Church...

[bear^]

I spent a majority of sundays growing up going to church...

 

I no longer go to church, and occationally i think about churches overall purpose...

 

Maybe instead of going to mass for an hour once a week, people should do something...

 

like help out some old folks, sweep part of a dirty part of town, read a child a book...you know?

 

Seems like all the time and money spent on church could be better spent...

 

Do ppl need church to keep them going? Does going to church make you feel good afterward? Wouldnt you feel better having helped someone, or helped out society?

 

Seems like Earth has plenty of problems that arent getting solved in a church pew...

 

Not trying to tip anyones boat, cuz if you need church, do it to it! But do you really NEED it? If you believe in God, isnt that enough? Wheres the faith? Cant yuh just follow the 10 commandments?

 

<3

[pavid]

Isn't the Higher Being (God, Allah, etc) really just in our heads. If that's true, then as long as you always remember the guy/gal upstairs then you're always in church. The building is a formality for those who choose not to think about their deity for 6 out of 7 days.

[soul .gc]

Church is not just about your one day to think of God out of the week. It is about fellowship and communing with others of the same beliefs. Building families and structures and working together to form your own community.

 

Almost everyone I know that goes to church also spends time out of church volunteering and helping others. To say it is a waste of time or not needed if you are content in your faith is not correct in my opinion at all.

[Wounded Cheesie]

Why Church?

 

1) We are social creatures. We are not ment to be alone. Church offers an opertunity to get together but for a purpose. The purpose to pray with one another, give and get advice, encourage eachother. Now if all you do is come, sit, be bored and leave then its prolly a waste.

 

2) After a long week a good inspiring sermon can energize you. Admititly most churches just brow beat you and ask for your money but they are not all like that.

 

3) Generally one person can not be as effective as a group. For example when someone in our church was laid off the church was able to help them finacially till unemployment kicked in. I didnt have any significant extra cash but each person putting in a couple of bucks and we could help them out.

 

So...Church does make me feel better and because I do counselling and prayer I beleive i am "helping someone out" so im doing both

 

Side note: Before welfare and unemployment benifits churches were the sole source of scocial assistance and today churches are still the major contributers for anti poverty, aids and other releif.

[Nimon]

Seems like Earth has plenty of problems that arent getting solved in a church pew...

I'd say that's a problem with specific churches or attendees, not the Church in general. Look at my church, which is far from perfect. There's a group that regularly visits the elderly. The youth group recently cleaned up main street in our relatively small town. Prior to the city building a rec center, the church provided a safe place for kids to hang out and game on Friday and Saturday nights. When we got together with two other local churches for our Easter service, the offering collected was given to the city to help pay for its annual celebration. The church runs a K-6 school, and many of the students do not attend any church. We're getting ready to build a third building, this one with classrooms and a gymnasium. It will be used by the church, the school, and the community. Every night of the week--and some mornings--there are small groups from the church getting together for prayer, Bible study, basketball, or singing. And all that's just off the top of my head. We have about 500 regular attendees, and 100 or so members. If anyone's time at our church is spent only in a pew on Sunday, it's not because of a lack of opportunity.

 

The social aspect of Christianity is the hardest for me to deal with, as I'm not very sociable. However, I recognize the importance of it. Community is a good way to help people and get things done.