Corporate Christianity, Denominations, is Christianity's Problem


Scandals in the church and disagreements between denominations has been going on since day one in Christianity. Now denominations are shrinking and, so it appears, the numbers of self reporting Christians in the U.S. is declining. The link explains the problem. It is that when Christianity formed corporations, denominations, preserving those corporations replaced the deity itself. There is no dearth of evidence this is so. How many times did Catholic and other denominational officials urge keeping news about wayward clergy secret because it threatened the corporation? It was all about the corporation.

The link author says there is a difference between "Christiandom," the corporate denominations, and Christianity. Christiandom, he says, is killing Christianity.

To me there is a parallel between the shortcomings of Christiandom and human god figures. Going back to the Old Testament we had a God based on the likeness of man. Thus, the imaginary god figure was man-like in the imagination. This man-like God was OK for the Jews but when Christians came along they needed a better version. They improved the Jewish God with a "covenant." The covenant made the man-like God less mean and cruel. 

Then there was the religious figure Jesus. That figure was supposed to have been a God/man but there is no historically reliable indication this human was immensely popular during his lifetime. He only because popular long after he was dead. After he was dead authors were free to characterize him in ways that made him likeable and popular. We have seen no other human successfully portrayed as a god since then. Many tried but they had flaws so the public decided to wait for something better.

Christiandom, church corporations, have had the same experience. This original biggie was the Catholic corporation. It failed in ways and Protestantism replaced lots of it. Catholics have tried to improve the original version. Protestantism has divided into a gazillion branches. 

The reason no human god figure has become popular the recent history is because no one quite measured up. People are leaving current church corporations is for the same reason, they are looking for something that fits them better.  They can find a group on the net that is just what they need.


  




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