Dianavan and Poppagator, I think what happens in many organizations as they age, powerful people step in and usurp the organization, attempting to make it a tool for acquiring power and wealth. This stops the natural, organic, "folk" process of tradition. I'm an optimist, so I think the folk process usually prevails, and those who grab power eventually make themselves irrelevant. It's a cycle, but I believe the powermongers lose in the end. It's certainly true in my experience of the Catholic Church - those in power are largely irrelevant, although they do fulfill an administrative function and they do make a splash in the world of politics and power. Politics and power have little effect on my daily life - I hope that's true for most of us.
I know it's true that occasionally religious groups do go horribly wrong - but my experience is that this is the exception, not the rule.
But then again, I'm an optimist.
-Joe Offer-