I have always thought of church in terms as a place for worship, fellowship with other believers, a source to grow and understand. I have never thought of church as a filter for my contact with God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit. I think this is probably the source of the big disconnect between most Christian Sects and the RC's and EO.
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INDEED. Likely so.
I agree wholeheartedly. Church at best facilitates intimacy with God. When it has attempted to filter--it's always been abusive, imho. And, God has NOT been at all pleased.
God wants . . . Christ died that we might each individually have INTIMACY WITH DADDY.
Or in another Biblical analogy of Christ's Love for the Church . . . His Body . . .
Who wants the magisterical in the honey moon bed???
interestingly Christ asserted that the only way to the father was through the son and that the church was the body of Christ.
seems to me that your 'go directly to God' ideology has no basis in scripture.