Nana you have just perfectly put my thoughts into words. I have always questioned the bible because it was written by man and man is flawed. Whether it be accidental or intentional we just have no way of knowing if translations and interpretations are accurate. I firmly believe that the only thing that we can trust is our conscience, the only and only direct link to God. I always tell people we all have the direct number to God, so why would you use anything other than that. My belief, souly based on personal experience is that churches and religion take us further from God instead of closer as they falsely claim. I find myself wondering if organized religion isnt the true antichrist. Thank you so much for posting😘

Some are very evil for sure!

Having been a member of a conservative church and a progressive one (not at the same time) and finishing a degree in ministry last year, what I understand about "organized religion" is that it is a construct built by imperfect humans. Therefore, we will have an imperfect product. The key, I think, is pursuing the concept of humility and prioritizing that over ego. If a poor message is produced by the pastor/priest, then you end up with a spiritually unhealthy congregation. In studying the Apostles, they were masters of being humble before God, and when they weren't, those who had direct access to Jesus were reminded of their place. Then is the next step-asking for forgiveness. It is very hard to be humble enough to admit our failings if our ego is in the way. In Revelation, the warnings are given to the churches for poor behavior. The bible has gone through multiple changes over centuries (done by men.) Originally, the 'bible' was all spoken word.