Many see hypocrisy and insincerity in their churches leaders and members. Also, they see no difference in the members of their church from the world. Others, are leaving their church and faith because their spiritual needs are not being met. Many of their heartfelt questions go unanswered because their religious leaders don't know the answers and cannot tell them where to find the answers to their questions in the Bible, so as a result many leave their church or religion spiritually unfulfilled and dissatisfied.
Responses (8)
In the 19th century Americans started moving west and three institutions went with them. There was vaudeville, traveling entertainment. There was lyceum, traveling education and culture. And there was the itinerant preacher, offering a new style of preaching called "hell fire and brim stone". It was very entertaining, only loosely based on scripture, and pastors didn't even try to compete. Instead they switched to preaching public morality and philosophy. Eventually an entire generation grew up not knowing the first thing about the religion they claimed to believe. That is why most Christian churches don't teach doctrines, and most members don't know what they are supposed to believe.
2 Timothy 4:
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Many today have been disappointed and are dissatisfied with religion. Many are turn off by the false doctrine they teach. Let’s compare their false teachings to bible truths:
1) False religion teaches after death something survives. The Bible teaches at Ecclesiastes 9:5, ‘For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing at all.
2) False religion teaches that good people goes to heaven after death and bad people goes to a place of torture.
The Bible teaches at John 5:28,29, ‘Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.’
3) False religion teaches that the almighty name is God, Lord, most high even Jesus.
The Bible teaches at Psalm 83:18, ‘May people know that you, whose name is Jehovah.You alone are the Most High over all the earth.’
In our modern 20th-century society religion is no longer an important factor in people’s lives. In certain parts of the world this may appear to be the case. People seem ever so busy pursuing a materialistic way of life. They show little or no interest in religious matters. Perhaps you know of people like that. And you may also have seen large, centuries-old, historic churches being closed or converted to theaters, dance halls, markets or other commercial uses. It appears as if religion is on its way out
It is, indeed, worth the effort to seek for the true religion. The true religion can point us toward that life. We naturally ask such questions as these: “Why are we here?” “What is the purpose of life?” True religion can put us in touch with the Source of all life, Jehovah God, who will answer those questions for us. Moreover, sometimes all of us desperately need guidance in solving the problems we face from day to day. True religion can give us that guidance
For more information on this subject and others please go to jw.org and get answers from the bible. Also for free downloads, publications or read online.
Way back in 2016, I was actually trying to leave my Catholic faith. I still remember when I was invited as an investigator in LDS (Mormon Church) and I was amazed by their kindness and dedication to their religion. I tried to ask my parents about it but all of them are Catholics and they forbid me to join the religion. So far here are my reasons for these actions:
1. I feel lost and disconnected in a way that I cannot feel anymore the Catholic faith. I was also confused by the veneration of saints which I thought idolatry already.
2. I don't feel I belong in the religion.
3. It was my puberty stage and I was looking for belongingness
4. I had so many problems and trials in life.
But in the end, my uncle who is a priest in the Catholic church let me read the book "Rediscover Catholicism" and made me realize why I should retain my faith in my religion. It's really your journey, it's an individual quest to find one's fate.
Some people are moving beyond religion because they realize that religion is just a kindergarten - it teaches us the ABC of God. It doesn't help us to graduate in spirituality, in realizing God. Religion makes us believe that God is in a temple, in a church, in a monastery, but the fact is that God is beyond all this, God is a power. God does not belong to one religion, God is the creator of the whole universe. Therefore, those who realize this Truth or who are in quest of it, leave religion behind and they move forward. They may not change their religion, but they go beyond religion.
There are people who are turning their back on religion and leaving it permanently because they realize that religion is full of mythology, rituals, superstitions, and dogmas. People don’t want to follow rituals which make no sense. Some people just become atheists and believe in nothing; some become agnostics and they start questioning rituals. There are some people who evolve from the kindergarten of religion to the university of Spirituality. They don't change their religion but they go beyond their religion, because they want to realize the Truth and spirituality makes us realize the Truth.
There are people who are turning their backs on religion permanently because they find no logic in religion. Religion helps us start our journey of believing in God, it helps us pray, but religion is full of rituals, and superstitions and dogmas. The people who use their intelligence, question how God can live in a temple or church. They question how God can be a saint or statue, they question how could God be born and how could God die. They question how can God be somebody made up of bone and skin. So these questions make people either agnostics or atheists, and they leave religion. And there is nothing wrong in this, provided we continue to love the one we call God, the creator of this universe, provided we go in quest and realize God in the temple of our heart. Otherwise we are jumping from the frying pan to the fire and that doesn't help us.
The Bible assures us that God wants us to “really find him.” (Acts 17:26, 27) Since our Creator wants us to search for truth, it cannot be wrong to act on the evidence that we find—even if this means changing our religion.Instead of presenting all religions as equal approaches to God, the Bible tells its readers not to believe everything they hear but to “test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God.” (1 John 4:1) For example, any teaching that truly originates with God must be in harmony with his personality, including his dominant quality of love.—1 John 4:8.
Although the Bible makes a clear distinction between true and false teachings, God allows each person the freedom to choose how he or she will respond. (Deuteronomy 30:19, 20) No one should be forced to worship in a way that he finds unacceptable or be made to choose between his beliefs and his family
For more information on this subject and others, please go to jw.org. for free downloads, publications or read online. There is also a These free online Bible study lessons are for everyone. You don’t need to be religious to benefit from them—all you need is a desire to learn the truth..