Completely Opaque to Me

While the commentary here is interesting, I'm confused by the conclusion

Why would anyone in the world prefer the broken human institution of religion to God?

Comments

  1. FredJanuary 25, 2011 at 3:22 PM

    Steven,

    It seems fairly straightforward to me. Religion and religious institutions get in the way of a relationship between the individual and the godhead.

    ReplyDelete
  2. StevenJanuary 25, 2011 at 3:48 PM

    Dear Fred,

    While I may not agree, your point is perfectly clear to me. And therefore I could understand someone preferring God to institutional religion or religion of any sort. What I can't understand is how one would prefer religion (of any sort) to God. That is opaque.

    Your point I not only get, but often feel twinges of. If religions could only be purged of their human element, I sometimes say. But I look at it and say, let me see--the Spanish inquisition or God? Hmm... Seems to me to be a no-brainer. As I said, as a practicing member of religion, I'm often tempted to toss the whole mess to one side and go it alone. But what I know is the folly of that, is that I won't "go" anything under those circumstances. So religion as community of helpers, again I get. But. . . well, as I said, completely opaque.

    I think I've come to the conclusion that the commentary uses the word "religion" in a manner quite different from the way I use the same word. I think perhaps it is perhaps meaning a kind of spirituality or spiritual experience--which I view as quite a different thing as religion. But I am more than likely mistaken, and have already said too much.

    shalom,

    Steven

    ReplyDelete
  3. FredJanuary 25, 2011 at 6:05 PM

    Steven,

    I have slowly and reluctantly come to the conclusion that there is no simple right answer to many of these questions. We live in a grey world where black-and-white distinctions are seldom found.

    ReplyDelete

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