Organized Religion Is

This little book is for those who believe and for those who no longer believe. It is an argument against organized religion. It is written in easy to read, easy to understand English. It is, if I may say so, an eraser for the mind. The topics discussed are these: Heaven and Hell; morals; absolute truth; the soul; creation myths; dogma; social control; consciousness; science; faith; evil; and absolute truth.This is not an academic treatment of those topics. It is thoughts of the author, who has been thinking about these things for over 50 years. If nothing else this book will challenge your thinking if you are a believer; it will support your thinking if you are not.Read it with an open mind, an open heart, and a desire to replace the scam with reason and rationality.

Christopher Hitchens, described in the London Observer as “one of the most prolific, as well as brilliant, journalists of our time” takes on his biggest subject yet–the increasingly dangerous role of religion in the world. In the tradition of Bertrand Russell’s Why I Am Not a Christian and Sam Harris’s recent bestseller, The End Of Faith, Christopher Hitchens makes the ultimate case against religion. With a close and erudite reading of the major religious texts, he documents the ways in which religion is a man-made wish, a cause of dangerous sexual repression, and a distortion of our origins in the cosmos. With eloquent clarity, Hitchens frames the argument for a more secular life based on science and reason, in which hell is replaced by the Hubble Telescope’s awesome view of the universe, and Moses and the burning bush give way to the beauty and symmetry of the double helix.

From The Gallup Organization-the most respected source on the subject-comes a fascinating look at the importance of measuring public opinion in modern society. For years, public-opinion polls have been a valuable tool for gauging the positions of American citizens on a wide variety of topics. Polling applies scientific principles to understanding and anticipating the insights, emotions, and attitudes of society. Now in POLLING MATTERS: Why Leaders Must Listen to the Wisdom of the People, The Gallup Organization reveals: What polls really are and how they are conducted Why the information polls provide is so vitally important to modern society today How this valuable information can be used more effectively and more...

Abandon dead, dry, religious rule-keeping and embrace the promise of being truly known and deeply loved. Jefferson Bethke burst into the cultural conversation with a passionate, provocative poem titled "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus." The 4-minute video became an overnight sensation, with 7 million YouTube views in its first 48 hours (and 23+ million in a year). Bethke's message clearly struck a chord with believers and nonbelievers alike, triggering an avalanche of responses running the gamut from encouraged to enraged. In his New York Times bestseller Jesus > Religion, Bethke unpacks similar contrasts that he drew in the poem--highlighting the difference between teeth gritting and grace, law and love, performance and peace, despair, and hope. With refreshing candor, he delves into the motivation behind his message, beginning with the unvarnished tale of his own plunge from the pinnacle of a works-based, fake-smile existence that sapped his strength and led him down a path of destructive behavior. Along the way, Bethke gives you the tools you need to: Humbly and prayerfully open your mind Understand Jesus for all that he is View the church from a brand-new perspective Bethke is quick to acknowledge that he's not a pastor or theologian, but simply an ordinary, twenty-something who cried out for a life greater than the one for which he had settled. On this journey, Bethke discovered the real Jesus, who beckoned him with love beyond the props of false religion. Praise for Jesus > Religion: "Jeff's book will make you stop and listen to a voice in your heart that may have been drowned out by the noise of religion. Listen to that voice, then follow it--right to the feet of Jesus." --Bob Goff, author of New York Times bestsellers Love Does and Everybody, Always "The book you hold in your hands is Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz meets C. S. Lewis's Mere Christianity meets Augustine's Confessions. This book is going to awaken an entire generation to Jesus and His grace." --Derwin L. Gray, lead pastor of Transformation Church, author of Limitless Life: Breaking Free from the Labels That Hold You Back

This book presents the case for loving the local church. It paints a picture of the local church in all its biblical and real life guts, gaffes, and glory in an effort to edify local congregations and entice the disaffected back to the fold. It also provides a solid biblical mandate to love and be part of the body of Christ and counteract the "leave church" books that trumpet rebellion and individual felt needs. Why We Love the Church is written for four kinds of people - the Committed, the Disgruntled, the Waffling & the Disconnected.

