I’m Not Much for Organized Religion
by Barbara Ellin Fox
I’m not much for organized religion. I consider my self qualified and entitled to this opinion because I’ve spent a lot of time in church.
I grew up in the Methodist Church. I went to Sunday School in the morning, followed by church service. I attended Youth Fellowship in the evening and Confirmation Class whenever it was held. I learned the Apostles Creed, a little about Jesus, a lot about John Wesley and all about how to be a Methodist. And I learned about hypocrisy from a High School Band teacher who’d gotten angry at me for something I didn’t do. He called me horrible names, humiliated me in front of the rest of the band, and caused me to leave the band after playing the flute for 7 1/2 years. Then he served me communion on Sunday. He never did believe me and I entered community college as a voice major. I didn’t learn about salvation in the Methodist Church. I met Jesus at a Dave Wilkerson Crusade.
When I was 19 or 20 I attended an Episcopal Church. I was served communion a few times. They have communion a lot in the Episcopal Church. One day, the “father” told me he couldn’t serve me communion any longer unless I joined his church. That didn’t seem right to me and I didn’t think God agreed, so that was the last time I attended the Episcopal Church.
During the next 40 years I attended a wide variety of churches from nondenominational to several denominations. Non denomination churches sometimes stated that if you attended, you were a member. Others wanted you to take classes and join, something I actually did in the Assemblies of God. Each had it’s own set of rules and requirements for participation or to be “in good standing”. One non denominational church seemed to be based on memorizing scripture from the Navigators. Another was based on touchy feel-y hugs and embraces. In charismatic churches you were supposed to raise your hands during worship and speak in tongues. In others you kneeled. And in yet others raising your hands was met with horror. The Baptist Church condemned people who smoked or drank (see my 11/16/09 post Smoke, Smoke, Smoke Those Cigarettes ). All churches wanted you to attend every time they opened the doors, Sunday AM and PM, Wednesday, and any other day they had activities. In some churches that the noisier the congregation was the holier it thought it was. Children ran screaming to and from Sunday school. And the congregation tried to “summon up” the Holy Spirit as if He was a genie in a bottle. But in Matt.19:20 Jesus said, “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst.”
I attended Sunday school, church, Wednesday night, fellowship groups and study groups. And I attended crusades. I went forward to repent and confess and seek prayer whenever I could. I read, I studied, I worked, I taught, I cleaned stoves, I sorted used clothing, I helped, I memorized, and I joined. I sent my children to Christian School.
There was a person who had gouged out an eye because either he didn’t understand scripture or were demon possessed. I saw people who were mentally ill and just “tolerated”. I felt 
condemnation if I missed a church meeting. I listened regularly to the lectures about working in the church more. I head pastors who yelled and condemned and others that taught love and forgiveness. I watched as they cracked the whip over the congregations and manipulated them to work harder and give more. I saw people who were “slain in the spirit” and people who “danced in the spirit”. I saw pastors who were too busy to visit members in the hospital and other pastors who couldn’t wait for their media performances on radio and TV. I saw congregations with members who had great need, working to raise money so the pastor could take his family to Disney Land. Pastors with big cars, big homes, and big egos. Pastors talked about how many they were “running” in their congregations. I listened to Pastors who weren’t “called” and weren’t even saved. I knew pastors who could change what they said they meant in an instant. They all had big Easter celebrations (see my post on 4/13/08 The Easter Duck ) and most had Halloween parties. Some Churches were big with multiple services and TV screens and some were small. Each group was a “religion “ of it’s own and they all picked other religions that they decided were cults.
Organized religion is filled with rules and traditions that Jesus never intended for His children. The churches (pastors, elders etc) are like the Pharisees who followed the traditions of men. In Matt. 23:4 & 5 Jesus said “And they tie up heavy loads , and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men…..” Jesus was harsh to the Pharisees but he was gentle with the people that came to Him for help. In Acts, His followers pooled all their resources so no one had lack or need. Organized religion is so removed from the real church that it makes me wonder what Jesus must think of it.
The Truth is in the Bible and the relationship that I have is with Jesus. When Jesus died He suffered the penalty for our sins. He defeated satan and death through His resurrection. He offers salvation to us through His death and resurrection. He wants us to confess our sins and repent and to believe that He is the Son of God. He asks us to believe that He did what He says He did. John 1:12 “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God
Believing in Jesus and asking His forgiveness is the only way we can be saved. It’s not complicated and it doesn’t require being part of the whoop-la of an organized religion. In John 14:6 Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.”
PTL
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