Antrocles, I too prefer to have my own religious experience without the belief system of an organized religion. For me, all organized religions in their attempts to explain reality with their fictitious stories actually prevent me from being able to fully experience God.
For me the whole problem with most religions is that you have to park your brain outside the church because what’s taught to you within the church is not based in fact. Pretty much every religion there is attempts to explain the unexplainable with stories that are untrue or unproven. That’s a real problem for me. I cannot just accept something that is written on paper or said by another human unless there is factual evidence behind it.
With that said, I strongly believe in God, I am strongly spiritual, but not the least bit religious. For me, being able to legally use ayahuasca to have my own personal spiritual experience at home with my loved ones would be a fantastic move forward in the freedom of religion. For me, it is not possible to experience a full religious experience without the aid of such plants.
I have a lot of respect for the words of Jesus.
Jesus said, "when thou prayest, enter into thy closet."
He’s telling you that your link to God is a personal thing and should not be displayed in public. That is exactly how I feel it should be. For me, a religious experience is a personal thing, an intimate experience between me and God, not a bunch of people at a church. However, I do believe the church can be a positive social environment to help spread the knowledge of God and spirituality when it’s done right.
What I dislike is when things are said in church that are not based in fact and they don’t make that clear. If something that has no facts to back it up is taught in church, if its made clear that it’s a belief with no facts to back it up that’s fine. The existence of God and the creation of the universe have no facts to back them up. It should be made clear at church that these are great mysteries. I know personally that God exists, but there is no evidence to back it up. I know the universe exists, but there is no evidence showing how it came to be or how its even possible. It’s a great mystery, and for me that makes it even more magical.