--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Often, when we are in trouble, or…" description: "\"“Often, when we are in trouble, or doubting, or struggling, we rely on others to carry us to God. Just as often we must do the carrying, to help friend..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17e/james-martin-18179_organized-religion_often-when-we-are-in-trouble-or-doubting_956867.jpg" --- # Often, when we are in trouble, or doubting, or struggling… ![“Often, when we are in trouble, or doubting, or struggling, we rely on others to carry us to God. Just as often we must do the carrying, to help friends who are struggling. This is one of the many benefits of organized religion, as we all need others to help us find God. Even though we may disagree…” quote by James Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17e/james-martin-18179_organized-religion_often-when-we-are-in-trouble-or-doubting_956867.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17e/james-martin-18179_organized-religion_often-when-we-are-in-trouble-or-doubting_956867.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17e/james-martin-18179_organized-religion_often-when-we-are-in-trouble-or-doubting_956867.jpg) > ““Often, when we are in trouble, or doubting, or struggling, we rely on others to carry us to God. Just as often we must do the carrying, to help friends who are struggling. This is one of the many benefits of organized religion, as we all need others to help us find God. Even though we may disagree with others and find life in a community occasionally annoying and sometimes scandalous, we need others, because the community is one way that we are carried to God, especially when we are too weak to walk to God on our own. But I wondered about the paralyzed man. He may have felt shame for his illness or for being unable to support himself. Maybe his friends carried him in spite of himself. Sometimes when we are too embarrassed to approach God, someone must bring us there—even drag us there. Many times when I am discouraged, demoralized, or angry at God, it is friends who remind me of God’s great love and who carry me to God. We cannot come to God without others.”” [James Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Community support is essential for spiritual growth; we both receive and give help in faith. **In simple terms:** We need others to reach God; we also help others. Key Takeaway Seek and offer spiritual companionship. Themes faith community mutual support vulnerability spiritual growth Mood reflective hopeful encouraging Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - church groups - personal crises - friendship - counseling - volunteering Key Concepts interdependence compassion service humility Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance receiving help with personal agency? - What practices foster mutual spiritual support? A Different Perspective Reliance on others may hinder personal responsibility if overused. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Carried God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carried-god-1742858/) [Carry God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carry-god-319909/) [God Especially](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-especially-1742859/) [God Friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-friends-722121/) [Help Friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help-friends/) [Help God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help-god/) [Organized religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organized-religion/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [You must carry on my spirit. It can no longer be carried by a god. 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I don't have a care that I carry alone but I have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-harris/i-don-t-have-a-thing-that-i-got-on-my-own-i-don-t-have-a-care-that-i/) [Mark Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-harris/) > [Be a Gardener. Dig a ditch. Toil and sweat. And turn the earth upside down. And seek the deepness. And water plants in time.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-of-norwich/be-a-gardener-dig-a-ditch-toil-and-sweat-and-turn-the-earth-upside/) [Julian of Norwich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-of-norwich/) ## More by James Martin > [“At the time, I prayed to God only intermittently, and then mainly to ask for things, such as: “Please let me get an A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martin/at-the-time-i-prayed-to-god-only-intermittently-and-then-mainly-to/) [James Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martin/) > [“What might our lives feel like if we didn’t march through them with a scorecard, keeping a tally of our failures and successes? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martin/what-might-our-lives-feel-like-if-we-didn-t-march-through-them-with-a/) [James Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martin/) > [“True prayer wants others to flourish. 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He held up an unusual Nativity scene.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martin/as-i-was-deciding-on-what-to-select-george-motioned-me-over-to-a/) [James Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martin/) > [“Is it right for people to critique others for their supposed un-Christian attitudes by themselves being un-Christian?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martin/is-it-right-for-people-to-critique-others-for-their-supposed-un/) [James Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martin/) > [“The language of martyrdom and persecution is often the language of war. It forces a rupture between “us” and “them” and perpetuates and legitimizes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martin/the-language-of-martyrdom-and-persecution-is-often-the-language-of/) [James Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martin/) > [“My friend’s experience reminded me that the search for a perfect religious community is a futile one. As the Trappist monk Thomas Merton wrote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martin/my-friend-s-experience-reminded-me-that-the-search-for-a-perfect/) [James Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martin/) > [“What would you concede if it didn’t matter who got the credit? What would no longer matter if you were not hostage to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martin/what-would-you-concede-if-it-didn-t-matter-who-got-the-credit-what/) [James Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martin/) > [“Joy, humor, and laughter should be part of everyone's spiritual life. They are gifts from God and help us enjoy