As far as I can tell, churches are no more than meeting places. They probably were originally intended as the old "pagan" temples were, to be a focal point, where God(TM) literally was closest to Earth, or whatever. But now it's just a high-tech comfort zone. Why bother doing a personal prayer on your knees on the cold hard floor, when you can go sit in a plush pew at a church once a week and fake pray? The pastor even does the prayers for you! All you have to do is show up!

Well, that's what seems to happen in my experience. There's no room for personal things during my church services (not that I try, of course). It's just scripted, like reality TV.

It became commercialized as soon as people started building churches. Everyone says how can you not believe in God, look around you God is everywhere. So why build a structure to whorship him in? You can go outside and whorship everything around you, you are his creation whorship youself, I dont understand how people build churches with big screen TV's state of the art sound systems, and spend all this money to become closer to God. I think church is bogus.

You've said the obvious.

Even the goverment uses religion as its tool. Politicians say they're Christian to attract voters; God knows they may be Satanists. Music artists with videos of scantily-clad females and drugs make a song about God to soften their image.

It's not the religion, it's the people.

Churches are like golf clubs; a select few get in, a select few fit in. Otherwise, you may get in but glared upon.

But that has happened in all religions.