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Relationships and Religion
Relationship: Beyond the Institution of Religion

Relationship: Beyond the Institution of Religion

Last updated on: July 8, 2026 at 11:39 am by Benjamin Raven Pressley

Relationship: Beyond the Institution of Religion 2026-07-08T11:39:51-04:00 Benjamin Raven Pressley

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

We often use the words “religion” and “spirituality” interchangeably, but there is a profound difference between practicing a religion and having a relationship with the Creator. One is a system created by human hands; the other is a state of being.

To find true spiritual peace, we have to look past the rules, the rituals, and the hierarchies, and reconnect with what matters most.

The Human Invention of Religion

Historically, religion has frequently been used as a tool for control. Humans create rigid criteria, rules, regulations, and hierarchies—elevating people to titles like priests, shamans, or pastors to make them sound special.

While some religious organizations do wonderful work in their communities, that goodness doesn’t stem from the institution itself. It happens because individual people care about others and desire a connection with something greater.

Sadly, organized religion also has a dark side:

Extremism: Groups taking lives in the name of God, claiming divine instruction for horrific acts.
Exploitation: Media evangelists telling people on fixed incomes to send their last dimes in exchange for a promised miracle—manipulating faith for financial gain.

Anytime we build a structure around faith, we run the risk of creating God in our own image and twisting the divine to fit human agendas. In fact, anytime people try to create a system of ‘serving God’, they fall out of relationship and intimacy with God. If something is the truth, it should not be like a pendulum. It should be a straight, narrow path that is the same through any valley or over any mountain. It should be the one thing that is constant in this life.

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
Matthew 7:13-14

Having a relationship with God rather than following a particular religion is what God always intended for us.

There is a reason that Apostle John called Christ ‘The Word’ in John 1:1. The original Greek word used for ‘Word’ was ‘Logos’. Logos implies ‘The Way’. The English word does not even begin to express the depth of the meaning being expressed here. It is so underestimated and unappreciated. It is expressing that even before time, the Word has gone forth in one form or another, the word of the Creator himself. The Word of the Creator has always been there to hear and to guide every pilgrim’s pathway and to never let them forget who they were, as well as who they are and who they will be. There is that which is spoken and that which is written. Very often, what is written by man elevates itself as more important than that which was spoken by the Creator. So, beware of what is spoken lest it be written in stone and your heart become that stone it is written upon. We are not alone and we are never really lost, for it was the Word that was spoken that has begat all things. The Word speaks its voice in all things, from the loudest voice to the whispering wind; it speaks. Do you think you are lost? Look about you; there is always a word that speaks, a sign, a lamp to your feet, or a light to your path (Psalm 119:105). Because the Word speaks, we may boldly proclaim that which is not as though it already were (Romans 4:17). Because the Word speaks, we may walk in a land we have never walked before. There are words on paper and stone, but I show you a mystery that The Word is written upon the heart. The Word is always speaking to our hearts, enlightening our minds, strengthening our feet and hands. Listen, for it speaks…it always speaks. This alone is true spirituality.

What the Bible Actually Says

If you look closely at the scriptures, you’ll find that Jesus didn’t come to earth to start a new religion. The Holy Bible isn’t a religious textbook; it is a story of connection.

Consider a few historical truths that often get overlooked:

The Word “Christian” Was Originally an Insult

The term “Christian” only appears three times in the Bible, and it was originally used as a derogatory term meaning “little Christ.” Critics were mocking the disciples. However, the disciples accepted it because they wanted to imitate Christ and continue his work on earth. Today, the word has become so distorted it can mean almost anything.

We Don’t “Go” to Church; We Are the Church

People often say they are going to church, but the scriptures make it clear that the church isn’t a building. It is defined as “where two or three are gathered in my name.” (Matthew 18:20). Sitting in a church building doesn’t make you a Christian any more than sitting in a garage makes you a car, or going to McDonald’s makes you a hamburger.

Beware Of Getting Mixed Up In Movements

Beware of getting mixed up in movements. God is Spirit. I think he can express himself any way he wants. Different cultures experienced him in different ways. He has gone by many different names to different cultures. In this modern day and time, we have the Bible at the core of his revelation of who he is. In the Bible, he reveals his character and in Jesus and the Apostles we have the most plausible fulfilled revelation of who God is and how we should live. Unfortunately, through time, people have made a religion out of the Bible and I do not believe God ever intended us to be bound under a religion but free to have a relationship with him and that is as individualized as each person is unique. God is complete in and of himself. He doesn’t need our religions to define him. Religion would have us think it is a matter of our good list being longer than our bad list to go to heaven. And what is good and what is bad is usually defined by the particular religion. I don’t think any of us are that good if we are honest with ourselves. That is why we need to believe in a truth that is outside ourselves to guide us and as we enter into that truth which is Christ, the Word, the Logos and he into us. Then he guides us in this life with no fear of the life to come. That will take care of itself in its time. If we are in a relationship with him, then he will take us from where we are to where we need to be and that journey will be different for everyone.

