I think it’s important to be honest and talk about what religion actually does for us. I discovered this through some deep introspection when I took a few minutes and looked around me while I was sitting in the worship service.
What was I really getting from this?
1. It alters our mood. It makes us feel better. There’s nothing wrong with feeling better, and in fact that’s what most of us want. But also, most of us would admit it’s a temporary rush of emotions that usually diminishes the next day, which keeps us coming back and giving our money to get more. When we realized the same thing happens at a concert or other event like water skiing, or at a football game, or just being in nature, we had to reconsider.
Throughout my years as a pastor, people repeatedly admitted they had deeper experiences in nature than they did in the worship service. I decided to explore the deeper, lasting experiences that happen naturally, and I haven’t been disappointed.
2. It gives us a false assurance that we are doing the appropriate thing. After all, there is one verse in Hebrews that says we should assemble together. So even though we’re not sure whether organized religion is necessary, It’s what we have been told is best for us, so we assume we might as well do it so that we hedge our bets at being better people and protecting ourselves from punishment.
It’s one of those “at least I’m trying to be better” things that help us feel more secure and sometimes a little superior to everyone else.
3. We’re looking for answers. All of us want to think that we’re trying to be wise, and seek knowledge and do what we can to better ourselves. Along with exercise classes, cooking shows, and professional development, we know it’s better to keep learning, and for many years, the church was the only place offering spiritual growth.
But, when we realize that there are so many options today for exploring spiritual growth, driving to a specific place to get this knowledge from one person seems a little outdated. It’s actually more like a waste of time because I could have learned so much more by staying in one place and using all the tools i have available.
4. We accept the myth that there are “special” people and things. Over the years, talented people have lured us into the idea that we need the special voice at the special time at the special place to find the special thing that no one else can give us.
One day, sitting in church, I looked around and realized kind of all at once, ” this is just a building, that is just a man, and this is just a book.”. I realized that although all these things can be helpful, they had been overemphasized as necessary throughout the years of my indoctination. According to the New Testament, we are a kingdom of priests, and the building is certainly de-emphasized by Jesus and he is the logos, not a book that was compiled 300 years later.
What makes all of this difficult is that the people who are financially vested in the church really want to avoid this type of honest discussion. Many of us former pastors have given up livelihoods to follow a better path, so I know how hard it is for those entrenched in the religious systems to honestly consider what I’m talking about. I’ll try to be patient.
Where I was raised, they used to say “Don’t fake yourself out.” That is what I’m trying to do–be honest about the things that really matter. It’s how I approach life, and it’s why we wrote our current book, Out Into the Desert.
We hope you’ll join us in doing this assessment of organized religion in the 21st century, and join in the discussion. For a few more days, the Kindle version of the book is only 99 cents.
Be where you are,
Be who you are,
Karl Forehand
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