I came across an article at CNN.com the other day:
Are there dangers in being 'spiritual but not religious'? Most of the article was a discussion of this or that perspective, which I didn't mind. However, what bugged me was what a Jesuit priest had to say on the matter:
But for Jesuit priest James Martin, the phrase also hints at something else
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On the other hand, you're absolutely right: A religious community often does far more harm than good. And I think that's because "religion" too often becomes about rules and regulations, dos and don'ts, rites and rituals. And while sometimes religion can be hard, I think it's much easier than what Christ actually calls us to. That's why Jesus was so harsh on the hyper-religious of His day: They checked off the religious list but missed the heart of their own religion. Hence Christ's constant reminders to go back to the heart of God (and what you reference are two great examples of this).
So... yup! Totally!
However, I'm still a huge fan of finding a good community. I wish that the church was always the place to go for that. Sadly, that is not the case. (though my church is pretty awesome [smile])
~Luke
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Anyway, I wasn't devaluing community, I was just more peeved at the comments that the priest made. It seems to me that he really hasn't talked to people about why they would feel this way. And maybe the lack of listening is part of the problem.
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