Some thoughts I want to share especially after reading the many sincere great posts above.
Nothing I can say is either new, earth shattering, nor mine. I've had a rough faith journey and the pendulum of my little life has swung to and fro.
My salvation is not dependent upon brick and mortar churches. Yes, I believe the Christian church which has passed on the faith once received is divine in its non-corporeal sense. However, the ways in which we imperfect and flawed humans have handled our stewardship of the Church is, well, human and not at all praiseworthy. The Roman Catholic church for years harbored low life predatory perverts and moved them from parish to parish because the bishops either didn't care for the flocks or because "We need more priests for the Church, not less." The institution, or "religion" in that sense trumped the essence of faith and morals.
Other ministers have robbed from good honest people and have lived deeply offensive, anti-Christian lives. Charlatans and hypocrites going against the faith and morals once received.
So many mainline Protestant churches have chosen to collapse the First great commandment "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy mind." Now it's all about the second and seemingly only great commandment "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." The second allows the annoying, non trendy, and certainly antiquated Bible strictures to be placed aside. All sorts of new 'theologies' and rites are being shoved at the faithful in the pews.
Examples are all over the place. Solutions are beyond my pay grade I've learned.
People vote with their feet for sure, and that I think affects the institutional religions. My faith is mine, and doesn't depend upon pervert priests, arrogant bishops, agenda driven 'inclusionists,' nor Hollywood, Howard Stern or any of the other usual suspects.
History has had its ups and downs, but it has had its 'ups.' The dark is temporary if it's real at all. There will always be the science driven skeptics and nihilists. There will also always be the Billy Grahams, the Mother Teresas, Dietrich Bonhoeffers, and on and on.
God will decide when the 'end time' is and still hasn't included me in the memo distribution.
I will continue to try to be a Christian, and yes, go to my church, and pray and keep in mind Psalm 46……"Be still, and know that I am God."
Thanks for letting me go on and on, but I needed to say these things.