toldailytopic: Organized religion: what are the pros and cons?

[Nathon Detroit]

The TheologyOnline.com TOPIC OF THE DAY for September 21st, 2011 08:37 AM

toldailytopic: Organized religion: what are the pros and cons?

Take the topic above and run with it! Slice it, dice it, give us your general thoughts about it. Everyday there will be a new TOL Topic of the Day.
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[Buzzword]

Pros:
-easily found meeting places
-pensions for retired clergy
-supported colleges and universities
-community outreach programs (soup kitchens, AngelTree, etc.)

Cons:
-tax evasion
-comfort zones held onto like food in a starving man's hand
-individual religious institutions treating each other as rivals for new members (and their money)
-groups of religious institutions (denominations) demonizing one another instead of cooperating
-ministers or institutions or denominations pushing politics from the pulpit
-ageism (older member hitting on younger member tolerated while two younger members hitting on each other is demonized)


...that's all I can think of at the moment.

 

[Sherman]

Pros:
Can be self sustaining
Takes care of its members
Private schools
Ministries in the community
Missions

Cons:
Bureaucracy
Dogmas not found in the Bible
Extra-biblical books taking the place of the Bible.
Legalism
-or the other extreme-official advocacy of what the Bible calls sin. Such bodies often condemn members that don't go along with this!
Laity often not allowed to read the Bible for themselves.

 

[Totton Linnet]

Nothing has ever compared to Holy Ghost organization

 

[Traditio]

Read De Utilitate Credendi ("On the Usefulness of Belief") by St. Augustine.

 

[eameece]

Main pro; it creates a community of people of like mind who can help and support each other on the path. That's what the word church means. This includes support for arts, charity, etc.

Con, it can lead toward conformity among its members to what the authorities, dogmas, traditions or literature of the organization believe in or require, instead of providing help on the spiritual path; or to a notion that being spiritual or religious means to go to, or support, the organization. Or it may support the wrong notion that our religion (or those who belong to our organization) is the right way, and someone else's is not. Or the organization can become a political and economic power used for social control, and thus lose its real mission. Spirit is within; the organization is one means to further spiritual work on Earth, not the end in itself.

 

[HisServant]

Pro's - cant think of any.

Con's - insitutionalism leads to blindiness to the Holy Spirit (Christ) in our lives.

 

[kmoney]

Corrupting power?

 

[some other dude]

as a pro or a con?

 

[kmoney]

Community and fellowship is a pro. But the us vs them attitude is a con.

 

[kmoney]

as a pro or a con?

Con. :chuckle:

 

[Cruciform]

Organized religion: what are the pros and cons?

"Organized religion." As opposed to disorganized religion?

Fortunately for his followers, Jesus did indeed establish an organized, hierarchically-structured, and doctrinally authoritative Church.



Gaudium de veritate,

Cruciform
+T+

 

[Ted L Glines]

The TheologyOnline.com TOPIC OF THE DAY for September 21st, 2011 08:37 AM

toldailytopic: Organized religion: what are the pros and cons?

IN THEORY: Organized religion should grow out of a belief system to render support and simple defense for its adherants, thus concentrating their worship of God.

HISTORICALLY: Organized religion has become corrupted and abusive toward its adherants, destroying their original belief system and waging "righteous" war against all other organized religions, as the leaders usurp the powers of God.

 

[Ted L Glines]

"Organized religion." As opposed to disorganized religion?

Fortunately for his followers, Jesus did indeed establish an organized, hierarchically-structured, and doctrinally authoritative Church.

Gaudium de veritate,

Cruciform
+T+

And now, look what our Church leaders have done with it :mmph:

 

[Cruciform]

And now, look what our Church leaders have done with it :mmph:

Yes, the Catholic Church has defined, preserved, and defended the Apostolic Deposit of Faith for two millennia now. Thank God for his teaching Church (see the OP).



Gaudium de veritate,

Cruciform
+T+

 

[Refractive]

PRO: potlucks

CON: penitential pews

 

[Ask Mr. Religion]

Pros: God said we are to do so.

Cons: None, other than the noetic effects of sin that leads to division among the faithful.

The disadvantage above does not abrogate the command preceding. :AMR:

AMR

 

[Ktoyou]

Nothing has ever compared to Holy Ghost organization

What do you mean by this?

 

[Lighthouse]

Pros: God said we are to do so.

Cons: None, other than the noetic effects of sin that leads to division among the faithful.

The disadvantage above does not abrogate the command preceding. :AMR:

AMR

The only command was that we should fellowship. There is no command to let a committee dictate when, where, and how.

There is also a command to pray without ceasing; organized religion lulls people into setting aside one day a week to do so and then ignore it the other six, except for maybe a couple hours on Wednesday.

 

[Ted L Glines]

Yes, the Catholic Church has defined, preserved, and defended the Apostolic Deposit of Faith for two millennia now. Thank God for his teaching Church (see the OP).

Gaudium de veritate,

Cruciform
+T+

Why are there so many who are not thanking God for this teaching Church's atrocities across those two millennia? With (perhaps) the finest of intentions, too much negativity has been loosed in the world as the Apostolic Deposit of Faith has failed to curb the lust and greed of its own priests. Evil done in the name of organized religion ... does not make it goodness nor holy under God.

The OP is organized religion. This is not about the Catholic Church, per se, nor even about the old RCC. Though they are certainly younger, the Protestant organizations have their own scandal sheets, too. The problem seems to be that religious organizations are incapable of policing their own ranks. Looking at the abuse cases, it almost seems that "the cloth" attracts predators whose actions shock both the higher leaders and the public as a whole, especially when the problems are hushed up rather than being dealt with. It seems a shame when the Pope must meet with families of the abused -- to apologize for the actions of his underlings. Yet the offending predators continue to wear the cloth.

And that is what is wrong with organized religion.