creation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martin/joy-humor-and-laughter-should-be-part-of-everyone-s-spiritual-life/) [James Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martin/) > [“The movement for Jesus was always from the outside in. His message was always one of inclusion, communicated through speaking to people, healing them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martin/the-movement-for-jesus-was-always-from-the-outside-in-his-message-was/) [James Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martin/) > [“In our deepest longings we hear echoes of God's longing for us. And the more we can follow these deep-down desires, those that God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martin/in-our-deepest-longings-we-hear-echoes-of-god-s-longing-for-us-and/) [James Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martin/) > [“Compassion, perseverance, and forgiveness are all gifts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martin/compassion-perseverance-and-forgiveness-are-all-gifts/) [James Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martin/) [Explore all 35 James Martin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martin/) ## More Organized religion quotes > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [In my opinion, most organized religion does neither agentic service nor relational nurturance very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/in-my-opinion-most-organized-religion-does-neither-agentic-service/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [“I'm completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. ... These two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-m-completely-in-favor-of-the-separation-of-church-and-state-these/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [Organized religion has a part in the evolution of personal religion. It is the material upon which personal religion is grafted, but the process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-montagu/organized-religion-has-a-part-in-the-evolution-of-personal-religion/) [Lily Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-montagu/) > [“The Vatican won't prosecute pedophile priests but I decide I'm not ready for motherhood and it's condemnation for me? These are the same people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-renee-taylor/the-vatican-won-t-prosecute-pedophile-priests-but-i-decide-i-m-not/) [Sonya Renee Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-renee-taylor/) > [Humanity will never be religious unless all organized religions disappear and religion becomes an individual commitment towards existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/humanity-will-never-be-religious-unless-all-organized-religions/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [“The main pillar of organized religion, with few exceptions, is the subjugation, repression, even the annulment of women in the group. Woman must accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/the-main-pillar-of-organized-religion-with-few-exceptions-is-the/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“I’m beginning to see how the secret ways and deepest mysteries of God and his kingdom are often revealed off the beaten path of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-palmer/i-m-beginning-to-see-how-the-secret-ways-and-deepest-mysteries-of-god/) [Jim Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-palmer/) > [I see the way I look upon organized religion, I was a victim of that of mythology, and of cruelty, and all the absurd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malachy-mccourt/i-see-the-way-i-look-upon-organized-religion-i-was-a-victim-of-that/) [Malachy McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malachy-mccourt/) > [The three religions because I wanted to discuss faith, not organized religion, so wanted to relativize organized religion by having Pi practice three. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/the-three-religions-because-i-wanted-to-discuss-faith-not-organized/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [My father hates organized religion, probably because he hates the God who killed his little girl back in 1968. I find religions variously bemusing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/my-father-hates-organized-religion-probably-because-he-hates-the-god/) [William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/) > [Among the sayings and discourses imputed to him (i.e. Jesus) by his biographers, I find many passages of fine imagination, correct morality, and of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/among-the-sayings-and-discourses-imputed-to-him-i-e-jesus-by-his/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Half the people in the world think that the metaphors of their religious traditions, for example, are facts. And the other half contends that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/half-the-people-in-the-world-think-that-the-metaphors-of-their/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [“Conventional, organized religion, in its most decadent form, is an inert parody of the genuine religious experience as much as modern occult organizations are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/conventional-organized-religion-in-its-most-decadent-form-is-an-inert/) [Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/) > [“One of the greatest tragedies in mankind's entire history may be that morality was hijacked by religion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/one-of-the-greatest-tragedies-in-mankind-s-entire-history-may-be-that/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) [Browse all 261 Organized religion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organized-religion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Often, when we are in trouble, or doubting, or struggling, we rely on others to carry us to God. Just as often we must do the carrying, to help friends who are struggling. This is one of the many benefits of organized religion, as we all need others to help us find God. Even though we may disagree with others and find life in a community occasionally annoying and sometimes scandalous, we need others, because the community is one way that we are carried to God, especially when we are too weak to walk to God on our own. But I wondered about the paralyzed man. He may have felt shame for his illness or for being unable to support himself. Maybe his friends carried him in spite of himself. Sometimes when we are too embarrassed to approach God, someone must bring us there—even drag us there. Many times when I am discouraged, demoralized, or angry at God, it is friends who remind me of God’s great love and who carry me to God. 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