The quote in the title is taken from a passage in a chapter of LDS scripture titled Joseph Smith History. This chapter describes a heavenly vision in which Joseph Smith has a dialogue with Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith is asking Jesus which church/sect he should join and receives a surprisingly candid and negative response:

18 My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join. 19 I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.” 20 He again forbade me to join with any of them; …”

When I hear people complain about organized religion and it’s negative effects on history and people, I think they are merely observing what Jesus himself is saying about organized religion - in the passage above.

I bring this up because of something I read today.

In its sideblog section, By Common Consent linked to an article titled “Religion Beat Becomes A Test of Faith” by William Lobdell. This article basically explains how, over an extended period of time, Mr. Lobdell lost his faith in organized religion. He writes critically, even searingly, of corruption within the Catholic and evangelical churches and he clearly knows quite a bit about his subject.

He doesn’t neglect to give Mormons some critical attention as well:

In late 2001, I traveled to Salt Lake City to attend a conference of former Mormons. These people lived mostly in the Mormon Jell-O belt — Utah, Idaho, Arizona — so-named because of the plates of Jell-O that inevitably appear at Mormon gatherings. They found themselves ostracized in their neighborhoods, schools and careers. Often, they were dead to their own families. “If Mormons associate with you, they think they will somehow become contaminated and lose their faith too,” Suzy Colver told me. “It’s almost as if people who leave the church don’t exist.” The people at the conference were an eclectic bunch: novelists and stay-at-home moms, entrepreneurs and cartoonists, sex addicts and alcoholics. Some were depressed, others angry, and a few had successfully moved on. But they shared a common thread: They wanted to be honest about their lack of faith and still be loved. In most pockets of Mormon culture, that wasn’t going to happen. Part of what drew me to Christianity were the radical teachings of Jesus — to love your enemy, to protect the vulnerable and to lovingly bring lost sheep back into the fold. As I reported the story, I wondered how faithful Mormons — many of whom rigorously follow other biblical commands such as giving 10% of their income to the church — could miss so badly on one of Jesus’ primary lessons?

I think the whole article deserves serious attention - he basically skewers religious groups for their hypocrisy and leaves his readers with a lot to think about.