Escaping Religion

For most of my life, I was heavily involved in one of the tentacles of organized religion (the “true one”, of course!). Not too many years ago, I began to question it’s teachings, premises, and practices. Too many things no longer added up. It had become obvious to me that “the church” was more about dictating thoughts and controlling minds than helping people to search for and know God. That should have been apparent to me all along, but during those years I played the role of loyal disciple and whatever “the church” said was surely true, I assumed. Like a mindless, automated robot, I repeated, “the church teaches this” or “the church teaches that”. When I finally began to question the premises behind some of the enduring time honored ‘doctrines’, this inherent need of the church to control and snuff out dissent became too obvious to ignore.

I’m not associated with that organization anymore. Not because I couldn’t tolerate them, but vice versa! The only way that I could continue in that association would be to pretend that I really didn’t believe what I did! If I was to share what I believed, it would have to be in such a veiled way as to hardly make any distinction at all! In other words, I would have to be dishonest. I actually tried that for awhile, but it soon begins to wear on you. My genuine desire to better understand scripture and know God more fully had turned me into a “heretic”!

Now I can tolerate dissent very well. And, I’ve come to see the absurdity of basing Christian relationships on a list of peripheral issues that have little or nothing to do with God! In the churches that I hung out in, it took ridiculously little to be branded as a “heretic” or a “radical”. Now, it’s clear to me that real Christian fellowship must be established through much broader principles than I once thought.

It seems to me that people who are honestly seeking to find and grow closer to God share the highest and most substantial ideal of spiritual fellowship. If this is your honest goal, then I don’t have a litmus test of requirements you have to meet before you’re righteous enough to stand in my holy presence and be called a “true  believer”. Our fellowship is in the desire and the searching to know and realize our Creator in an increasingly greater way. What an infinitely more real relationship than any that can be attained by agreeing on intellectual issues or conforming to a few ceremonial observances. Some organizations will claim to be big tent receptors of believers, but it’s usually only a matter of time before they attempt to steer and manipulate thinking in some way.

My goal with ER, above all else, is to be honest. Within institutional religion of all flavors, what is painfully lacking is simple honesty. Pretense and perception are the result of all religious systems. Anymore, I have no secret agenda. I’m not trying to gain your approval or critique you for mine. Sure, I have ideals and concepts that I want to share. But, I have no illusion, anymore, that I have some sort of corner on truth. We all have a unique perspective, depending upon our personal circumstances in life. Each of us must find God from where we are. There is one God. I don’t believe your God is different from my God. However, I cannot see Him from where you are and you can’t see Him from where I am. But we can share our views and come away with a wider perspective than before we met.

There is a vast population out there who have had negative experiences with religious groups and who have been disenfranchised by organized religion. I think most of these people just assume that’s all there is. Being left to the mercy of religious systems can be so emotionally and spiritually debilitating. The answer may not be to leave the group you’re with. Don’t assume that’s the crux of my message. Your personal circumstances will determine if that’s the right course for you. What you can know is that regardless of that decision, putting ‘religion’ in it’s proper mental perspective and coming to understand it’s limitations and it’s proper usefulness in your journey to find and grow closer to God can be immensely liberating!

I hope that ER can become a relaxing, even fun, getaway and gathring place for believers who are among the walking wounded of organized religion. You’re invited to share your thoughts and experiences with me and others who stop by here. If you have any questions, please ask.

Thanks,   Kerry

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