Sunday Reflections: Continuing The Thought

By Pastor Dai Morgan of

was an observation on a subject that I called “Do-It-Yourself Religion.” It has been suggested that many people these days appear to be defining their religious ideas to fit their own preferences.

For whatever reasons, there appears to be a growing tendency for individuals to be satisfied with their own idiosyncratic theologies. George Barna, a researcher of religion in contemporary culture, has observed, “People say, ‘I believe in God. I believe the Bible is a good book. And then I believe whatever I want.’” 

According to Barna, what Americans believe about God and how they express it is changing. In last week’s piece, I also observed that mainstream Christian denominations have been experiencing declining membership during recent decades. Could there be a connection?

As for myself, I have observed the Do-It-Yourself Religion phenomenon. It is happening. In addition, I believe that institutional religion, in our time, is undergoing a cultural transformation—in the next decade or two, I wouldn’t be surprised to see significant changes in the religious establishment.

However, I am not worried about the staying power of Christianity. And, though Do-It-Yourself Religion might be a trend, I am not sure how significant it really is, in the overall picture. I concluded last week’s blog with a question: Is the issue of do-it-yourself religious thinking a contributing element in the decline of traditional church participation?

This, then, is the background for today’s column. 

I’d like to continue a line of thought from last week by responding to a comment offered in response to that piece. The writer identified him/herself as LogicGuru. Following is the comment:

“Churches have to accept their proper role as liturgy mills. People should go to church and believe whatever they please. The whole purpose of churches is to maintain buildings as holy, spooky places and put on elaborate rituals for people to enjoy. People should go to church, support the institution in order to see to it that it can maintain the buildings and put on the ceremonies, and believe whatever they please.”

Thanks for responding to my column LogicGuru. Though, I suspect that we have differing views on theology, the purpose of the blog format is to invite an exchange of ideas. I appreciate your willingness to join in the dialogue. I will comment on three ideas that you have expressed.

First, “People should go to church and believe whatever they please:” Of course, taken literally, this statement gets at the heart of my point, last week. People should not necessarily believe whatever they please. 

People have a right to believe whatever they want. However, not every belief is credible. In the case of Christianity, there is not a lot that one needs to believe. It is not complicated—although, different traditions might emphasize different perspectives and add their own doctrines. To be a Christian, there are ideas that one must accept. Likewise, there are ideas that must be rejected. This is true for any philosophy, worldview or belief system. The problem with do-it-yourself religious thinking is that ideas that are unacceptable and incompatible with Christianity get mixed in.

Second, “The whole purpose of churches is to maintain buildings…and put on elaborate rituals….” Even though this statement needs to be identified for what it is, a Glittering Generality, I must admit that there are some cases where your observation is true. In the changing religious landscape, to which I’ve alluded, I expect that many such churches will be going out of business. However, as two of the other responders to my blog pointed out—the church is about people. Jesus commanded that we love neighbor as well as God. As long as the building and ritual serve the needs of the community of believers and the outreach of the congregation, there will be nothing “spooky” about church.

Third, “People should go to church (and) support the institution….” Though you have used sarcasm well, LogicGuru, I will again take your words literally. “Institution” is the key word, here. There are certainly problems with institutions—especially, when preservation of the institution becomes more important than its purpose. However, the institution also preserves collective memory, guards intellectual integrity and provides the means for large-scale actions. It promotes community—whereas Do-It-Yourself religion doesn’t need community. And you realize, the Church as an institution still provides most of the humanitarian services in America. 

Indeed, I would repeat your words, “People should go to church and support the institution.” Put another way: Try it, you might like it!