> I can understand why people, even those who believe in a god, would be against organized religion. Any number of Buddhist sects could be said to fit this model, and obviously deism does as well (though there are probably some organized deists).

In answer to a question you didn't really ask: Yes, there are organised Deists. (Capital letter, please, as it's a religion, just like Buddhism. Sorry, pet peeve of mine.) One such group is the World Union of Deists, who I wish hadn't registered deism.com and made it look like the homepage of someone who wears a tinfoil helmet. They're rather strident, off-putting, and more about Let's Rid the World of the Benighted Forces of All Religions (Except Our Own Kthxbye) than anything else. I have much more in common with the other major group, the United Deist Church at deism.org. They're still a little bit arrogant (as I freely admit Deists tend to be), but overall they're saner, nicer, and more moderate. Their website is also a lot less embarrassing.

One of the perennial arguments at the Deist forum where I lurk revolves around whether organisation is desirable, or even good. A quickly summarised version of the more popular arguments: The people who want an organised Deist "church" point to the importance of fellowship and the natural human desire for ritual. The people who are against it talk about how quickly ritual can develop into dogma, and how having "services" would make Deist gatherings too much like those in conventional churches.

The way I see it, there's certainly no harm in getting people together for discussion and support, but I start getting uncomfortable when people start talking about more formal rites, and definitely when people start throwing the word "church" around. I don't see the point in rejecting organised religion, only to turn around and organise all over again. I think it's just that people can't shake the idea that if they have a religion, then it should involve a brick building where lots of people light candles/sing/recite things, and that they should feel guilty if they don't have any of that. It makes me sort of sad when people let those kinds of conventions become constrictions.

-Cynth"the only thing organised about me is my CD collection"ia