Most of the BS from modern christians is a byproduct of the church trying to control every aspect of a person's mind and body rather than being an expansion of their spiritualism. Traditional religion does not like free thinking amongst its worshippers. Puritans were amongst the worst and they have a huge influence on early Americans and their religions.
I agree with this to an extent actually, which has led me to conflict strongly with the structure of most denominations. There are a few exceptions (the Roman Catholic Jesuits are a good example) but I'd actually say the Roman Catholic Church contributed far more to the Church-as-a-power model than Puritans overall. That aside, some days, I get as much from reading Eckhart or Kierkegaard as a Newman or Aquinas.
