Institutional Religion's Shady Past

Let's take a few minutes to talk about institutional religion's shady past. This is in response to a comment someone left back in episode 46 (Who Has Bewitched You?) that deserves some attention. The comment was actually in two parts. The first part was more of an observation when this person said, "Communities used to be built around the church, literally." I agree with that. Entire communities existed around the centrality of the institutional church, but not always by choice.

This individual went to to ask, "Wasn't that a good thing that bonded communities?" I think this is a really good question that can't be answered with a simple yes or no. So let's take a closer look at it in light of a couple of snippets in church history and let's see if the way institutional Christianity bonded communities was a good thing that created genuine community.