even though they were Muslim. So, I do not know how religion fails when it succeeds.
There is only one thing that you need to know about religion and it does not matter who you are and this is this: without bread there is no Torah and without Torah there is no bread.
This simply means if you rely only on God and not do anything to help yourself then you will die and others will blame God and religion.
If you however, believe in God and help yourself through study and hard work, then you will succeed because God will push you on.
I will conclude with this there is this story that our rabbis tell us about a guy whose neighborhood was being flooded. When the water reached his door step his neighbors came up and said lets go Haim. Haim answered them, "I will stay and God will help me." When the waters reached his window concerned citizens came on a boat and told Haim lets go. He said, "I will stay and God will help me." When the water reached his roof, a person came in a helicopter and said, "Haim you need to get out while there is still time" He said, "God will help me." Needless to say he died. He goes to heaven and sees God. He asked him, "Lord, all of my life I have studied the Torah, I was an observant Jew, prayed three times a day and gave charity. All of my life I have done everything that you commanded us Jews to do. Why did you not help me?"
God then told him, " I send help your way three times why did you not take it?"
As you see there are always miracles that God provides to all through religion. By studying this story you know God and have understanding of god. Because knowing God without knowing your religion is as same thing as having fish without an aquarium. One cannot exist without the other. Hence, same goes with our faith without our sages teaching us about God then how would we know the miracles that God provides and that there is a God.
This is something for you to think about. For a person without his religion he truly is like a fish without an aquarium.


I hope that this answers your question.

Answer 2

Jesus is not and HAS NEVER BEEN GOD. Jesus was merely a messenger, therefore worshipping Jesus is a very foolish move.
This is what ive learned on my spiritual journey:
Jesus wouldn't:
1. Start a religion.
2. Build a church building.
3. Condemn or attack people.
4. Fill people with fear to gain followers.
5. Teach an eternal hell.
6. Call the Bible God's word.
7. Make people wait for heaven, someday.
8. Fill people with guilt & shame to gain followers.
9. Ask or want to be worshipped.
10. Teach that people "have to do something" to be "saved."
11. Teach that God is vengeful and full of wrath.
12. Love people conditionally.
13. Teach that some people will be lost eternally.


Im a Pagan because God wants me to be, who are you to question the wisdom of the Gods and Goddesses?

After all, if christians are wrong, they have the billions of Gods and Goddessess that I acknowledge to answer to *grins*

Answer 3

How present their Religion is what usually turns people away. If a person is all about Hell and Brimstone and Eternal Punishment, people will turn away. Think about it this way... if someone told you all the time that you are "no good at all". Sooner or later you're going to feel guilty... or depressed... No one wants to hear that kind of thing all the time. It's not good to attack people's emotions, especially when they are vulnerable. But that seems to be when Religion jumps in... when a person is emotionally vulnerable... and the followers of that Religion (not all mind you) attack that person till their emotional state is almost completely shattered. Then, after attacking the person, they put their arm around their shoulders and talk about how everything is going to be alright, they just need to listen to them. It's a piss poor tactic that people love to use against others.

Answer 4

yes and no. i think it depends on the individual person. For me, I dont believe in structured religion, i think its a bunch of b.s., but i am still spirtual and doesnt keep me from having a relationship with God. My ex on the other hand, thinks that church is the only way to have a relationship, so whatever.

Answer 5

Realizing that Church and religion are nothing more than a routine is the key to true spiritual awakening.

Answer 6

No...I would say that the hypocritical leaders of the religions have caused some of the flock to fall away. Causing some, like myself, to educate themselves to the point where we can no longer be faithfully blind and ignorant.

I use "leaders" as a sweeping generalization of all faiths...as all have corruption of some sort. Though I do accept that not all religious leaders are corrupt. The problem is, once one educates themselves on spirituality it is hard to believe even leaders who do what they preach.

Answer 7

one has to be careful with aligning with a church. many these days have left their first love-Jesus Christ and the spreading of the Gospel. Unfortunately there appears to be little truth in the sermons, little wisdom and understanding....watch for the true Bride to come out (leave) from the general church scene..

Answer 8

Church has turned me and others away from church not because of God but because of the church's perpetual " Hollier Than Thou" attitude and political propaganda bickering but not all Christians behave this way.
There are Christians who are nice people and they do live and let live.

Answer 9

Yes.

Church as we know it today is false.

The real church was all about relationships. Relationships with Jesus and with people. It was about a personal relationship with God the Father.

It was not about hymnals, pews, pulpits, suits and ties, tithe, and deacon boards, and trustees.

That is false doctrine. It makes christianity something you do on Sunday mornings.

Answer 10

I think so. I mean everyone has an opinion and like *** holes they all stink. It isn't a fun thing to do, it isn't something you can live with in a mainstream lifestyle and it is killing people.

Being religious doesn't make you a better person.