I have not attended a church regularly since I was 19. I read and have studied the general beliefs of many religions and feel that I do not need a denomination or a minister to tell me what I should believe and how I should believe it.
I believe that the old testament was inspired by God, but still written by man and written in terms understandable for that time. That is not to say that most of the general lessons of the old testament are not valuable, they certainly are. The new testament gives us the lessons of Christ and how we approach our relationship with God in new terms but they were still written and the writings themselves were selected by men long after Christ had risen. The scriptures were written and rewritten and reinterpreted over many centuries by man. Why would any one denomination or religion know the one and only precise meaning of God’s teaching. How arrogant is any man who would claim that he knows the true meaning of the mind of God while denying that another’s relationship with God and interpretation of teachings have any worth? The point is to have a relationship with Him and to live a worthy life following God’s moral lessons. If you find that in a particular denomination or religion then I applaud you. If you believe in nothing then you will live an empty life.
I abandoned the Catholic church when they took political stands on Viet Nam and revolution theology. Other denominations began to do the same things. One denomination tells me that if I do not believe and interpret the teachings of God and Christ in their way then I’m going to hell. Another denomination tells me the same. God gave us our mind to understand the basic lessons and tenants He wants us to live by rather than man’s numerous interpretations of what they think is the “word of God”.
Everyone is free to live and worship as they see fit and that does not include the right to push anything other than the general message of God and teachings of Christ. If a single religious group is able to impose specific interpretations and beliefs on the political system then we end up with just a different version of sharia law. And yes, although Islam is a political ideology rather than a religion they too believe very much in what they believe to be the word of God—written by man. They adhere to a man’s interpretation of “God’s word” and seek to force it on all others rather than living by the morals detailed in the Koran which were I believe simply stolen from other religious beliefs.