Everyone's heard it said that they have no problem with Christianity, but it's "organized religion" that they reject. Quite often it's really in roster with a series of excuses for not showing up for church on Sunday; be that as it may.
But my question is, are Christians really any good in the world without organized religion? On a small scale we can act within our own spheres to touch the lives of others and find ways to ameliorate our world and correct small injustices. But consider that missions in Africa and South America require churches to sponsor them. Consider how large charities like Samaritans Purse and Catholic Charities help countless people on a global scale with an apparatus and operating budget that circulates millions of dollars at a time. Consider how the Bible itself is a product of organized religion, made official as a canon by the 4th century councils of Rome and Hippo and how major doctrinal decisions were made in such councils as well.
Organized religion becomes a target by its sheer visible status. Churches don't hide, they are a shining city on a hill. So the downside of all the good that organized religion does is that the devil has an infrastructure against which to mount an assault. It becomes worse when the accusations are true, when church leaders fall into scandal and corruption compromises the mission of the Church. People don't remember when a church builds hospitals and schools in Haiti, but they sure remember the sex abuse scandals. The good we do is dismissed, ignored, and quickly forgotten and the bad we do has staying power in people's perception of "organized religion."
Yet the Church Militant by sheer preponderance considers the blessings of concerted efforts to spread the gospel of Christ and to help our fellow man worth whatever liabilities come with it. Maybe we should give organized religion a break. Criticism is easy, building something and being part of something that brings immense good to the world, well that's harder.
But worth it.
But my question is, are Christians really any good in the world without organized religion? On a small scale we can act within our own spheres to touch the lives of others and find ways to ameliorate our world and correct small injustices. But consider that missions in Africa and South America require churches to sponsor them. Consider how large charities like Samaritans Purse and Catholic Charities help countless people on a global scale with an apparatus and operating budget that circulates millions of dollars at a time. Consider how the Bible itself is a product of organized religion, made official as a canon by the 4th century councils of Rome and Hippo and how major doctrinal decisions were made in such councils as well.
Organized religion becomes a target by its sheer visible status. Churches don't hide, they are a shining city on a hill. So the downside of all the good that organized religion does is that the devil has an infrastructure against which to mount an assault. It becomes worse when the accusations are true, when church leaders fall into scandal and corruption compromises the mission of the Church. People don't remember when a church builds hospitals and schools in Haiti, but they sure remember the sex abuse scandals. The good we do is dismissed, ignored, and quickly forgotten and the bad we do has staying power in people's perception of "organized religion."
Yet the Church Militant by sheer preponderance considers the blessings of concerted efforts to spread the gospel of Christ and to help our fellow man worth whatever liabilities come with it. Maybe we should give organized religion a break. Criticism is easy, building something and being part of something that brings immense good to the world, well that's harder.
But worth it.