Discussions
Why Do You Go To Church?
Posted by Tuffour • 6/26/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: Church
Reasons why people go to church vary.
Why do you go to church?
User Comments
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You cannot pursue the Lord without a community of faith, and in addition, it's a good place for stimulating discusion and organizing service and mission.-
LOL!
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I only attend churches when I am contracted to sing in them.-
Timethief, how often are you on contract to sing in churches? Glad to know you sing.
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Not very frequently (2-3 times annually). Firstly, they know I'm a Christian apostate following the Buddhist path, so as they are fundamentalists they prefer to hire "born again" Christian singers, or unbelievers in hopes they can convert them. Secondly, I don't remain in the church for the whole time. I sing when I'm required to and I sit outside during the other parts of the service. Thirdly, I don't remain for any socializing during "fellowship" times after the service.
P.S. I refuse to sing at either church weddings or church funerals.
I belong to an informal multicultural group of people from all faiths. That's where I really enjoy the messages, camaraderie, music, socializing and food. We gather at community halls, and in large homes, and when the weather is good we meet outdoors. That's where I ♥ to sing most of all, because we sing the full range of chants and music from other traditions. -
That sounds like a lot of fun, TT. -
If I sang at a church there would be heavy lightning.
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When my wife's multi-cultural chorus has a performance at the Unitarian Church. -
To meet women. -
Because someone I know is getting married.-
that's a good reason...
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To catch up on the community gossip. Church is a gold-mine for that type of stuff.-
Lol, really? How?
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Some of those old ladies know everything that's going on.
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LOL
Facebook is even better for that! -
Nu uh, I'm willing to take a bet that old ladies spread rumours faster than Web 2.0.
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I don't go to church anymore. Not that I am objected to it completely. I was invited to go to a church a few weeks ago. But it was one of those Mall-Size churches where the minister is the richest one there, and I simply cannot belvieve in that kind of institution. I also don't like the way churches dictate to you...I think church should consist of meditation and communication... not lectures.-
There's different kinds of churches, ranging from the one room shack up to the megalopolis, like the one you referred to. You might want to try to find a smaller church that focusses more on your specific needs.
I'm not a fan of the complexes that have multiple ATMs in the sanctuary, myself. I prefer smaller group settings. -
I prefer my own setting. I don't need to sit in someone's "place of worship" to feel God's precense. I just don't see the point. I'd much rather just pray in the privacy of my own mind. It's like saying grace before a meal...it's just this display of "look I say grace before a meal"...when you could show that same appriciation internally thanking God for the food while enjoying it before it gets cold....
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@lotusb:
You've got some valid points and concerns. Not sure if a forum like this is the best place to satisfy the curiosity, though. You're correct in that you can sit alone and pray in your mind. In fact, Jesus did that frequently. That's where He got his instructions from His Father: alone and by Himself, free from distraction. He did, however, participate in church services by reading the scriptures, joining in prayer and study, and discussing topics with others.
Don't feel pressured to go to church, though. When/if the conviction comes, then go. But don't feel pressured. As a matter of fact, I used to resent sitting on the hard pews and couldn't wait to bolt out of there. Couldn't keep me in there! Things are different now. I go in, do what I have to do, and get out (just not as fast as before). -
Ok...
A) I was just answering the question at the top of the thing...
B) I don't feel "pressured" to go to church...I'm perfectly happy with how I use my Sundays.
Some people need the validation of being around other people and their ideas...some people use Jesus as a convenient comparison to why they go to church. I say "convenient" because I notice some people are very quick to bring up Jesus as an example when it fits into their point, and then even quicker to say that Jesus example is up for interpretation and discretion... Jesus also hung out with hookers and thieves...lived a VERY humble life and never indulged in monetary concerns...I'm assuming you at least have a computer..no?
But yes, your right. I've said my peace. I don't go to church nor do I want to, thanks. -
Yaeh, I don't like megachurches either. My church only has 100 members.
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I don't exactly know your experience with church and what has given you your opinions on pastors. Some of them may be get a lot of money but coming from a family with pastors, in there churches they are the last to get money. My dad spent his savings to help people. A Church is a non-profitable organisation that is registered under the government so if every thing is done legally the pastors and any one working for the church shouldn't make a large amount of money. Often people look at tithing as money taken in for the pastor but only a small percentage is used for his salary. When my dad was a pastor we had some nice things that were given to us but often didn't know where the next week's food was coming from and this is not unusual.
I also see you ask the Q 'What is a religious professional exactly?' and Tuffour had a great answer. As far as pay, some get paid and others don't. Most of the time if some one is full time they will get paid. If they don't it's like community service.
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Why do I go to church? Because there's work to do.
All week I do what I have to do: parenting, blogging, photographing, videoing, studying, ministering, cooking. When the weekend comes, I meet up with others to fellowship and worship. The spiritual upliftment is unlike anything else around, so it helps get me through the following week. I also learn a little bit more to help with my personal ministerial efforts so that when I speak to individuals one-on-one I'm better equipped to understand and help them.
