Mrs. Smith wrote, “…It is a great pity that the great and organized religious bodies fail to recognize the simplicity of Christ. His true philosophy of life has been lost to them and how can it be otherwise when he has been imprisoned in the church? I am not trying to belittle the good of the church, which is a necessary place of comfort for some, but an enlightened preacher once wrote that ‘the great use of the church is to enable people to do without it.'” What is Creator’s perspective?

There are truths in these words because of the history of the church and the many things, good and bad, it has done to people who turn to religion for solace and for meaning so their lives can have a purpose, and for them to feel they are living in harmony with divine intention and expectations, both. The true benefit of religion is to inculcate belief in the divine which is vital for living a successful and happy life in the truest sense. Without the divine, you will miss out on many things and the life will be one of increasing diminishment through dissipation and neglect. Your spiritual nature might still shine through, allowing you to be what is referred to as a "good person," wanting to do the right thing, wanting to help and not hurt, and so on. Those are spiritual principles you are drawn to because you are an extension of Creator's consciousness, innately. The fact the church might reflect the wisdom of following divine principles does not mean they are the only source of such wisdom and the only way in which people become motivated to be altruistic and not self-serving, but they are a useful and powerful instrument to help people get off on the right foot and have a strong motivation to stay in divine alignment and live according to divine principles. The sad and negative aspect of their influence is all too often there are remonstrations to instill fear to keep people in their traces, so to speak, following religious dogma under the threat of eternal damnation. This is a corruption and a dangerous development that has turned many against God and caused many to leave the church and feel the Scriptures are unreliable because they seem to be contradictory and, in some ways, not fully divine. These are corruptions that are sensed, rightly so, and cause much confusion and loss of faith. The embodiment of Christ's teachings was indeed simple, that God is real, God is within, and following divine principles is a duty and purpose of the self to be true to their origins and the divine purpose for their existence. Everyone has a higher calling, but not all will heed this. Anything that works against the inner knowing and belief of people through causing doubt, confusion, and fear is a disservice and a mixed blessing at best. There is always a need to do soul searching to fine-tune things, to consider the possibility there are deeper truths, so even what one has come to believe might need to be reworked, refashioned in some way, refined, and perhaps weeded out to choose what is truly valid and what might not be. The signal mistake of religion across the board is the assumption one must be devout, accept what one is given through the ancient writings without question, to take it literally and unfailingly in all circumstances, when this is almost impossible given that the Scriptures themselves are often vague and metaphorical, so it is impossible to know with certainty where and when they might apply and where and when they might not. Your relationship with us was intended to be a working partnership, meaning, "a journey," hopefully of growth and learning so there would be an expansion; understandably, starting from a meager beginning as an infant, but then learning along the way, and eventually maturing into an enlightened being, and thriving from the benefits of divine wisdom imparted to you if you are open and allowing, for us to interact. So this rather dark view of the church has more than a grain of truth in its assessment. This is most unfortunate, but we would not throw the baby out with the bathwater to reject religion entirely when it is at least an effective starting point for people to develop a belief in the Almighty. If one is given the perspective that they do have a choice in things and can use their own discernment, and what is important is the basic belief, and that they have within them, in the feelings within their heart, the ability to assess what is meaningful and true, they will likely head in the right direction, and if that is continued, will live an effective life and be able to make contributions to their own welfare and the welfare of others, and that is the purpose of life, after all.