"A superb examination of the future of Christian institutions.... A must-read for anyone invested in the fate of the American church." -Publishers Weekly (starred review) Uncover the ways the Christian church has changed in recent years--from the decline of the mainline denominations to the mega-churchification of American culture to the rise of the Nones and Exvaneglicals--and a hopeful reimagining of what the church might look like going forward. The United States is in the middle of an unprecedented spiritual, technological, demographic, political and social transformation-- moving from an older, mostly white, mostly Protestant, religion-friendly society to a younger diverse, multiethnic, pluralistic culture, where no one faith group will have the advantage. At the same time, millions of Americans are abandoning organized religion altogether in favor of disorganized disbelief. Reorganized Religion is an in-depth and critical look at why people are leaving American churches and what we lose as a society as it continues. But it also accepts the dismantling of what has come before and try to help readers reinvent the path forward. This book looks at the future of organized religion in America and outline the options facing churches and other faith groups. Will they retreat? Will they become irrelevant? Or will they find a new path forward? Written by veteran religion reporter Bob Smietana, Reorganized Religion is a journalistic look at the state of the American church and its future. It draws on polling data, interviews with experts, and reporting on how faith communities old and new are coping with the changing religious landscape, along with personal stories about how faith is lived in everyday life. It also profiles faith communities and leaders who are finding interesting ways to reimagine what church might look like in the future and discuss various ways we can reinvent this organization so it survives and thrives. The book also reflects the hope that perhaps people of faith can learn to become, if not friends with the larger culture, then at least better neighbors.

IS ORGANIZED RELIGION A SHAM? Delivers a well-researched treatise on the origins of various religions, their effects on mankind, and takes into account aspects of history, theology, and sociology. The text is an accumulation of facts from primitive man's first practice of animism to today's televangelism. Through this historic detail, the book focuses on the religious righteous and their manipulation of theology to control the masses. Clearly not everyone will agree with my provocative conclusions, however, een the most devout practitioner of any religion will find it difficult to argue with the historical accuracy of the research. I begin with how primitive man conceived gods. The early chapters hinge on specific moments in history and bibical accounts, such as Moses' first encounter with Yahweh. Following this is a survey of Jesus, the man, and how Christianity started. In chapter five I focus on the beliefs and obligations of Islam and in subsequent chapters move on to Hinduism and Buddhism. I Cover religious cults and discuss televantelist figures, Jerry Falwell, Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart. In chapter twelve, I lay out crimes committed in the name of God and in chapter fifteen I have juxtaposed both the creationist and evolutionist arguments for existence. Overall my contribution is designed to enlighten and provoke thought, as well as to participate in what may be viewed as an ongoing debate.

I have for a number of years, since my retirement from teaching elementary school for thirty-three years, contemplated the possibility of writing a book expressing a few of my strongly held beliefs. Events of the recent past had accelerated that urge. The now defunct immoral Moral Majority, the spiritless Christian Coalition, the satanic Southern Baptist, and the hypocritical Church of Christ, plus other bigoted and hypocritical religious groups, keep waving their spiritless and satanic doctrines in my face while desecrating the flag of the United States by wrapping themselves in it. My personal philosophy of life is based upon the fact that "I am the pessimistically optimistic realist with a bent of humanistic pragmatism." I choose to believe that things shall work out for the better but I know that if there be the slightest opportunity, someone is going to throw a monkey-wrench into the machinery. I am a non-believer in organized religious faiths of any kind. I do not believe in any god that listens to or talks to man. I am a Deist. I believe that man would not have created his gods and religious faiths if he had had more faith in himself with a better understanding of his universe and nature. I do not wish to be negative, simply realistic. My head is not floating in the clouds or buried in the sod. My mind is open to any logically developed philosophies. My use of rational logic will not allow me to be convinced or swayed by irrational, supernatural religious faiths. The bigoted and hypocritical faith of Christianityis not my idea of the truth of reality or the reality of truth. Satanic and fundamental faiths such as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam have been the greatest forces formenting most of the hatred, violence, and wars in this world. Organized religions have proven themselves to be the greatest deterrents in the advancement of humanity among the peoples of this world.