So, why do you go to church?-
To have fellowship with other church members, to worship, to learn, to recharge my spiritual battery, Jesus did that.
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@Tuffour
What is a religious professional exactly? -
@Tuffour
Good answer. I see you study your Bible. That's good.
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Lotusb, any profession that falls under religion, I mean Christian web communicator, Christian educator, and preacher.
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So do you get paid to do that?
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I go to church if I am attending a wedding, christening, or funeral.
I also go to the temple for the same reasons (well, not a christening).-
Then why do you go to temple?
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For weddings. Hindus don't christen their children...that is a Christian thing...naming ceremonies are held at home. They don't bury their dead either...they cremate them and the ceremonies are held at the river/seaside and at home.
I am an atheist, but I respect the traditions of my friends and my husband's family, so I attend their rituals wherever they might be held, even if that means sitting through a church service or temple ritual. I even have a statue of Ganesha and a god lamp in my house: neither my husband nor I use it, but my in-laws use it when they visit.
See my blog for my Hindu wedding last year. -
My uncle used to say you should only go to church when things drop on you. Water, rice, confetti and dirt.
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I think I would like your uncle!
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Going to church is a way of spending time with my mom, she doesnt like to go alone, and for that 1 hour she stops worrying about my soul. -
maybe I should, since my taxes pay for it anyway
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To worship Satan.
(I'm just kidding folks!).-
ROTF!!
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I know a couple who got busy in a church parking lot...
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@ Agit8r
I know some who did it in a closet in the church and they ended up pregnant. Some who did it in the pews while service went on (a few tweens in an old timers' church. It went unnoticed). It's more common than you might think. Just shows that there are a diversity of reasons why folk go to church. Many of the reasons are unsavory and disrespectful, many are legitimate.
I sure hope everyone can stand by their convictions for their choices... -
did people think they were "rolling in the aisles"?
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...barking like a dog?
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...speaking in tongues?
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@SweetViolet, who is Ganesha?. I will see your blogs.
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Ganesha is the 4-armed elephant-headed Hindu deity who is known as the "Remover of Obstacles." My husband's family is particularly fond of Ganesha.
Out of deference to their beliefs, I also wear a knotted red string on my right wrist, which they make for me at the annual Luxshmi prayers.
I have no belief in god(s) but members of my husband's family do and I respect their beliefs and traditions even though I do not share them.
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Here's why I don't. eepurl.com/b5Ci-
Do you buy cars, or pay taxes, or vote, or work, or eat food, despite the wrongs that those in charge of said things have done?
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yes
but i wasn't raped at ten years old by people that sell cars, pay taxes to or people at work. but i was sexually abused by priests and Brothers at Mary Immaculate Church Victoria st. Waverley, NSW Australia , as were a number of the children I grew up with
now don't respond with pathetic questions -
@ acousticguitarist
You'll have to excuse the ignorance: the website does not, at least on initial perusal or site search, link your handle to its owner. Is there a clear reference to that anywhere? I'm not at all attacking you, I suggest you reconsider what I asked.
Your experience, as expressed via the website's "About" page, is abominable and one that no one should feel. I don't condone or endorse those who have done such.
I can see where and how you would take my comment "personal", but understand that I am not attacking you. It's just like the About page says: "This is not a place of hatred but a place where you can come to gather strength and feel safe with a part of your personal past that has been too hard to deal with. And I am not saying there is no right to be angry or feel hatred to those who abused you, what I am saying is that this is not the place." That painful situation is something that is hard to deal with. And I'm not belittling it, either.
I ask for legitimate reasons. The "priests and Brothers at Mary Immaculate Church Victoria st. Waverley, NSW Australia" are not the entire church, but a very small part of it. The church didn't do the abuse, it was the individuals who abused their positions of authority. They are the culprits who will, justifiably, have to pay for the wrongs committed against you, others who suffered the same fate, and those who were affected by association. With that further explanation, which came as a result of your revelation, my point becomes clearer, while still not belittling your experience. "My pocketbook was stolen in church, so I don't go back" places the blame on the church, not the individuals involved. "I don't date men anymore because he cheated on me" places the burden of one man's crime on the entire gender. "I'm getting a divorce because she won't make love to me" destroys the entire marriage because of the inadequacy of one act. "I'm not buying or driving a car, because these fellows have run the business into the ground" discounts the quality of the machinery for the ineptitude of the ruling leadership.
In healing, it is crucial to identify the root cause of the problem and attack that, not everything in relation to it. By attacking the whole, innocent individuals get condemned wrongfully. I am a church leader in excellent standing. When "the church" gets blamed for such activity, I get lumped into the mix when I had no part in the activity or mindset of the guilty parties. I absorb it because I know that individuals have a human need to express their pain, and t takes time to come to grips with such a horrible ordeal. I know, and am sensitive to that.
Scott -
Thankyou for your response Scott.