Design, Evolution, and the Complexity of Creation

We live in an age where science is often used to dismiss the divine. But if you look at the sheer complexity of the universe, the idea that it all happened by accident feels incomplete.

Think about this: If you found a pocket watch on the beach, you wouldn’t assume it evolved from a seashell. You would recognize it was made by a designer. Yet, the human body is infinitely more complex than any watch. Our brains and our eyes are so complex. Our blood vessels could wrap around the Earth multiple times if laid end-to-end. Since scientists have decoded DNA it has been described as pure information and information is the product of design. Read my previous article on ‘The Case For Intelligent Life’. All of these things point to a deliberate design. Even in anthropology, when we look at an ancient stone arrowhead, we instantly know a human hand shaped it because it shows intent. Why should we view our own existence any differently?

We know a watch didn’t evolve from a seashell, but we struggle with whether humans evolved?

Choose To Listen To Your Spirit Over Your Flesh

System Role Body Communicates with the world via five senses; driven by instant gratification. Soul The bridge; houses our mind, will, and emotions; the power to choose. Spirit Communicates with the Creator; the seat of intuition and higher thought.

When we make choices aligned with eternal truths rather than instant physical gratification, we begin walking in the spirit rather than the flesh.

The Path to True Enlightenment

The Creator has gone by many names throughout history across different cultures—whether it is God, Jehovah, or the Native American “Great Spirit Wakan Tanka.” When Moses asked God for a name, the response was simply, “I AM THAT I AM.” Brilliant! It is the most complete description possible: I am everything, I am in everything, and nothing exists without me. John 1:3 says, **“**Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”

True spiritual enlightenment means moving past the confusion of religious dogmas. It means you stop struggling, stop jumping from church to church, and stop trying to satisfy human-made checklists. Instead, you find a place of deep, unshakeable peace with the Creator.

You don’t need a specific building, a denomination, or a religious personality to follow. You just need to walk in harmony with the Creator, understanding that every step you take, and every thought in your heart, has a purpose in this universe.

It isn’t just happenstance that religions continuously keep popping up and twisting the truth. There is an intelligence behind it. The Bible warns that we have an enemy called the Devil.

The Bible emphasizes that this adversary—who also goes by Satan, meaning “adversary”—wages a spiritual war against God’s creation. Several key scriptures provide context on who he is and how to stand firm:

1 Peter 5:9-10: Instructs believers to resist the devil by standing firm in the faith and remembering that suffering is a shared experience among the global community of believers.
Ephesians 6:11-12: Reminds Christians to “put on the whole armor of God” to stand against his schemes, noting that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers”.
James 4:7: Offers a direct offensive strategy: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
John 8:44: Unveils the devil’s tactics, stating that “he is a liar and the father of lies,” with “no truth in him”.

You have an enemy who wishes to put a stop to your prayers and quiet the oracles that speak for the sacred. He knows that if he can stop them for even a short season, the people will soon get used to it. And once the truth becomes more and more absent, then those who speak truth will soon sound like hate, for truth sounds like hate to those who hate truth. Remove the sense of the sacred, and nothing is sacred. The enemy wants you to respond with fear, hysteria and hopelessness. Then the enemy points a finger at the good and sacred as if they were to blame until that which is good becomes evil. He knows if he does so long enough, eventually that which is evil will be called good and that which is good will be called evil. He loves to get our eyes focused on the wrong thing, just like the sleight of hand of a magician in a magic show. Give him enough time and he will have you even cursing and blaming the sacred, knowing that it is our sense of the sacred that empowers us to overcome. The enemy’s ultimate goal is to beat you down and take away your power, but to do that, he has to destroy that in which you stand. His goal is to make you feel beaten down and afraid to the point of giving up. Then he will step in when you are at your weakest and get you to turn to him as your savior and get you so low that you will even beg for what he has to offer and even sell your soul for it. Beware when people sell their souls for a loaf of bread. It is our sense of the sacred that is our moral compass and the secret power that the enemy cannot defeat.

That is the core message I am trying to share with you. Breaking free from the traditions and rigid religious structures that hold us down is the first step toward reaching your full potential and finding a genuine, unburdened relationship with God. When you put that connection first, it gives you the clarity and strength to make better choices in your daily life. My ultimate goal in life is simply to see people get set free and step into their true, designed purpose.

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Thank you so much for investing your time with me today. If this message resonated with you, please consider sharing it so we can help more people discover the peace of a relationship over religion.

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About Benjamin Raven Pressley

Benjamin Raven Pressley is an author, teacher and spiritual guide. He is of Cherokee heritage. He has been a follower of the teachings of Jesus Christ and the apostles since 1975. His independent studies include the Holy Bible as well as other holy books of other religions. He is ordained by the Universal Life Church. He is a self-taught naturalist and his love and respect for nature is evident in many of the things he writes. He has authored several books on spirituality as well as a fantasy series and books on survival skills. He does not consider himself to be a religious person but believes true spirituality is an all-encompassing view of life and invites open discussion on matters of spirituality. You can read more about the author here.

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