Organized Religion Is Spiritual Welfare

[Questioner]

When I was a kid, I saw being in a minister's family as prestigious... now I just see it as being related to someone with an addiction akin to gambling. Always hoping that maybe next month, a new family will come to the church and maybe then they will be able to make ends meet.

The unfortunate part is, with this particular addiction, all of the other people with the same addiction encourage and reinforce the behavior, even if the person has hit rock bottom, cannot pay their bills each month, has to rely on the charity of others on a day by day basis for years on end.

[Dark Energy]

Originally Posted by Phoenix

You've posted a whopping 19 times all in the last 14 days and you know what people here post like?

I've been reading far longer and it's just a general feel I get from a lot of posts. There seems to be more negative commentary than positive

[Phoenix]

Originally Posted by Dark Energy

People can let difficulties and persecutions to cause burnout though

Growth is through personal relationship, despite difficulties and what others say or do, you have to walk with God. Don't focus on people or what benefits we thought we should have gotten from serving God

I haven't seen anyone, except for you, mention this idea of focusing on people and benefits. It's really confusing me because I'm not talking about that.

[Phoenix]

Originally Posted by Questioner

When I was a kid, I saw being in a minister's family as prestigious... now I just see it as being related to someone with an addiction akin to gambling. Always hoping that maybe next month, a new family will come to the church and maybe then they will be able to make ends meet.

The unfortunate part is, with this particular addiction, all of the other people with the same addiction encourage and reinforce the behavior, even if the person has hit rock bottom, cannot pay their bills each month, has to rely on the charity of others on a day by day basis for years on end.

Questioner, I'm very sorry. I don't agree with this sort of belief system and won't be part of it anymore. I just can't. Too many people get hurt, too many lives are destroyed. That's not what God wants.

[Dark Energy]

Originally Posted by Phoenix

I haven't seen anyone, except for you, mention this idea of focusing on people and benefits. It's really confusing me because I'm not talking about that.

I didn't say you were talking about that. I simply posted my thoughts on the topic in general.

[BeenThinkin]

Originally Posted by Dark Energy

It seems nobody can have a positive message on this board. Everything has to be negative message or experience. Why is that?

Dark Energy..... could your name be the problem? DARK Energy! Why didn't you go for BRIGHT Energy? j/k

Been Thinkin

[Dark Energy]

Originally Posted by BeenThinkin

Dark Energy..... could your name be the problem? DARK Energy! Why didn't you go for BRIGHT Energy? j/k

Been Thinkin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_energy

[The Lemon]

I have to admit, on this forum and in life, I have had the tendancy at times to focus more on the negatives, and it is certainly not productive. In fact just thinking abut it makes me want to repent! It is, in my opinion, human nature to focus on the negative, although that is not an excuse.

Sitting here and pondering the subject of this thread, I can't help but think that organization is not the root problem, in many cases it is the religious aspect that spawns the issues and the burnout. If we are supposed to keep the gift stirred in our lives on a personal level, how much more should we be changing and moving in the natural so that life with God is fresh and new as much as possible.

Let's face it, we are all different, but if as a church body, we could somehow embrace the diversity, and if uniformity could be squashed, I think we may not only be more tolerant of differences, but we would also function in more harmony with grace.

I was talking with my wife and I was thinking about the scripture on not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together. My thought to her was, where does it go on to list how many "services" we are supposed to have in a week or month? There is no time line or hard fast rule in gathering - we, as humans have made the rule every Sunday, Sunday Night, or Wed. evening. Could it mean a forsaking in the heart which leads to the attitude and action of never assembling, or does it literally mean every time the doors are open?

When you sit and really think about the way we sometimes do things, and the justification we use, it does not always show up in the Word, and maybe that is part of the issue..

[Digging4Truth]

Originally Posted by The Lemon

I have to admit, on this forum and in life, I have had the tendancy at times to focus more on the negatives, and it is certainly not productive. In fact just thinking abut it makes me want to repent! It is, in my opinion, human nature to focus on the negative, although that is not an excuse.

Sitting here and pondering the subject of this thread, I can't help but think that organization is not the root problem, in many cases it is the religious aspect that spawns the issues and the burnout. If we are supposed to keep the gift stirred in our lives on a personal level, how much more should we be changing and moving in the natural so that life with God is fresh and new as much as possible.

Let's face it, we are all different, but if as a church body, we could somehow embrace the diversity, and if uniformity could be squashed, I think we may not only be more tolerant of differences, but we would also function in more harmony with grace.

I was talking with my wife and I was thinking about the scripture on not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together. My thought to her was, where does it go on to list how many "services" we are supposed to have in a week or month? There is no time line or hard fast rule in gathering - we, as humans have made the rule every Sunday, Sunday Night, or Wed. evening. Could it mean a forsaking in the heart which leads to the attitude and action of never assembling, or does it literally mean every time the doors are open?

When you sit and really think about the way we sometimes do things, and the justification we use, it does not always show up in the Word, and maybe that is part of the issue..

Ding, ding, ding, ding...

Give them man (I guess ) a prize.

Excellent post.

[kclee4jc]

Originally Posted by Digging4Truth

Organized religion is a system that enables a few givers to be sucked dry of every resource they have to give to a bunch of vacuums that take, take, take and then critique what you gave of yourself and then go back home and wait for their next spiritual welfare check come Sunday or Wednesday.

That is my epiphany of the day.

The early church displayed organization...