Why the Church? Because We Need Her Help

Over the years I have had many discussions with so called “Nones” as to whether one really needs “a church.” And that phase “a church,” alone, bespeaks a less than adequate education.

“A church” (lower case ‘c’) is just a building.  “The Church” (upper case ‘C’), on the other hand, is “the kingdom of Christ now present in mystery . . . a people made one with the unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit” [Lumen Gentium, #3 and #4].

So when the Nones talk about the need for “a church,” they are partially right, but probably not in sense that they actually mean.

The ‘Nones’

Surveys over the last several years have shown a rising number of Nones in the USA with no religious affiliation. A recent survey indicated that the number has risen from 16% in 2007 to 28% of adults in 2025. A common refrain is “God yes but church no.”

That same survey asked questions to get at the nature of the Nones beliefs. While they did not profess a formal religion the majority did hold some kind of “spiritual” beliefs. For example:

• 70% believed in God or a higher power.
• 63% believed there was something spiritual beyond the natural world, even though they couldn’t see it.
• 64% believe what is essential to being spiritual is being connected with something bigger than themselves.
• 56% believe in a higher power, but it’s not the God of the Bible.

When respondents were asked why they don’t have a formal religion, the most frequent answers were as follows:

• 60% stated they questioned a lot of religious teachings.
• 47% stated they didn’t like religious organizations
• 41% said they didn’t see a need for religion in their life.
• 30% said they had a bad experience with religious people.

These answers certainly point to many issues to address in our evangelization efforts.

I ask similar questions to my RCIA participants. While most are seeking to join the Catholic Church there have been some Nones who question the nature of God and/or the need for “a church.” It seems they are on a quest for some kind of “spirituality” that they cannot even define.

Questioning as learning

I believe life is an ongoing learning process. It never stops. In that light, just as in our school years, we often need direction for that learning. So it is regarding one’s “spiritual” learning.

In an attempt to address Nones’ issues, both in and out of the RCIA process, I am reminded of a Thomas Aquinas quote as to the three things necessary for the salvation of man:

“To know what he ought to believe; to know what he ought to desire; to know what he ought to do.”

To be able to answer such questions requires “schooling.” We might describe that schooling as a process that answers questions we cannot answer by ourselves. We need help. The Church is the vehicle that can provide the schooling we need.

A spiritual education as to what we ought to believe

The Church provides knowledge. I was originally a nothing, then a Lutheran, and finally a Catholic. I acknowledge that going to a Lutheran high school educated me on many Christian faith basics, and for that I am grateful. The Catholic Church expanded that spiritual learning with greater authenticity and authority.

Would I have truly learned about who God is, and what our true relationship to him is all about without the Church? I doubt it. Sure, it’s possible to learn some things about God through nature and reading the Bible. However, I need help with that full faith understanding especially in regard to Jesus Christ. The Church provides that help.

A spiritual morality as to how we ought to act

In my younger years I was somewhat rebellious and immoral. I thought I could “set my own rules.” However, the Judeo-Christian ethic and morality was prevalent in the culture growing up in the 1940s-50s. That ethic provided a guidance for actions toward others, toward our community, and our God. Consequently, I recall some inherent guilt from actions but didn’t understand it all.

The Catholic Church provided an additional education beside teaching me about God and our relationship to him. It taught me that learning requires a wide variety of moral actions based on that faith – a moral code. Spiritual practices are an extension of this moral code. These are actions that provide us with the obligatory responsibilities if we are to truly have a spiritual relationship with God as a higher power.

There is a natural law revealed as God’s law. The Judeo-Christian ethic is a reflection of this law. However, today’s culture diminishes that ethic. Consequently, would I have truly learned fully about how to act on that faith without the Church? I doubt it. I need help with that morality. The Church provides that help.

A spiritual, sacramental experience of what we ought to desire

A popular refrain heard in Protestant circles is the importance of having a desire for a “personal relationship with Jesus.” Likewise, a common spiritual longing is to “feel” God’s presence.

The Catholic Church provides sacraments that are a means of providing grace and God’s actual presence in our lives. It is reflective of what we ought to desire.

Sacraments are outward signs instituted by Christ, and entrusted to the Church, to give grace. They are channels through which God gives to the faithful particular graces at various points in life, such as in the Sacraments of Baptism and Marriage, or more frequently in the Eucharist and Confession.

As the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1116) states “Sacraments are “powers that comes forth” from the Body of Christ, which is ever-living and life-giving. They are actions of the Holy Spirit at work in his Body, the Church. They are “the masterworks of God” in the new and everlasting covenant.”

I am sure it is possible to experience God’s presence through nature or other means. However, would it be possible to fully experience God’s presence and associated graces such as in the body and blood of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist? I doubt it. I need help. The Church provides that help.

A spiritual community experience called “Church”

Beyond the three things necessary that Aquinas defined is the need for community. We live in a secular society that is becoming increasingly a “relativist “culture. As such, there are many anti-Christian and specifically anti-Catholic currents.

John Donne’s famous quote, “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main” rings true in today’s culture. To maintain and practice any faith needs a supportive community. Just as we all need a physical family so we need a faith family.

The Catholic Church provides a base for the support we need to sustain faith. It is a “we” religion not a “me” one. We learn about faith, we learn our morality and our responsibilities, and receive Gods sacramental grace and presence through community. Would I have experienced such a supportive community without the Church? I doubt it. I need help being part of such a community. The Church provides that help.

Faulty individualism

Our post-Christian culture and educational system indoctrinated many of us (including many Nones) into an individualistic ethic that emphasized total self-reliance. We were encouraged to be rugged individuals owing nothing to anybody but ourselves. That was very much my attitude many years ago.

However, this is a false perception.  A key characteristic of humans is that we are learners. To be learners we necessarily yield to higher authorities for our learning. First, we yield to our parents and family, then to teachers and coaches. We also concede to supervisors, mentors and to the government with its laws.

In terms of “spiritual” learning, why not yield to a “Church” that can help us? The above examples all require one to seek a higher authority than oneself.

As Paul comments in Colossians 1:18:

“He (Jesus Christ) is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He himself might be preeminent.”

What better teacher to search out than an institution created by Christ.

To be sure, there are charges that the Church has done harmful things. This is often offered as an excuse for not seeking its help.

However, it is important to recognize that the Church is a human institution populated by both sinners and saints. When someone within the Church does evil it is not because of what the Church teaches, and it is not the Church doing evil. It is the individual choosing to deny or pervert the Church’s teachings that is doing the evil.

The road to belief, practice, and desire is about having the humility to defer to something greater and more knowledgeable than oneself.  It’s a matter of swallowing one’s pride and admitting that no man is an island.  It’s about admitting the need for help.