Do you go to Church?
- Thread starter Catfan in Tn.
- Start date
No. Grew up never missing a service until age 13 or so. Slowly transitioned to Easter and Christmas. As of now I don't plan on ever going back, even then.
I do, but the one we go to is mostly for the kids program and convenience. We have had long spells of no attendance, but are back in the swing of things now.
Made a promise to my Mother that yes I would attend her Mass when she passed away. She did in October and I fulfilled my promise to her. I have no problem with anyone that does attend Church, good for them. I will go back but only if it is for a funeral, marriage or baptism.
Brought up Catholic. Never missed a Sunday from birth to 18 by force, not choice. I started questioning the story and its various plot holes when I was 13. Never got any answers, just lectures on "faith."
As soon as I moved out of my parents' house I never went back on my own. I'll go to Christmas mass with my folks if I'm in town just to keep the peace. I married a southern Baptist who hated her religion so much she became an atheist as soon as she moved out of her parents' house.
I'm on the fence between agnostic and atheist. It's hard to completely reprogram after 18 years of indoctrination, but I'm getting there.
As soon as I moved out of my parents' house I never went back on my own. I'll go to Christmas mass with my folks if I'm in town just to keep the peace. I married a southern Baptist who hated her religion so much she became an atheist as soon as she moved out of her parents' house.
I'm on the fence between agnostic and atheist. It's hard to completely reprogram after 18 years of indoctrination, but I'm getting there.
Yes, every time the doors are open. My wife and I are youth leaders and we volunteer as much possible. Grew up in church until I turned 18 and got out of church for over 12 years. We got back in church 5 years ago and God has blessed us in every aspect of our lives.
I grew up with a grandmother that believed if the church doors were open we had to be there. It burned me out and I've only been to service here and there since then.
As I've gotten older, and had children I'm starting to think it's time to get back more often.
As I've gotten older, and had children I'm starting to think it's time to get back more often.
Most Sundays.
Grew up going to Baptist church. Didn't go for about 10 years from high school graduation on.
Been going since I started dating my wife 5 years ago.
Grew up going to Baptist church. Didn't go for about 10 years from high school graduation on.
Been going since I started dating my wife 5 years ago.
Born & raised Catholic. Forced to go as a kid. Stopped. Went back enough to get married in the church to keep a promise I made to my Grandfather before he died. Stopped again. Started back, now active as a lector and with other things.
I think it is mostly good for me. I accept that I will never agree with 100% of the Dogma. At worst, I am spending a little extra time with my folks while they're still here.
I think it is mostly good for me. I accept that I will never agree with 100% of the Dogma. At worst, I am spending a little extra time with my folks while they're still here.
Yep, I'm never going to understand or agree with everything. But I do feel better being involved and it's nice spending time with the family.
Always. The last decade or so, I've had a hard time separating religious ideals and mankind's interpretation of religious ideals......but I think I'm finally becoming productive.
Haven't been to a church for in over 20 years, outside of weddings and funerals. Thankfully it's been a long ass time I have been to either one of them.
Does she also have a Phd (Pentecostal hair do)?
I was raised Southern Baptist. My dad is an ordained deacon and my mom led youth group for many years when I was growing up. We'd go twice on Sundays and once on Wednesdays. I was super involved but luckily my parents were both highly educated people who taught me to think for myself. I was even a BSU senior committee member at Morehead.
I walked out in a church service in 2006 and never looked back. I've been to weddings and funerals and the random service when I visit my parents but I haven't gone regularly since. Without diving too deep into it, I just got tired of church turning into a political rally and it always bugged me that most of the people attending had absolutely no idea what was actually in the Bible.
I walked out in a church service in 2006 and never looked back. I've been to weddings and funerals and the random service when I visit my parents but I haven't gone regularly since. Without diving too deep into it, I just got tired of church turning into a political rally and it always bugged me that most of the people attending had absolutely no idea what was actually in the Bible.
I don't have a faith in anything. I just don't really get the point in religion.
Go to church..no, Believe in God...yes. I lost faith in mankind a long time ago. Nobody but me can send my soul to hell anyway, why involve a middle man? I try to spend a little time each week somewhere quiet like on the lake, in my backyard garden, in my mancave garage etc...where I touch base with the big guy upstairs. I try to live my life as God would want me (or as I have understood him to want me) but find churchs today to be filled with too much hypocrisy and judgement. No offense to anyone.
I think home churches are by far a more accurate portrayal of what church is supposed to be; not the mega churches with the latest equipment, worship that looks like rock concerts, preachers living better than anyone in the congregation with luxurious things, etc.
I find small groups/connect groups/bible studies better for you than going every Sunday. I also no longer agree in tithing to the church...AT ALL.
I find small groups/connect groups/bible studies better for you than going every Sunday. I also no longer agree in tithing to the church...AT ALL.
scientology or get out. if you don't worship the aliens in the volcanoes, i don't know what to tell you other than good luck.
