The second lie locked in this cliche is the implication that all religions are man made constructions. This has filtered down to the general population from a kind of generic Protestantism in our country. Protestantism teaches that all denominations are man made and provisional. You shop around and simply choose the church you like best. What the “all churches are man made and provisional” folks don’t see coming is the logical conclusion that if all churches are man made and provisional then why bother with church at all? If they’re man made, why shouldn’t I make my own and be spiritual but not religious?This article is focused on a different topic, the idea that one can be spiritual but not religious, but this paragraph really jumped out at me. As a Catholic that has several agnostic/atheist friends, they have clearly bought into this myth. They reject religion because it is "so clear that it is just man made rules". It took me quite a while to unwrap where this idea came from. Which is odd, because I went through a long stretch where I felt the same way before eventually recognizing the truth that the Catholic Church is NOT man made, it is the one Church, the one religion that was given to us by God himself. Strange that having been raised Catholic I could come to accept the "man made" myth. Speaks volumes about my childhood catechesis, but... How did this idea come to be "conventional wisdom"?
I came to the same realization that Father L. has stated here, it's the inevitable result of Protestantism. Christianity without Apostolic Succession and Papal Authority is man made. The only way we know that Bible is inerrant and contains the inspired Word of God is because Jesus Christ, God himself, created the Church and guaranteed it would not fail in preserving the Truth and passing it on generation to generation. Rejection of His Church is rejection of Christ. Then you are making your own religion.
Sadly, that's the heritage of this country...
