Religion and Power: Why Humanity Must Return to God Beyond Institutions

Human history cannot be told without the presence of religion. For millennia, faith has shaped civilizations, inspired art and culture, provided moral direction, and offered comfort to billions. At its best, religion has been a compass pointing toward compassion, justice, and transcendence. Yet, at its worst, it has also been a tool of oppression, exploitation, and violence—often distorted by men in power who place themselves as gatekeepers between humanity and God. Across the globe, religion has frequently been weaponized to maintain control, entrench political authority, and silence questioning voices.

The tension, therefore, is not between faith and humanity but between God and the institutions that claim to represent Him. As the world grows increasingly complex, polarized, and weary of institutional hypocrisy, there is an urgent call for spiritual renewal: one that seeks God beyond temples, mosques, churches, or synagogues—beyond the structures that have too often prioritized control over liberation.

The Historical Marriage of Religion and Power

From ancient empires to modern states, rulers have long understood that religion is one of the most potent instruments of influence. Pharaohs in Egypt were considered divine. Medieval kings in Europe claimed the “divine right to rule,” sanctioned by the church. Colonial powers used religion as both a justification for conquest and a means of pacifying the conquered. In many Islamic empires, religious leaders acted as both spiritual and legal authorities, tying loyalty to God with loyalty to the state.

The pattern is clear: institutions claiming to speak for God often align themselves with political power. By presenting obedience to rulers as obedience to the divine, dissent becomes heresy, and rebellion becomes sin. This marriage of religion and power has made it possible for atrocities—wars, inquisitions, slavery, colonization—to be carried out in God’s name, often with devastating consequences for the vulnerable.

Institutional Hypocrisy and the Erosion of Trust

In the modern world, religious institutions continue to wield tremendous influence—but they are also facing unprecedented crises of credibility. From megachurches to mosques, temples to synagogues, institutions are suffering from a widening gap between their proclaimed ideals and their lived practices.

Scandals have shaken trust globally. The Catholic Church has been rocked by decades of sexual abuse revelations, with systemic cover-ups that prioritized protecting the institution over protecting victims. Televangelists in the United States have built personal empires worth millions by preaching prosperity while their followers languish in debt and despair. In some African countries, “miracle pastors” exploit poverty, promising wealth and healing in exchange for cash. In parts of Asia and the Middle East, clerics have been caught between preaching peace and quietly endorsing authoritarian regimes.

This hypocrisy cuts deeper than individual misconduct. It reflects an institutional reflex: to preserve authority and image at any cost. Leaders often focus less on embodying the values they preach—justice, humility, honesty—and more on guarding their influence. The result is devastating: believers feel betrayed, disillusioned, and spiritually starved. When institutions that are supposed to represent God act contrary to the values of God, they create a moral fracture that many cannot reconcile.

That fracture is most visible among the youth. Surveys in Europe, North America, and increasingly Africa and Asia show a rising number of young people identifying as “nones”—religiously unaffiliated. They are not rejecting spirituality outright; many still pray, meditate, or believe in higher power. What they are rejecting is institutional hypocrisy: the gap between sermons about love and the practice of exclusion; between preaching about honesty and the cover-up of abuses; between calls to sacrifice and the lavish lifestyles of religious elites.

For many, the message is clear: institutions cannot be trusted to carry the sacred flame. And as this trust erodes, so too does the authority of institutionalized religion in shaping global ethics and morality.

The Cry for a Spiritual Renewal

Yet, in this erosion lies the seed of renewal. Around the world, the collapse of institutional credibility is not leading only to cynicism—it is also sparking a hunger for authentic spirituality. People are seeking God beyond the stained-glass windows, beyond the gilded mosques, beyond the confines of denominations and titles.

Spiritual renewal begins with the recognition that God’s voice cannot be monopolized. No single bishop, imam, rabbi, or guru has the right to claim absolute ownership of divine truth. Instead, faith must return to its essence: an unmediated encounter with the divine through prayer, reflection, service, and community.

