Why I disregard "organized" religions

I thank all who have contributed to this thread. God bless!

Sorry ran out of edit time.

Lord I pray for your wisdom for Rob, your wisdom which superceeds the wisdom of men.
Open his heart and mind to the truth of your word, show him the sweetness of your word and
give him a hunger for everything you have in store for him.

Why I disregard “organized” religions.

I’ve attempted to read the Bible from cover to cover. I don’t believe I’m a stupid person. According to the few IQ test contrived by humans that I’ve taken in my 83 year lifetime, I usually score somewhat above average intelligence, whatever that’s worth? I have to say that If I understood 25% of it, that might be an overreach?

I read the Old Testament and ended up with more questions than answers. Most of the New Testament leaves me confused. I think I understand most of what Jesus taught. Having noticed the teachings of the several organized Christian denominations, I find often conflicted belief from one to the other. I’ve even seen animosity among them directed from one to the other. I see the “For Profit” TV Evangelicals, their lavish TV settings and churches and the life styles that have been revealed concerning their some of leadership. Often disheartening, to say the least!

So, I’ve determined that if I want to be a child of God and be saved to the “everlasting life,” my choices are to study hard and seek the teachings of the Bible from the more studied folk, or I can take the teachings of the Bible and Jesus in particular as I can determine the meanings, I can pray hard and often, confess my sins and hope I’ve found favor enough with the Lord to believe I’m saved to that everlasting life.” My only other choice is to live the sinful life without confession to God as I have the majority of my life, while feeling the calling of the Lord often also.

If “who so ever believeth in him shall have everlasting life” is all it really takes, why do I need the teachings of today’s humans who can’t even get agreement therewith among themselves? My only question at this point in my own church between my ears, is what are the “conditions” that determine “true” belief acceptable to my Lord? I’d love opinions about that from this forum.

Robo,
Thank you for your reflection. As Christians we know that Jesus is God and is love. You have run into the same quandary that many Protestant Christians eventually run into. What exactly does this scripture mean? We have many denominations with this animosity over certain beliefs. The core beliefs are there, absolutely. It can be frustrating with so many Christian denominations differing on things like baptism, do we baptize infants or not. Some do and some don't. We even have some who are ok with abortion! Thou shall not kill! How can there even be any disagreement there. What we have with so many denominations is a faith that people can find to fit their life and convenience, instead of faith that we conform our lives to even when it is inconvenient or difficult. You are on a spiritual journey for truth, because you believe God has given us objective truth, not relativism. Your answers lie within the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church is the "Church" Jesus founded and given authority to teach His message. We have the scriptures! We have the equipment, but what do we do with the equipment is the question. This is where the Church comes in. I know as a Protestant Christian one would not even consider the Catholic Church because of what we were taught, but were those teachings about the Catholic Church accurate? There is a lot of misrepresentation about the Catholic Church. Come with an open mind and do your research, read the early church fathers and if you approach it openly you will probably become Catholic.

I will leave you with this from the Didache section 14.

1. On the Lord's Day of the Lord come together, break bread and hold Eucharist, after confessing your transgressions that your offering may be pure;
2. But let none who has a quarrel with his fellow join in your meeting until they be reconciled, that your sacrifice be not defiled.
3. For this is that which was spoken by the Lord, "In every place and time offer me a pure sacrifice, for I am a great king," saith the Lord, "and my name is wonderful among the heathen.

Jesus' real presence in the Catholic Eucharist is what the Apostles and early Christians believed. It was not symbolic. Open your eyes to the Catholic Church and you will find the truth and consistency of God's word.

May God bless you brother!

If you did actually lose your wife through death, then I sincerely am sorry for your loss as I have lost two wives to death. I think that you have presented yourself falsely with your first post compared to this your present post. As to your motive, I do not know.