My issue is totally with the church, not the individuals, it is not about a few individuals it is about the networks of pedophiles which have been allowed to exist within the church, (in this case Catholic), they shuffle members around to hide them from the public eye, the denial of issues and the involvement of sexual abuse of child by members at all levels. They sent many to Australia and many were involved in orphanages, if that doesn't sicken you, think again.
I have a case that is worthy of taking to the UN, and I don't say that lightly. The church has set up commitees to deal with abuse but their main role is really a cover up and is not about exposing the rampant abuse which persisted for years. The church is not prepared to take all its issues into the public arena and I consider this a crime against humanity. The brother in charge of the altar boys where I grew up kept a book of half naked boys, of which I was one, in this book he had the written the size of their penises and other information and the book was shown to other members of the church and they would roster boys on specific services based on who they liked in the book. The church was aware of this many years ago and has covered this up and it has taken 30 years or so creep out. The church has to stop pretending everything is ok, it's not. You cannot lock people up in a life of supposed celibacy and expect wires not to get crossed, very few are really capable of handling that obligation regardlss of what vows are taken.
A Bishop was sent, in another incident to clean up the sexual abuse in Philadelphia because there was >500 cases of sexual misconduct. This and other sort of information should be released immediately to the larger media, these people should be in prison, the more the stories get out, the more people have the courage to come forward and tell their story, especially men. If the church were to come clean and everyone within its walls would speak up, you'd have a very different looking church and one that would be respected. You can't have the same people taking confession, saying mass and sodomising boys, it's just not on. The primary school I went to, a Marist Brothers school also had a pedophile.
I do believe that the church is trying to take better steps to prevent abuse but there is so many stories that need to be told, however there are many bad seeds planted that will o doubt bear fruit.
The archbishop in Australia Pell said, one year ago, that those who were abused years ago "Need to get over it", ... seriously, how can a person in that position say such a thing that lacks so much thought.
You may like to explore the story of Michael Higgins and others,
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/franciscans-admit-horrific-sex-abuse-in-semin...
A major issue is that members in the church are in denial and are in no way aware of the extent of the abuse of years and years.
Only recently there was the Irish issue,
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8059826.stm
This issue will not go away.
Scott, if you are going to discuss this you'd be best to get an education on this, because you are not very well informed and can philosophize all you like but it's ignoring the fact that the Catholic church and many others have a lot o answer for, and they need to be accountable. And the members from within the church need to ask some serious questions on who they have chosen to place between themselves and God. -
@ Acoustic
Indeed, you have a lot to be angry about, but you are missing the point, and it is sad. We don't know each other, so to tell me to get an education about this or to tell me that I am misinformed is unacceptable. You don't know my credentials, qualification, or history, and this forum and/or post is not sufficient for us to have had a proper introduction. I forgive that, though. I can absorb it. The truth is what it is, and you've acknowledged what I said previously: It's the network, the powers that be, the ones accountable that are to blame. There's no philosophizing about that. That's fact.
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I don't go, because religion takes away my freedom -
@ lotusb
Very true, Jesus did hang out with hookers and thieves. I do, too. But I guess we should be extra careful when folk use the Jesus example to flip flop their positions, huh? I know it can be frustrating.
In any case, if I offended you about the "pressure" for church piece, that wasn't my intentions. No hard feelings. It's not easy to get your point across accurately with the intentions intact on these boards... -
I can tell you the reason why I don't go to church. I grew up in church then had a lot of other life experiences. When I came back, I saw life differently so in church I can't relate to any one. I can't 'fellowship' with people I can't relate to and won't try and relate to me so there is no reason to go even though I wish I could.
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I grew up as a Hindu.. but there was this church right in front of my Grandmother's house(where I spent most weekends)..
So I used to attend Sunday school most mornings, because it was fun. I always loved stories and there were a lot of them.. we also got to play games, there were competitions every week(which I usually won) gifts, chocolates and prizes. It was a fun way to spend sunday mornings and my parents didn't object.
I attended almost every week for about a year when I was around 9 or 10 -
@ Agit8r
Well, again, the church was full of old members. It was a very small church of about 10 persons, and they were maybe 80 years old or older. They were barely aware that they even showed up to church, or how they were getting their tired bodies back home. The tweens were almost invisible to the old members.
But tongues? Tongues are simply different languages that humans speak in different cultures. English, Spanish, French, Cantonese, etc. The tweens were speaking more hushed whispers and commands, like "come on! hurry up!" -
I go to church to:
1. Hear things/perspectives on the bible and its teachings.
2. To develop my own beliefs and morals.
3. To get together with like minded, nice people. -
I go for my own spiritual growth and because it provides me with hours of beauty. -
@Pandora106 thank you for helping to answer the question.
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Let us keep on discussing it without hurting each other. I really appreciate how each of you has come out with his or her point. We should not attack each other. You are all wonderful people, I love you. I respect your opinions. Let us maintain that healthy relationship here online.
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