This renewal is already visible in multiple ways. In Latin America, many are leaving traditional churches to form small, grassroots faith communities focused on mutual care and justice. In Europe and North America, “new monastic” movements are emerging, prioritizing simplicity, shared living, and care for the marginalized over hierarchy. In Africa and Asia, traditional spiritual practices are being rediscovered and revalued as complements to global religions, allowing individuals to engage faith more directly and personally.

The cry for renewal is not merely about rethinking worship styles or doctrines—it is about rediscovering the radical heart of religion. Every faith tradition began as a movement of renewal: Jesus overturning the tables of the money changers; Muhammad challenging tribal injustice; the Buddha breaking away from Brahmanic ritualism to seek enlightenment. These movements were not about institutions but about truth. Over time, however, the radical spirit hardened into systems designed to preserve power. Renewal calls humanity to melt those hardened structures and reignite the original fire.

Spiritual renewal also demands new priorities. Instead of institutional survival, the focus must be human flourishing. Instead of defending hierarchies, faith must elevate justice, love, and mercy. Instead of obsessing over control, it must cultivate humility. This is not about destroying institutions altogether—they may still serve as spaces for community and learning—but it is about refusing to let them overshadow God.

Separating God from Institutional Dominance

One of the most critical steps in this renewal is separating God from institutional dominance. When people equate God with the failures of religious institutions, faith collapses under the weight of hypocrisy. But when God is understood as greater than the institutions, space opens for authentic spirituality.

Consider Jesus, who challenged the religious authorities of His time for turning temples into marketplaces and for burdening people with oppressive laws. Consider the Prophet Muhammad, who emphasized justice, compassion, and equality, often in direct opposition to tribal and patriarchal customs. Consider the Buddha, who rejected ritualistic Brahmanic practices in favor of personal enlightenment. These figures point us toward a faith that transcends institutions, even when working within them.

In the 21st century, returning to God beyond institutions means centering values—justice, love, mercy, humility—over dogma, titles, and hierarchies. It means refusing to let faith be reduced to a tool of political campaigns or a justification for violence. It means recognizing God’s presence in the ordinary, in the poor, in nature, and in the collective human yearning for meaning.

A Universal Struggle

This struggle is not unique to one region or religion. In the United States, the “Christian Right” often wields enormous political influence, blending nationalism with theology in ways that alienate millions. In parts of the Middle East, authoritarian regimes use Islam to legitimize repression while silencing reformers. In India, Hindu nationalism has turned a diverse spiritual tradition into a political weapon. In Africa, Pentecostal megachurches thrive, yet some prey on poverty with promises of prosperity that never materialize.

What unites these examples is the distortion of faith for power. The consequence is global disillusionment. But the opportunity lies in the growing chorus of people calling for spirituality beyond institutions: activists, theologians, and ordinary believers who insist that God cannot be confined to dogma or wielded as a weapon.

Toward a New Vision of Faith

If humanity is to heal from the wounds inflicted by institutionalized religion, we must cultivate a new vision of faith. This vision begins with humility: the recognition that no single institution, leader, or tradition has a monopoly on God. It continues with inclusivity, honoring the voices of women, youth, and marginalized groups who have too often been silenced in the name of religion. And it culminates in action, where faith translates not into slogans but into justice for the oppressed, care for the earth, and solidarity with the vulnerable.

Such a vision requires courage. Institutions will not willingly surrender their control. Leaders will not easily relinquish their power. But history shows that change begins with individuals and communities who dare to live differently, embodying faith that is deeper, freer, and more authentic.

Returning to God

In the end, humanity’s greatest crisis is not the decline of religion but the distortion of it. What people hunger for is not another institution, another doctrine, or another charismatic leader. They hunger for God—for meaning, for connection, for love.

Religion at its purest is meant to point us toward that hunger, not manipulate it. It is meant to liberate, not to bind. To empower, not to dominate. To elevate, not to exploit. Across the world, as institutions falter, the call to return to God beyond them grows louder.

If humanity can answer that call—separating the eternal from the temporary, the divine from the institutional—then perhaps we can rediscover faith not as a chain of control but as a wellspring of freedom.

The world does not need more powerful religious institutions; it needs more authentic seekers of God. Only then can religion reclaim its place as a force for love, justice, and peace in a fractured world.