Do we still need organized religion?

[Sunstone]

Only for the fact that an organized congregation is easier for the church to control. MAybe that was the point all along, for the various churches to be able to twist people to their will?

Ever since the first organized religion arose in Sumer thousands of years ago, the main purpose of organizing religion has been (and I think remains) to support and further the interests of a ruling class or would-be ruling class. I see no psychological or religious reason that religion needs to be organized -- but politically it is a powerful prop to whoever rules or wants to rule us.

 

[Muffled]

Do we still need organized religion? What does it do for us that we still need it?

Yes. There is an outlook that says that with the ability to read the Bible by individuals there is no need for teaching and therefore no need for organized religion, however my reasons below offer a different concept.

1. We still need teachers and classroom settings always work best when organized. It is true that people can read the Bible and receive teaching directly from Jesus but the majority of people don't seem to apply themselves in that direction.

1.A. We need to hear the opinions of others because it is easy to read and misunderstand. Every once in a while even I am wrong about something but it was Jesus who called me to task on it last time.

2. We need fellowship. I once was told by someone that they felt closer to God when near nature. However the Bible tell us we are most close to God when we love our neighbor. The person who shuns his neighbor has no opportunity to love him.

3. Organized religion is better equipped to fulfill the commands of Jesus.
Prayer works better with a large number of believers who have faith. Missionaries are more easily sent when there are more people to support them.
Worship seems to draw the spirit of God better when the numbers are large.

 

[Draka]

Yes. There is an outlook that says that with the ability to read the Bible by individuals there is no need for teaching and therefore no need for organized religion, however my reasons below offer a different concept.

1. We still need teachers and classroom settings always work best when organized. It is true that people can read the Bible and receive teaching directly from Jesus but the majority of people don't seem to apply themselves in that direction.

2.A. We need to hear the opinions of others because it is easy to read and misunderstand. Every once in a while even I am wrong about something but it was Jesus who called me to task on it last time.

3. We need fellowship. I once was told by someone that they felt closer to God when near nature. However the Bible tell us we are most close to God when we love our neighbor. The person who shuns his neighbor has no opportunity to love him.

4. Organized religion is better equipped to fulfill the commands of Jesus.
Prayer works better with a large number of believers who have faith. Missionaries are more easily sent when there are more people to support them.
Worship seems to draw the spirit of God better when the numbers are large.

I took the liberty of correcting the numbering to make it easier to answer.

1. Sounds like you are saying church is for the spiritually lazy.
2. Sounds like you are saying church is for people too stupid to reason and figure things out on their own.
3.Why can't people love their their fellow men and women without a church? People in non-organized religions can still love each other and even gather for special holidays or other reasons without being organized.
4. So god requires a large amount of worship before he will grace with his presence? Sounds needy and egotistical. A single person alone should warrant as much love from god as a thousand gathered together.

 

[Rolling_Stone]

I had a look at this previously, and perhaps should have responded. Here is my response now, for what it may be worth:

Firstly, why is the sacredness of a religious belief amplified by being inside a building? If you believe in God, should this belief be identical regardless of the dwelling you are in?

The belief and the experience are two different things. "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I" is not a hollow statement.

As for using Church to connect to something of greater significance, what differs between the Catholic church, and, say, a non-profit organisation that helps the homeless? Or even a business you work for?

Purpose.

I am not being dismissive of your comment, but I am actually interested in the answer. All three make the individual a component of a larger entity. All three ask for the members to make sacrifices to the greater good, whatever that may mean. All three give benefits to those that join the organisation. All three require members to cooperate with other individuals to achieve goals, and have a structural heirachy.

Only one has the purpose of promoting communion with a Higher Reality.

 

[Rolling_Stone]

Ever since the first organized religion arose in Sumer thousands of years ago, the main purpose of organizing religion has been (and I think remains) to support and further the interests of a ruling class or would-be ruling class. I see no psychological or religious reason that religion needs to be organized -- but politically it is a powerful prop to whoever rules or wants to rule us.

Like I said: pick your poison.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

When I go to my wife's church (Catholic), there's real sense of the sacred that I never got from the church I grew up in (LDS). This contrast in experience very dramatic. While most people in both churches probably go there for other reasons, because it's something they were taught, or for the social interaction, or whatever, there is for others this sense of connection with something greater than themselves--and this connection may not even be conscious--but it is very real and very powerful.

I get a very different sense when I go to my wife's church, also Catholic: it just feels dead. I get this awful feeling of sadness... the closest analogy I can think of is that it's like watching a child walk a puppy, pulling him along by its leash, only nobody's told the child that the puppy is dead.

It's like the Church is a corpse that nobody bothers to bury, and instead they prop it up at the head of the table and expectantly sit around waiting for it to deliver the toast.

I don't have any rational reason for feeling this way... I just get this inescapable feeling that the place itself is devoid of life and vitality, even if the people within it don't realize this themselves.

When I think about my wife's church specifically, the Catholic Church in general, or even all of Christianity, I can rationally appreciate many positive aspects of it, but it still just intuitively gives me a feeling of sadness and unease.

No, I don't think we still need organized religion. I think it can be beneficial to some people, but these benefits can be realized by other means.

 

[Rolling_Stone]

I get a very different sense when I go to my wife's church, also Catholic: it just feels dead. I get this awful feeling of sadness... the closest analogy I can think of is that it's like watching a child walk a puppy, pulling him along by its leash, only nobody's told the child that the puppy is dead.

It's like the Church is a corpse that nobody bothers to bury, and instead they prop it up at the head of the table and expectantly sit around waiting for it to deliver the toast.

I don't have any rational reason for feeling this way... I just get this inescapable feeling that the place itself is devoid of life and vitality, even if the people within it don't realize this themselves.

When I think about my wife's church specifically, the Catholic Church in general, or even all of Christianity, I can rationally appreciate many positive aspects of it, but it still just intuitively gives me a feeling of sadness and unease.

No, I don't think we still need organized religion. I think it can be beneficial to some people, but these benefits can be realized by other means.

Ever hear the words "resonance" or "tuning fork"?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Ever hear the words "resonance" or "tuning fork"?

Nice.

Of course I have. Playing with the metaphor, I also recognize that an echo chamber has to be empty to work.

 

[Rolling_Stone]

Nice.

Of course I have. Playing with the metaphor, I also recognize that an echo chamber has to be empty to work.

Bingo. So your post was non sequitur.