I think it was Malcolm Muggeridge who once wrote a book making a distinction between Christianity (started by Christ) and Christendom (started by Constantine). Kareem Adbul Jabbar recently expressed his problems with the prosperity gospel. Both viewpoints I agree with. The church has long strived to live like Christ, but far too many times has faceplanted. However, I believe that Jesus Christ came here to die for humanity, and establish His church here on earth. Reason enough for me. But I actually like going to church.
I can respect this. Above I mentioned that I have been struggling with relgious ideals vs mankind's interpretation of religious ideals. This, in a way, is what Rondo referred to IMO. Religion or Faith are wonderous things....when they are pure. Mankind has often twisted and warped it. They've done this out of misinterpretation and/or greed, etc.
I also think that most people who are turned off by a religion were more turned off by the people rather than the pure religion itself.
It's important to note that most of relgious crowd are good and decent people. Heck, the actual general relgious population are more well behaved than the general population in a lot of respects. It's the few bad apples who spoil the lot.
The big picture of life, that you are just a meaningless chemical reaction hurling around the sun is terrifying to people. The vast expanse of nothingness is like standing on a needlepoint a mile up with nothing to hold onto. Feeling as though at any moment they might be hurled into the great black void of time.
So religion gives them something to cling to. To dumb down and make things manageable. To add a structure to life that makes sense and gives them purpose from which all other things they do might be anchored.
The only thing I tell them is that there is nothing to be afraid of. You have more experience at being dead than you have at anything else. There is nothing to fear. You are not afraid of the countless eons that passed by before you were born so why fear those that will pass long after you are gone?
There is a reward for living a good life, being a good person, raising a family, and caring more about something other than yourself so ultimately I have no beef with religion as it provides those that need it with a "how to" guide for achieving these things... it's just something that I do not need. I am comfortable with my understanding of who and why I am and thus I do not need to engage in children's make-believe fairy tales in order to comfort me and I have no use for an imaginary friend to get me through tough times nor to justify the good ones or absolve me of something I know I should not have done. I am the captain of my soul.../invictus.
So religion gives them something to cling to. To dumb down and make things manageable. To add a structure to life that makes sense and gives them purpose from which all other things they do might be anchored.
The only thing I tell them is that there is nothing to be afraid of. You have more experience at being dead than you have at anything else. There is nothing to fear. You are not afraid of the countless eons that passed by before you were born so why fear those that will pass long after you are gone?
There is a reward for living a good life, being a good person, raising a family, and caring more about something other than yourself so ultimately I have no beef with religion as it provides those that need it with a "how to" guide for achieving these things... it's just something that I do not need. I am comfortable with my understanding of who and why I am and thus I do not need to engage in children's make-believe fairy tales in order to comfort me and I have no use for an imaginary friend to get me through tough times nor to justify the good ones or absolve me of something I know I should not have done. I am the captain of my soul.../invictus.
Crow, to me it seems the opposite. It takes more courage to believe in a God that created you, and ultimately answer to.
WildcatfaninOhio
All-American
My mom took me and my two brothers to church every sunday starting at an age where I was too young to remember.
I recall that I was about the same age as when I figured out there was no Santa Claus or Easter Bunny that I would look around the church waiting for everyone else to acknowledge that this, like Santa, wasn't real either. But everyone kept right on pretending it was real. So I pretended too! By Junior High as we were reading the Iliad and The Odyssey we were told that they were ancient stories. The stories were just too fantastic and unbelievable, and we were told they were great works of fiction. That made sense to me. Then on Sunday we'd go to church and sunday school. We'd hear more ancient stories that were equally fantastic, and equally unbelievable. And everyone pretended that these stories were true accounts of things that had happened. That made no sense to me at all. But I kept on pretending. By the time I reached the age of 16 I was done pretending. I told my mom I was not going back. That was 40 years ago. Haven't been back since.
I recall that I was about the same age as when I figured out there was no Santa Claus or Easter Bunny that I would look around the church waiting for everyone else to acknowledge that this, like Santa, wasn't real either. But everyone kept right on pretending it was real. So I pretended too! By Junior High as we were reading the Iliad and The Odyssey we were told that they were ancient stories. The stories were just too fantastic and unbelievable, and we were told they were great works of fiction. That made sense to me. Then on Sunday we'd go to church and sunday school. We'd hear more ancient stories that were equally fantastic, and equally unbelievable. And everyone pretended that these stories were true accounts of things that had happened. That made no sense to me at all. But I kept on pretending. By the time I reached the age of 16 I was done pretending. I told my mom I was not going back. That was 40 years ago. Haven't been back since.
Nope, but I grew up around that and glad our denomination went from it.
My wife and daughter get asked all the time how come they do not wear the long skirts and hair when people find out we are that.
But like the Baptists there are several different types of Pentecostals.
